5. Inability to do homework/lack of light
As I am currently unable to read the six essays I have for class tomorrow at 8:30 because of this unfortunate paucity of light, I am very, very vexed. Usually this is not a problem because I strive to get my work done beforehand. Sometimes, however, you’re not able to complete everything before you’re obligated to go tent, and then you’re in a fix.
4. People talking so loud outside your tent that you cannot sleep or awakened
Last night I woke up to a five girls screaming the name of a friend. I was so traumatized upon awakening that I don’t remember her name. They yelled and hollered and at one point someone laughed, “Ohhh the other tenters must be sooo mad at us right now!” If you know that you’re being a nuisance, why are you being one?
In less extreme cases, please be reminded that tent conversations are not private and can be heard in the next tent, and the next. Do not talk about private things, as this will only embarrass you and your friends.
3. THE COLD
Well…it’s not THAT bad, really. I can be wonderfully warm in my sleeping bag, buried blissfully in several layers of clothing and a blanket and two heat packs. It’s only bad if I’m just sitting here before the night shift, bereft of my sleeping bag and waiting miserably for people to come so I can go home and finish my homework.
2. Uncomfortable ground
Cold I can deal with by burrowing deeper into my sleeping bag, but the ground is inescapable. Despite the fact that my tent has mats, after a while I will inevitably turn on my side. Several times. It’s always either too hard or too soft, or too knobbed, or too something. Even when I was on an air mattress, I kept tossing and turning. I’ve developed a new appreciation for normal bed mattresses…
1. The terror of the sirens
It's a sound from nightmares. I will be haunted for life.
It goes something like this: “UuuuwwwwwAAAAHHHHhhhwwwuuuuuuuuAAAHHHHHHHhhhhwwwwuu…”
I have now been classically conditioned to snap out of my sleeping bag once I hear the terribly distinctive call of the sirens. Subsequently, my fellow tenters and I will stumble haphazardly out of the tent, pulling on our shoes and shivering. The one-hour grace that’s called afterwards is only a small relief—you might be able to run to McDonalds or your dorm, but once you settle back into the warmth of your sleeping bag you just know that there’s a possibility of one or two more siren calls that will draw you mercilessly from your cocoon of warmth.
Well. Maybe if I set this as my alarm clock, I’ll always be able to make it to class? :D
Tenters, what are your pet peeves and how do you deal with them? Leave a comment below.
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