It's hard to describe the relationship you build with your college roommate. After spending everyday waking up and falling asleep with the same person across the room, that person turns into more than someone with whom you share the same space with. That is if you're lucky, of course. If not, you could absolutely dread going back to your room just to grab your books and will likely spend most of your time roaming campus or sleeping on your best friend's couch.
However, those of us who develop relationships with our roommates will never be able to explain the kind of relationship it is. It's a mix between getting so used to their flaws that they no longer bother you and learning to adapt to a shared environment (and bathroom). It's someone who you might have to ignore during the day until they get through their "mood" or you might have to tell them to grow up and get over it. Either way, they appreciate your choice. Your roommate is someone you vent to when you can't deal with your friends another minute and who knows every part of your family drama at the time.
Coming home for breaks is something unbearable if you are one of the lucky ones who appreciates your roommate. It's heartbreaking, actually. You probably go through several stages of roommate withdrawal and are looking forward to that day in January when you'll be reunited. You might find yourself in the following situations.
1. You start sending paragraph long texts because you haven't vented to anyone in the past fourteen days and have all these bottled up emotions and rants.
2. You are panicking that you'll have to get ready for New Years Eve without anyone to ask for a second opinion on your outfit.
3. You realize that your friends are really tired of you complaining about pointless shit and that only your roommate puts up with your endless rants.
4. You want to drink wine in bed, but then feel like a loser since you're sitting in an empty room, alone, with a bottle of wine.
5. You can't find a necklace to go with your outfit and start crying because your roommate is the one with all the jewelry.
6. If your roommate didn't see you leave the room in work out clothes and come back sweaty an hour later, did you even work out?
7. You take your dog on Dunkin' runs because it's just not the same going alone.
8. You text them late at night and ask "Are you still up?" even though you already know the answer along with their entire sleep schedule.
9. You meet up for lunch/dinner but find it hard saying goodbye and driving separate ways to different locations.
10. You realize how much your roommate must sweep/vacuum the floor since you never do and it's always clean.
11. The phrase "See you at the room" hasn't been used at all and you start to miss it.
12. Your room at home doesn't feel complete without another bed and person coming in and out.
13. You start to be nice to each other and send appreciative texts because you realize you don't tell them enough and they probably think you hate them.
14. You feel left out when they snapchat and you don't even know what they're doing.
15. You're crying watching Grey's Anatomy and no one is there to tell you to stop.
16. All of your friends are busy and you have no one but your mom to have a pajama-party-movie-night with.
17. You start thinking of new ideas for the room and ways to work better together and/or decorate.
18. You have a Fun To-Do List of things you'll do together when you get back. (If not, it's not a bad idea to make one.)
19. There's no one to ask what the weather is like before you get dressed to go outside.
20. You get so excited when you see each other because they bring out your happiest side.
21. You feel weird making breakfast for just yourself.
22. There's no one to criticize your opinions or tell you that you look stupid and you kind of hate it.
23. You invite them to hangout with you and your boyfriend/girlfriend, but they turn you down.
24. By the third week, you're driving to their town and having sleepovers at home.
25. You find yourself picking stupid fights with your boyfriend/girlfriend more because you have no one else around to take your anger out on.
26. When you get back from break, you hate when they wear their headphones around the room because you want to cherish the time you have together and not waste it ignoring the other's presence.
Your college roommate is one relationship that should not be taken for granted or left behind. It's molded into something truly unique, special, and spectacular.
As much as you might want to scream in their face sometimes and say you want a room change, you love them and would not last living with ANY other human being. And you still wonder to this day how they do it.
