Amid an enrollment snafu during my time at University of Central Florida in 2008, I decided to abandon my off-campus apartment and subject myself to several weeks of homelessness, returning to my apartment only for an occasional shower.
During my vagrancy in-and-around campus, I wrote, thought, read, wandered, explored, observed, sang, soliloquized, dined and slept exclusively in public spaces. Luckily enough, I somehow managed not to attract any perceptible amount of suspicion from either students or campus authorities. I also purposely refrained from interaction or contact with anyone in order to intensify this self-imposed test of austerity and solitude.
The experience taught me, above all, how to stave off vast stretches of tedium and become far more self-reliant. For these reasons, it was one of the most fortifying and valuable experiences I've ever had.
