The Victorian Language of Flowers was used for decades to relay feelings that people had a hard time expressing or were too embarrassed to share. The flower we will be looking at today is a Campanula. The flower has bell-shaped blossoms, typically ranging in color from pink, purple, blue, and white. While the term campanula is very general overall, a more commonly known one would be the bluebell. The flower was formerly used as a food source, as both the blooms and the roots are edible. Another fun fact is that the fairy tale character Rapunzel was initially named by the Brothers Grimm after the flower Campanula Rapunculus. In the Victorian Language of Flowers, Campanula symbolizes gratitude.
Following learning some fairly devastating news, I was surprised by my roommate with these gorgeous flowers. I, being the plant lover I am, was ecstatic. She searched for the prettiest purple flower she could find, knowing it was my favorite color. We may have only known each other for the past few weeks, but she is still very attentive and affectionate, something that can feel rare when being so far from home. The gorgeous flowers she stumbled upon were campanulas.
I have heard so many stories about roommates, bad and good alike. I could not have been luckier to have found my roommate. We knew nothing about each other going into college. We merely asked the surface questions; how cold do you like the room? what do you like your room to smell like? and etcetera. By some sweep of luck, everything else seemed to align perfectly. Both of us prefer it to be freezing so that the maximum amount of comfort can be achieved beneath a mound of blankets. If you were to randomly walk into our room, chances are, the two of us are buried above our beds or stretched out across the floor. While our friends may not always appreciate the below-freezing temperatures, there are always plenty of blankets to be shared.
Her laughter is infectious, and no matter what happens, you will see us, along with our honorary third roommate, dying laughing. We all immediately clicked. From suffering through our first exams together, to recovering after taking a low blow, the three of us have had each other. It got to the point where we had to get a blow-up mattress so we could all lay down comfy and watch a movie. They always know how to cheer me up, and for that I am eternally grateful.
Those girls mean the world to me. I could be having the worst day of my life, and I would know that the second I get back to my dorm, we will meet up, get some comfort food, and munch until everything feels better. Sometimes I wonder where I would have been had I not been so lucky, and while I am sure I would’ve been fine, my “roommates” have certainly done more for me than I could ever have come to imagine. After all, I never thought I would get homesick on a trip back to my family. Thank you, Ava and Lauren, for helping make Stevens my home.
