When you dream of your first or new roommate situation, you will probably imagine the cliche movie montage of how you two will become best friends for life. You can see the two of you binge watching every season of Friends and How I Met Your Mother.
And maybe you guys will make your own secret handshake.
Then, a major wrench gets thrown into the plan. What happens when you move in to find out your roommate doesn’t speak the same language as you?
You’ll probably find yourself trying to make an effort in the beginning. Surely there has to be an easy way to make this work. Maybe if you repeat yourself enough, they will understand what you mean. Or maybe if you act out what you are trying to say, the message will get across!
Soon enough (and probably sooner rather than later) you will give up and become content (or at least pretend to be content) just living in silence.
Buuuuuuttttt that’s gonna get really awkward.
How can you take the next step and try to bridge the gap between languages? While words are our primary mode of communication, they are not the only way to communicate. Some things are truly universal, so try to find ways to communicate without talking.
Sweet gestures, gifts, kindness and facial expressions are all universal so use them to your advantage. Maybe give your roommate some small gift to try to establish the kind of relationship you want with them. Even if you don’t end up being best friends, you still want a healthy and peaceful living arrangement, and part of that is simply feeling comfortable around one another.
Sometimes the most memorable moments in life involve no words.
Besides, if you guys become close enough, maybe they’ll teach you how to give insults in a their language.