Everyone college student had dreams and expectations of what their four years at their university would be like. We all pondered who will my professors be? Will I be able to relapse after a hard night of fun in time for that 8 a.m. class? What parties will I get invited to? Will I graduate on-time? And the most important question of all, will I have a good roommate?
Living with people, well strangers, isn’t easy. Trusting someone unfamiliar in your personal space is even harder. Learning to accommodate and compromise can be one of the biggest life lessons found in having a roommate. Sure, you can think of that dream roommate who never eats your food, cleans up after him or herself, that mom that brings you both care packages. But for every good roommate scenario, there are 100 negative ones.
Unfortunately for me, I had a negative experience my freshman year. This is a testament and tips that I learned when the Housing God’s dealt me a bad hand.
I remember it like it was yesterday. One journey that I knew would be rewarding yet require me to be responsible. I went to Target to shop for my bedding. I color coordinated every inch of my room in a hot pink and zebra print fashion and hoped my roommate and I would become friends.
I hoped for late nights on the town, funny stories to tell in the morning and just the fun we would have.
In high school, I was popular and was quite a social butterfly. My electic friends and natural ability to get along with others would ensure this trainsition to simply be a piece of cake. I believed that there was no way I could find myself in a situation living with people who I didn’t mesh well with. But, I was totally wrong.
When I got to my dormroom, I met two girls who were polar opposites. The girl who I shared half my room with was an interesting person. In fact, a self -proclaimed “Moody, bipolar girl”. This was a shock to me, because I tend to be very bubbly, and if I happen to have a bad day, I never show it.
She was sort of a narcissist. She spent hours in the mirror doing her hair as she left trails of her weave all over the room. Her Rihanna red strands followed me wherever I went. She was aggressive and boasted about a time she pulled a knife on a girl and won all the fights she’s ever had.
The first thought that came to my mind was “Keep one eye open when I sleep!”
In the oncoming weeks it got worse.
The other roommate, whose extra-curricular activities included sleeping in bed all day, complaining about a lack of love in her life and having a strong case of the munchies after inhaling a strange smoke, was very untidy.
I tried to make it through all the hurdles thrown my way. The uncovered cooked crabs in the fridge, the dirty remnants of personal belongings in the bathroom, the arguing between the other roommates, and the weave that followed me around everywhere I went.
But one day, I had enough. Both my roommates proclaimed to me, “You being happy all the time is annoying! And it’s aggravating me.” These were the same girls who asked me to help them with homework or to occasionally use my things had made me feel unwelcomed in my own space. So what did I do? I simply prayed.
Of course, those weren’t my intial thoughts but I believed God would work it out. I had other things to focus on, like school. I let go of the negativity and moved forward in positivity.
After winter break I got back to my dormroom and prepared myself for another wild semester.
I opened the door to a bare saide of the room. My roommate’s sheets, clothes gone and negative vibes were gone. God had worked it out for me.
Two days later, the other roommate moved back to her home state. And for the first time, my dormroom felt warm and inviting.
A few weeks later, a new roommate came knocking at my door. She was happy, positive, goal oriented and bubbly. We both admired the color pink, partying, cute boys and cuter knee high socks. She was a cheerleader like me and we even are the same height (5’1 to be exact). We even have our middle names in common. She is what I call the “roommate from Heaven.”
So, to all of you out there who are living with a “roommate from Hell,” the key to making it through situations truly lies within you. The ability to remain positive and stick to your morals and values will take you a long way. Even when you don’t understand why. It just requires your patience, positivity and perseverance! Good luck!
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