Everyone who is currently in college or has attended college is aware of the roommate from hell stories. The roommates who would leave their trash or clothes scattered on the carpet or bathroom floors.
The roommates who do not consider turning down their music when the other roommate is trying to study. Or the roommate who just ignores the other roommate completely whenever their put in the same room.
Even if a person has not personally experienced a bad roommate situation, they know someone who has. But what about those people who have had good experiences with their roommates. Why is their story going unheard and the negative stories become a sort of norm for the college experience?
I would like to share my own positive roommate story from these last two semesters….
The Occasional Hi’s & Byes
Before my roommate moved on campus last semester, I had already been well adjusted to the college life since I was a part of this Multicultural Alliance Organization called Powerful Connections. It wasn’t until move in day on August 24 of last year when I officially met Kristy.
Although we texted previously over the summer so that we get to know each other before arriving on campus, and we had been discussing who was bringing what to campus and a possible time to arrive on campus, it was all still nerve wracking to me.
Before this moment, I had never shared a room with anyone before…only a bathroom with my brother and mom back at home. Unfortunately, the rest of August into September was an awkward time for both of us. Our conversations mainly consisted of us saying hi or bye to each other when we would enter or leave the room, me wishing her a happy birthday the second day she was on campus, and the small talk we would have after our roommate and suite-mate agreement meetings.
It wasn’t until the end of September when our dorm hall hosted an ice cream social in the lounge that we had a lengthy conversation and joked around. When the TV was on during the social, Kristy noticed a trailer for the film Flatliners. I thought this would be a good opportunity for us to finally break the awkward tension between us and do something fun during the weekend.
We ended up making a group chat with Kyra, another friend of mine, and her roommate where we arranged a day and time that was suitable for all of us to go. Neither of us ended up liking the movie. To this day, Kristy and I express our dislike for the film and have even come up with creative puns for the movie’s title.
“We are friends.”
However, one day in October, Kristy and I were talking as we were completing homework assignments at our desks in the room. At one point, the conversation turned to friendships.
Kristy told me her grandmother thought that she needed to get out more and make new friends. So, I replied by saying,
“We can be friends.”
And then she replied by stating, “We are friends.”
“Really?” I asked for confirmation.
“Umm, hmm.”
I was both in shock and happy in that moment. I didn’t even realize that we were friends, nor that she thought of me as her friend. All I can say is, that day officially marked the beginning of our friendship.
Breakfast Talks/Hangouts
We started going to breakfast together and walked to our Fitness and Wellness classes. Not only that, but we decorated our door for Christmas with wrapping paper, ‘To and From’ stickers and added Christmas lights to it while playing music from the Shrek soundtrack. We started eating lunch and dinner together and with my other friends. We also watched movies such as Girls Trip, Love and Basketball, and Enchanted with a few of my other friends.
It has been refreshing knowing that I have been getting along with Kristy. I never would have thought that I would meet someone who had so much in common with me and understand what I have been going through. And it doesn’t stop here.
Gift Time!
We both decided to get each other a Christmas gift before finals week. I remembered Kristy saying that her favorite pink heart eye sunglasses were broken.
I ended up giving her my gift before she gave me mine. Ironically, when my gift finally arrived on campus and Kristy gave the package to me to open. I also received a bittersweet note on my package and heart eye sunglasses, but they weren’t pink like hers, they were one of my favorite colors, blue.
“Now we can both be twins,” she said.
And I just smiled and nodded my head in agreement.
I wanted to give her a hug, but I was so awestruck that I couldn’t move my body. I was surprised to say the least, but I was happy to know that she was listening to me the day we went to breakfast together when I mentioned that I wanted heart eye sunglasses as well. She truly was a great roommate.
To be continued…
Overall, I would say that this has truly been a surprising yet wonderful experience for me and I couldn’t have asked for a better roommate. We still have two months left before we both have to pack up and leave our dorm hall, marking the end of our freshman year of college. Although that might sound upsetting, we both plan to continue to hang out even after moving out day.
My advice to incoming freshman who will be starting their first year in college this fall is to stay positive and open-minded about this new phase in your life. Remember that not all roommates are bad roommates and that you will get through any obstacles thrown your way while you’re in college. Finish strong!