No matter what year you are, you most likely have had a roommate or two. You may have been fortunate enough to live with your favorite people, or you may have been placed with people you didn’t know. Maybe you succumbed to a Facebook page to figure out your living situation—aka random people also looking for housing or roommates. Whatever the situation is, there are many things to thank your roommates for (even if you think they are annoying).
1. Getting a large pizza with you when a salad isn’t cutting it
This is one of my favorite things about roommates. Usually at least one is willing to be lazy and pig out with you. We get tired of the food we eat everyday, its boring, and we maybe had a busy day. What better way to relax and switch up the routine than by getting a pizza delivered? It is a bonding experience and usually turns into a great night of binge watching Netflix.
Disclaimer: Do this in moderation— exercise and healthy eating is also a good bonding experience for you and your roommates.
2. Teaching you patience
We all have those days where something that shouldn’t be a big deal, makes you question your sanity. For instance, when you’ve been on campus all day without a break and you come home to pee, only to discover (after its too late) that whoever used the last of the toilet paper didn’t put a new roll on—a simple task that takes 5 seconds. Little things like this can be really irritating, but it’s not the end of the world. It teaches us to have patience with our roommates. Maybe she was having a busy day, and was in a rush and couldn’t replace the toilet paper at that moment. If we dwell on all the little annoying things that happen everyday, we end up being stressed and miss out on enjoying the stuff that matters.
3. Showing you how to live with people who aren’t like you
Maybe you got placed with a random roommate, or ended up in a housing situation without knowing everyone’s lifestyle. This may seem like a horrible turn of events when on the second day of living with these people, one of them asks you how to operate a gas stove top, or your immediate roommate stays up until 3am on her computer every night with the lights on, while you are trying to sleep. Everybody is different, and that’s okay. This helps you grow as an individual because you are most likely adapting to people who were raised differently, have different sleeping patterns, or are just weird. It helps you find the good in people that you normally wouldn’t live with if you had the choice. At the end of the day, you end up liking them for who they are and maybe even become good friends.
4. Being there when you are most vulnerable
Your roommates probably know a lot about you because they see you everyday. They see whatever emotions you truly feel because you most likely don’t keep up a façade in your home—especially if you live with you’re favorite people. Be thankful that you can be honest with them, and able to tell them what’s going on with you. They know what to say to make you feel better and they know when you need your space. Also, if anyone needs someone to ramble to you about anything, listen. My roommate once told me, “You’re my roommate so you have to listen to me.” Be grateful that you have these relationships.
5. Giving you Built-in Friends
With roommates, you have people right across the hall from you that you share endless memories with. They are almost always willing to do something with you. Take advantage of this. Go out together, cook together, go on a run, and make the most of your time with these girls because one day you won’t have roommates anymore. You always have a friend with you when you are home, and whether you realize it or not, they have taught you a lot about life and yourself.