Story One:
If we lived in a perfect world, you would want everyone to act like you. This can especially be said for the person you live with. As a college freshman, part of the experience is living with a roommate; something most of us were probably fortunate enough not to have to do growing up. If you were lucky enough to have chosen your roommate, you might not have run into any disagreements, but even the closest of friends have trouble seeing eye to eye over certain things. They say living with someone is the ultimate test for a relationship, this goes for college roommates as well.
Going into college roommate-less was something I always feared, as they are supposed to be your first friend and someone to talk to at the end of a long day. However, once I finally met my roommate, who was also an international student, I thought I got lucky. She was very minimalistic with her decorations, her desk was always in order, she didn’t have too many items in the mini fridge and we stayed out of each other’s way most of the time. This went on for about a month until things started to go South. As the weeks went on, we both grew more comfortable with each other, this was good and bad. She started coming home after midnight some nights when I would already be in bed and turn both of the overhead lights on while getting ready for her shower. She would play her music out loud and sing along to it. In the middle of the day she would come back from class when i would be doing homework and turn the lights off to take a nap. While all that sounds like a lot to deal with, the worst thing she did would have to be throwing her used period pads in our shared garbage can. I noticed this one day because there was a weird smell in our room, I had my friends come in and smell it also to make sure I wasn’t just going crazy. I pinpointed the smell to be coming from the trash can and when I looked inside I discovered the culprit. Luckily, I only had to spend one semester with her because one of my friends was also having roommate troubles so she moved into my room for the spring semester and we lived well together
.
Image from:https://www.selfstoragespecialists.com/blog/2018-08-27-college-roommate-tips
I thought my awful roommate problems were behind me since I would never have to live with a random person again, I was wrong. While I have lived with someone I know for the past almost 2 years, my current roommate makes me miss the days of living with my first college roommate. I am a very clean, organized and minimalistic person. I admit that sometimes I can let my OCD get the best of me and have to tone it down because most people aren’t on the same level as me. I have been in many people’s apartments, guys included, and am impressed with how clean they are. Last year my apartment was clean and lived up to my standards, only because of me cleaning it. This semester I was constantly busy with classes, homework and tests so I wasn’t able to clean as often, I didn’t think that would be a problem considering I have a roommate so if we both cleaned up after ourselves we wouldn’t have a problem. I was wrong because my roommate doesn’t have a problem living in filth and seems to think I live with her just to clean up after her. I used to sweep our kitchen/living room floor twice a week because she would always drop food and crumbs and just leave them. Now, there’s food, dirt and fuzz littering our floor because I refuse to clean up after her anymore. Our stove and microwave have food stuck on them, dishes frequently pile up in our sink and her bedroom because it’s simply too hard for her to put them in the dishwasher. I started only washing dishes I use in the dishwasher and leaving hers in the sink because she prefers hand washing them, saying that they get cleaner that way versus the dishwasher.
Image from: https://www.bigstockphoto.com/image-1542276/stock-photo-overloaded-dishwasher
You’re probably wondering why I didn’t ask either of them to change their ways so we could live in harmony. I would address some things that I simply had enough of but they would only last for about a week and then go back to their old habits. The way I view it, I shouldn’t have to constantly ask certain things to be done because we are 20 years old. I’m not a babysitter or a mom. If you have made it this far in your life without having any responsibilities it is probably a good time for a reality check because soon you won’t be living with your parents and will have to learn how to live on your own and do things yourself. Everyone should take advantage of the years spent living away from home in college to learn how to live with yourself and figure out things without the assistance of your parents.
Story Two:
I’m currently writing this as my roommate bangs pots and pans around the kitchen. My room is the closest to the kitchen.
For some reason, I’ve been cursed with annoying roommates. Now, none of them have been crazy in the sense that they’ve stolen anything or broken anything, but, I’ve been cursed with super lazy roommates. From freshman year to now I’ve had at least one (if not my only) roommate that “forgets” to clean their dishes for upwards of two weeks, doesn’t shut the microwave door, or leaves their bathroom looking like a frat house’s bathroom after a party. In particular, my junior year of college was met with a girl who would be in our apartment 24/7. I am not exaggerating when I say she spent approximately 95% of her time in her bed. Not just in the apartment, but tucked away underneath her comforter. The climax of the year happened when I asked her to make sure she closed the microwave after she used it. She didn’t speak to me for two weeks, and, when I would come into the apartment, she would scurry into her room and shut her door. But, alas, nothing tops my current roommate situation.
Image from: https://www.buzzfeed.com/annaborges/how-to-not-murder-your-roommates
An acquaintance of a friend, roommate B, which I will call her for the sake of this article, seemed like a viable enough candidate. She seemed tolerable, had no outright racist or sexist posts, and, let’s be honest, she wasn’t a republican so I was in. But, I was in New York City so I didn’t have a chance to meet her. Bad choice. Our first meeting was the day before the beginning of the school year and things seemed fine. She was a little eager, and there was this annoying presence she had just because she so clearly wanted to be liked. But, I could deal with that. We’re all a little bit insecure, and I was sure that time would make her more comfortable. Again, I was wrong. A week or so went by and the pantry was starting to get low. So, she bought herself food. Or, should I say, she bought the food roommate A and I always buy. In fact, she bought herself some meatless chicken tenders, a food that I often enjoy when I’m feeling lazy. She hadn’t tried any of mine, yet, she decided to go out on a limb and buy a pack of them. The package is still in the freezer.
Image From: https://www.thoughtco.com/if-you-hate-your-roommate-793586
These are all minimal, trivial things. However, it came to a head when she left her dishes in the sink for 9 days, she hadn’t cleaned her bathroom since we moved in, and she was leaving all of her items on the island in the common space of the kitchen where we all prep food and eat. Her shelf of the fridge was stacked high with zero organization and she was on a holier-than-thou kick where she was not speaking to me or the other roommate. She would pass by with huffs and pouts. So, a confrontation had to happen. Upon the first moment we sat down tears started forming; It was a simple discussion about cleaning up after yourself. But, we got through the discussion and she’s continued to clean after herself in the spaces we all share. It’s hard having to live with someone who is frustrating and dirty, and it’s especially hard to have a serious conversation where you’re asking for a person to change their behavior. It’s essential, though. If I wouldn’t have had that conversation with her, and the dishes continued to pile up, I honestly don’t know what I would have done. I can guarantee, though, it would not have been pretty.