Lessons I've Learned From the Rats Tormenting Me in My Hostel

 

The rats in my hostel have an unbelievable amount of audacity.

I'm not even joking. I have spent a good amount of time wondering why the rats in my hostel are so comfortable. Not comfortable as in "they've settled in." Comfortable as in they genuinely do not fear human beings.

Tell me why a rat will see a full-grown human being and instead of running away, it starts running towards the person? Or worse, it casually walks beside you as if both of you pay the same hostel fees.

The first few times it happened, I was shocked.

Now? I'm still shocked. Because where exactly is the fear? Who raised these rats?

Growing up, I thought rats were supposed to be afraid of humans.

You enter a room.

The rat sees you.

The rat runs away.

Simple.

Apparently, the rats in my hostel did not receive that memo. These ones move with confidence. Sometimes I feel like they look at me and think,

"Good evening, roommate."

Yesterday was when I finally accepted that these rats and I are not living in the same reality.

I didn't spend the night in my room, only to return and hear from my roommate that a rat had used my bed as a trampoline.

My bed. Not the floor. Not some forgotten corner of the room. My actual bed.

I don't know what kind of gymnastics competition was taking place while I was away, but apparently my mattress was the venue. And somehow, that wasn't even the strangest thing.

There was also the day I met a rat on my laptop.

Not beside it. Not behind it. On it.

I remember staring at the rat, and the rat staring back at me, and for a brief moment I felt like the intruder. At that moment, I had questions. Many questions. The biggest one being: Why are you here?  The confidence was unbelievable.

These rats are also surprisingly strong. Things somehow move from where you left them. Food items shift locations. Random objects disappear and reappear somewhere else. At this point, if someone told me a rat rearranged their room, I wouldn't even argue.

The audacity is impressive.

Annoying.

But impressive.

And the more I think about it, the more I realize that these rats possess something that many of us don't. But as annoying as they are, I've started to realize something.

These rats possess a level of confidence that I can only dream of.

Think about it. They're tiny. The odds are constantly against them. Yet they move around with the confidence of someone who owns the building. No hesitation, second-guessing,overthinking. Just pure confidence. They don't seem to spend time worrying. They don't appear to be held back by self-doubt. They don't sit in a corner wondering whether they're qualified enough to run across a room. They simply do it. Meanwhile, I can spend days thinking about one decision.

Should I try this?

Should I apply for that?

What if I fail?

What if it doesn't work?

What if people laugh at me?

What if I'm not good enough?

The rat, on the other hand, wakes up every morning with the confidence of a billionaire entrepreneur. It has a vision, and it pursues it without fear.

Again, I am not saying we should all become rats.

Please...😂 Let's not misunderstand each other. There is nothing admirable about using somebody's bed as a recreational facility. But I do think there is something to learn from their boldness.

Just the willingness to move. The willingness to try. The willingness to take up space without constantly questioning whether they deserve to be there.

Sometimes I think I spend too much time waiting until I feel ready. Waiting until I'm more confident. Waiting until I'm sure everything will work out.

But maybe confidence doesn't always come first.

Maybe sometimes you move first, and confidence catches up later.

The rats in my hostel certainly seem to believe that.

And while I would greatly appreciate it if they stopped conducting athletic events on my bed and holding meetings on my laptop, I have to admit they've given me something to think about. Their methods are questionable. Very questionable.

But their confidence? I can't ignore it. And honestly, if I could borrow just ten percent of that confidence...without the trespassing ...I think I'd be unstoppable. 🐀😭