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I've never folded shirts at the Gap. I've never asked customers if they "wanted fries with that," and I've never announced a price check for canned meat at a local grocery store. My first job was (and still is) as a  

resident assistant

  in the female freshman residence hall of my university. From dancing like Britney Spears in the lobby to bringing in tumbleweed off the highway to decorate for the "Texas" theme, my experience as a resident assistant for the ninth-floor freshmen at Angelo State University, San Angelo, TX, was nothing like I had expected it to be. More importantly, though, it was nothing the residents thought it would be.

All apprehensions of dorm life disappeared when I told my residents that as their resident assistant, I wasn't their mother, nor their Hilton Hotel maid service. Instead, I was their friend. Together we would make life in the freshman dorm fun (and funny).

I'll never forget the time when Renee, a track star, ran into the lobby during a "Convention of the Bored" in the lion mascot uniform she "borrowed" from her high school's athletic department. She entertained us with a number from the Lion King, and no one let her get away without first posing for a picture.

Meredith, an aspiring stand-up comedienne, shocked us all when she got down on the floor and proceeded to wiggle around in what she called the "Centipede Dance." The next day, advertisements were hung all around the lobby announcing the free spectacle for all to enjoy in Room 904.

Lobbylutionary Wars were waged between residence halls, as well. One weekend, it was decided that at 4 a.m. on Sunday, we would gather, stealthily walk to a neighboring dorm, and steal their prized elephant blow-up chair. A ransom note was left for the victims of the attack. After months of interrogation, my residents leaked no information. The blow-up elephant chair is still in our possession, and the Lobbylutionary War of the fall semester saw the ninth floor of the Women's High-Rise Residence Hall victorious.

Hair dryers were used for more than just primping. When the sink in Room 916 clogged and overflowed, the habitants pulled their rugs out into the hallway and spent hours blow-drying their carpet back to normal.

When Katie, a former national cheerleading champion, was downstairs doing laundry, Renee snuck into her room and hid in her closet. Upon returning to her room alone, Katie closed the door and screamed when Renee jumped out of the closet wearing a leopard-print blanket around her shoulders. Katie makes sure to lock her door now.

Feeling young again, Lindsay, a nursing major, and her boyfriend got a hold of a coloring book. I opened my door and saw Lindsay, sitting Indian-style on the floor, concentrating hard on her piece of art. I knew she was focused because her tongue was out of her mouth in that fierce, determined look of a small child trying her best to "stay inside the lines." After laughing for a moment, I grabbed my Crayolas and joined them.

The fun and randomness that takes place on my floor and with my residents makes me glad I'm not asking customers if they'd like to try out the new Periwinkle Kiwi Papaya Jasmine Shower Gel at Bath and Body Works. I know that when my residents fill out their housing applications for next year, they will miss the antics and craziness of living in the freshman dorm, with me as their resident assistant. My residents were once afraid of who I might be -- now they call me a close friend.

There is no need to be apprehensive about college dorm life, or about your resident assistant. However, once you're there, keep your eyes open for blow-up elephant chairs. And if you see one, snag it.

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