Welcome to Beneluxlaan

Last night was the official introduction party to Beneluxlaan; but first let me give you the rundown of my "apartment" building. It was originally a hospital built in the late 50's and has all of the typical hospital features. Now, half of the building was renovated for living and the other half is reserved for offices of some sort.

When you first walk up to the building, you can see the canopy where the ambulance used to pull up. I get the image of bodies being hauled on a gurney into the emergency room, but that's just me. Once inside the building, you can see where the old receptionist desk was and also where the security guard sat. The corridors are 12 feet wide and come complete with handrails on every wall (I've been told they come in handy sometimes). Half way down each hall there are double swinging bumper doors equipped with wired safety glass windows and even some rooms have the same windows on the doors.

The renovators of the rooms made an attempt to cover up the hospital look by adding hard wood floors and painting the walls. It looks like they did a fantastic job until you see the ceiling where the half-horseshoe tracks, used for hanging curtains, are still in place.

My room is a double room and is at least 3 times bigger than most single rooms. It measures about 30’x20’ with steel double doors that we now refer to as “our French doors” (it must have been an old handicap room of some sort). The outer wall has a two and a half foot ledge and the rest of wall is solid windows. We actually have a decent view from our room but aside from that, it is a glorified dorm room without lofts.

My favorite part of our hall is the bathroom. The bathrooms measure at least 15’x20’ and consist of one toilet, one shower head and a sink. There are no dividers or curtains, just those three objects in a massive room. Also, to top it off, someone placed a radio in the ceiling tiles of the bathroom that is directly connected to the light switch. When the light comes on, so does the radio; no exceptions.

Personally, I have a slight phobia of hospitals; the white walls, the smell, the underlying fact that people have died under its roof. So, moving into this place was slightly disturbing at first. But, in Beneluxlaan the white walls have been painted with murals and graffiti drawn by former students. The sterile smell has been replaced with a melody of different cuisines and a faint smell of past parties. It has a distinct "college" feel to it.