La Casa

– three of us are the same. The interview process to get new flatmates is hard. The awkward thing is when you see the unsuccessful interviewees out partying. “I almost got into your flat, but I didn’t, because you didn’t choose me.”

But on average, the household has about nine people in it, with two people staying on the couch. We had a German at the start of the year – we picked up a G backpacker on the West Coast at Wild Foods and brought him back. He stayed here for three weeks, cooked him food every night, he stayed on the couch, and did nothing but get baked. And he paid us $15. One night we asked if he’d like to cook, and he said he’d cook a good German meal; an “original German meal”. It was oven baked spag bol. But we also had a girl on exchange from America, who sent us over this package of Twinkies – 14 per cent of your daily fat intake – and Captain Crunch, Hershey’s Cereal, and Reeses Peanut Butter Puffs. They’re like crack and peanut butter to anyone at any age.

This year’s been another chaotic one with partying. We had 150 people around for a birthday; cleared out the whole lounge, had DJs playing in the corner, a smoke machine. A whole pub full of random people got invited back at Easter Weekend when they closed at midnight. The rest of the flat was here playing cards over a few casual beers, and in rock these drunken 28-year old women all “Hey, where’s the party?” When fire alarms went off at the Gentlemen’s Club Cocktail Party, everyone came back here, along with the whole setup – speakers everywhere, two huge subs, decks and everything.

But we managed to destroy our house on a Red Card more than when we had 150 people here. We had those sticky stretchy hands, and if you lost a game you had to stand there with your pants down and get slapped. Imagine six drunk people chasing one drunk person with their pants down.

It’s been a lot of fun. It’s a big mix of people – didn’t go to the halls, did go to Uni Hall, did go to R&R, did go to R&R back in the ‘60s. This is better than the halls, and then better than the rest of the flats. The best memories.

We make a lot of epic food, like when we two Double Downs in a pie; with two chili beef and cheeses, one steak and cheese, and one mince and cheese Mrs. Macs. That was wrapped in pastry, and we added chopped potatoes, and a cheese sauce, and baked it. The pre-snack was about a kilo of steak between four of us. Interesting bowel movements for a week to say the least. We’re working on a similar one on a pizza base, with potato and gravy as a filler. A Double-Double Down Pie-Pie Pizza Potato & Gravy Pie. As students who have finished uni, we’ve got high aspirations. You’ve just got to aim for something.