Everyone in my life knows how much I love my roommate, Eva. We don’t have much in common in terms of style, habits, and interests, but we complement each other’s lives in a way that feels like meeting her was a case of divine intervention.
We still have our differences, as many roommates do, but we are still best friends at our core. Here’s how we handled the added title of “roommates” onto our friendship resume:
A brief history of young eva & elisabeth
As opposed to meeting my roommate over an awkward conversation on move-in day like most university students do, I met mine during my Grade 9 geography class, six years ago.
Of course, neither of us knew what entailed for us at the time, because we couldn’t have been more different.Our unlikely friendship blossomed under the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic, as we met again in a gaming group-chat made by a mutual friend. From there, we were bonafide high school companions; we had classes together, went to semi-formal dances together, and truly connected on an emotional level.
As high school friends do, however, we drifted a little bit after graduation. Eva took a gap year, I was starting my undergrad degree in a new city, things just weren’t in the cards for us – until I got a text message a few weeks before my second year started. Eva had just been admitted to uOttawa, and wanted to know if we could grab a coffee once we were both moved into our respective student housing units. This ended up snowballing into meeting up with her almost everyday, falling right back into our old patterns of friendship.
Then, the seemingly outlandish idea was formed: “Wait, should we move in together next year?”
off to the races
We searched quite high, and a little bit low, for the perfect apartment for us. We toured houses that looked as if they were built before the Confederation, modern apartment buildings with cement ceilings, and everything in-between. Our brains were fried, as every spare moment we had was devoted to sifting through Facebook Marketplace ads.
Exam season came and went, and we were staring to lose hope, until we stumbled upon our current home. Sure, our furniture is mismatched, our TV stand is on wheels, and our washing machine sounds like a jet engine, but we immediately fell in love with the large windows and open-concept layout.
Eva and our other roommate moved in first. Due to my summer job in my hometown, I had to wait until the school year started to move in. All summer long, it felt like I was sending her IKEA links and Pinterest boards that I thought encapsulated our vibe. On bated breath, we were counting down the days until September 1st, when I could finally come home.
The first few weeks were pure magic. We would shop together, make tea together every morning, and spend nearly every waking moment in each other’s company; before both of our class schedules and part-time jobs became almost too rigorous to bear. Amid the chaos of balancing our respective responsibilities as the semester draws to a close, we still manage to be good roommates to each other, and have grown even stronger as friends.
striking the balance
Some say that you never really know somebody until you live with them. This was somewhat true for me, as I had no clue as to what Eva’s sleep schedule and cleanliness habits were prior to signing our lease. Thankfully, we were able to form an agreement on how our dwelling would operate.
With three people in a two-bedroom apartment, clutter can accumulate somewhat quickly. Neither of us are really keen on confrontation, but we still aren’t afraid to ask each other to do the dishes or tidy up the living room if need may be. I feel lucky in saying that Eva and I were already pretty comfortable and close with each other, after surviving the awkward and treacherous journey of high school together, meaning our bond was only fortified by living together 24/7.
Being courteous with each other is also something we both value as roommates. There will be times where all-nighters need to be pulled in favour of studying, and there will also be times of waking up at the crack of dawn for a class or a shift. No matter what the reason is, we always take extra care to be respectful of the noise levels, especially around midterm and exam season.
When all is said and done, being comfortable and empathetic enough to the person you’re living with is key. They will see you laugh your butt off at a TikTok, cry over a stressful assignment, eat the strangest comfort meals, and will happily trek to the store in the wintery cold with you to buy an emergency toilet plunger (true story).
conclusion & thoughts from my roommate
In short, moving in with my best friend was one of the smartest decisions I have ever made. She gets me, and I get her. We have dinner together when we can, work out in tandem, and bond over how silly her boyfriend (our other roommate) can get when gaming in the wee hours of the morning. Even though not everything we do lives up to the “aesthetic” and cutesy roommate experience, they have made Eva and I’s friendship blossom and thrive even more than it already was.
And now, from the trenches of her Chemical Engineering exam preparations, I have an exclusive extract from my bestie/roommate, Eva.
I think living with your best friend feels easy. We both like our own space, but there’s something comforting about being in the same room, doing our own thing, and knowing we’re not alone. It’s the kind of quiet companionship that just feels like home.
– Eva Jalandoon