 "Photo: Chelsy Lueth")
 "Photo: Chelsy Lueth")
 "Photo: Chelsy Lueth")
Suffer through an awkward hello in the hallway, then go inside to a lonely apartment and sit across the room from a housemate who doesn’t even smile at you. This is the scenario of daily apartment life for many, but I did not want it to be mine. I had a vision for something different, something better. This is my story.
In August 2009, my friend Chelsy Lueth, freshman in pre-journalism, and I moved into Sanders Apartments at the corner of 16th and Laramie streets. Since Sanders is owned by Manhattan Christian College, K-State students might assume it is unavailable to them, but this is not the case. Many Sanders residents do not attend MCC, and for a few years, an elderly woman lived in the basement, said Brenda Larrabee, landlord of Sanders.
When I moved into this diverse building, my goal was to learn the names of all the residents and to make friends with as many of them as possible. I did not know what that would be like or how exactly I would accomplish it. What I did know was my dream of a community-style living environment matched up with stories of similar communities from across the world, from the days of the early church to the current culture of 2009. This dream became my prayer, and I believe God answered this prayer.
“It’s so much different than it used to be. It’s a blessing to get to know these people,” said Christian Schultz, junior in open option, who has lived in Sanders for four and a half years. “For the first four years or so, I did not intermingle with the other tenants. We pretty much all kept to ourselves, like we were in individual homes. Now, when I see people in the halls, I can say, ‘Hey.’ We’re not afraid to engage in small talk anymore.”
Shortly after moving into Sanders, Lueth and I delivered cookies to everyone who was home, and we asked each person’s name and invited them to come over anytime.
Then I became friends with Travis Gilbert, 19, bus barn employee, through another community-building group. Gilbert and I discovered we lived in the same building when I invited him on Facebook.com to a housewarming party at my new apartment.
Soon after, I became friends with Gilbert’s roommates, and we developed an awesome relationship in which they “steal” Lueth’s and my owl lamp on a regular basis. My neighbors and I respond by carrying out “heists” to steal back the lamp and replace it with hideous items.
“We enjoy being creative and hilarious, but it’s really not for us,” said Staff Johnson, junior in philosophy, of the owl lamp escapades. “It’s definitely for them. It’s about seeing the joy and being able to make somebody else laugh and feel good. I think that’s the reality of the whole heist thing; it’s just like brothers and sisters playing jokes with each other.”
Residents can now count on each other for assistance with various needs, from that last cup of milk for a bowl of macaroni and cheese to tips on car and bicycle maintenance, Schultz said.
About a month ago, some of my neighbors sponsored a party, “Sanders Shindig,” and we invited everyone in the building by taping fliers to their doors. Because the flier said “most Fridays” (an idealistic phrase), Sanders residents have continued to stop by and hang out at the apartment on other Friday nights too, said Cody Hill, 20, who sponsored the party.
“The best part is just to live life together with other people; we’re not binded and closed off,” Hill said. “I love hearing about other people’s days, and if someone is having a bad day, being able to encourage them through that. It’s sort of a family.”
Hill, Schultz and Johnson each said people who stop by Sanders often are caught off guard by the hospitality offered and the community.
“As far as the unity, I definitely believe it’s because of Christ,” Johnson said. “I mean, if it weren’t for Jesus, I don’t think any of us would be as tight or as open to receive others as we are.”
My fellow Sanders residents and I are so thankful to live here and know these people, and I truly believe I live in a special place, among special people. However, I also believe this doesn’t have to apply only to me or only to those who live in Sanders.
If you take the time to invite the people who live around you to come into your apartment and into your life, and if you take the time to serve them and get to know them, you might find that your apartment building also can become a haven of community.
