Senior Rachel Fuller fellowships with a resident on a laid back afternoon in the Harding Place game room on Nov. 8. Fuller lived wi.th senior Laura Mitchell, who was one of the Harding Place R.A.s. Ashe[ Parsons Senior Katie Vick plays a game of Wii with Harding Place resident Becca Nalley. Living as neighbors gave the elderly residents and Harding students a chance to bond with one another. Caleb Rummel -1-k~ "1oMr\~ and young at heart 23 For most students, moving into the dorms at the beginning of the school year became a routine that marked the beginning of the fall semester. For seniors Rachel Fuller and Laura Mitchell, however, their living situation was a little less typical, as they opted to live in Harding Place, Harding's own retirement home. "I got an email about the offer [to live at Harding Place]," Mitchell said. "I responded back that if they needed an R.A., I had experience, and I got the job." Due to overcrowding in residence halls this fall, several upperclassmen girls were offered living space in Harding Place. Before accepting the offer, Mitchell made sure the idea appealed to her soon-to-be roommate, Fuller. "I thought that it would be weird to live in a retirement community," Fuller said. "But after a while, I thought it would be a good opportunity to get to know these people and a good opportunity to exercise since I would have to walk to school. Plus, I didn't want to leave Laura." Although neither girl knew what to expect on move-in day, they agreed they had since come to love their elderly neighbors and view them as friends. "It was kind of a culture shock at first," Fuller said. "But it's nice to get to know all of them a little bit. Being around them, you get a different perspective on life. It helps Senior you remember that we all get old if we are blessed to live this long, and thatjesus is the only thing that really matters because everything [else] isn't as important or doesn't last." Living with people two generations older than they were proved to be a challenge and a learning experience for the girls, and it certainly did not come without its laughs. "One of our neighbors was at a meeting, and she raised her hand and asked, 'Are they going to be loud or take all the washers?"' Mitchell said. "She also exclaimed, 'If I'm going to have students on all sides of me, I better turn down my TV I have been playing it too loud!"' Despite her fellow resident's concern, Mitchell was happy to note that neither the students nor the elderly residents had caused any problems or noise issues, and everyone seemed to get along very well together. Even though the girls only lived in Harding Place for their final year of college, as compared to their previous three years living in dorms, they agreed they would not trade the experience for anything that took place in an on-campus residence hall. "It gives you a view into life and loving people and what really matters," Mitchell said. "Love is the only thing that really remains in this world." John Shrable
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