Dear roommates,

I am going to be honest, at the beginning of the year I was scared. More like terrified.

They said not to room with your friends AND also beware of rooming with people you just met. We kind of broke both rules. I would have classified us as friends, but still too new to truly be seen as friends. We were like on the free two-week subscription trial run of friendship at this point. Thus, I entered into the fall semester with slight hesitation.

I did not know how we would function as a group, especially with our polar opposite personalities. It was quickly understood that I was the neat freak and you just simply were not. You were always punctual, but never annoyingly early like I was. It was also apparent that I would have to dodge piles of clothes and make sure to proceed with caution when it was dark in the room. It was also made super clear that sophomore year would be much more fun and definitely more interesting having you as roommates.

Fast forward to now. We have become better friends, I’d argue best friends. As our second semester together is ending, I have reflected on a couple of things.

The first is that we are a lot more alike than I would have thought. Sure, we have a lot of differences—like agreeing on how often was should actually wash the dishes or when is the appropriate time to not use headphones – but we have managed to complement each other in more ways than one.

You have given me an outlet to vent my frustrations. I have been able to steal clothes (and give some too). I have been encouraged and supported and most importantly heard. This is the first time I felt like I can come home and want to spend time in my room. It is actually the first time I have thought of a dorm as home as well. I learned how to do more than just coexist with two other people but actually invest in them.

Now, when I come home, and no one is in the room, I do get kind of disappointed. I have grown accustomed to our conversations and look forward to sharing my day. So, thank you for laughing at my jokes and keeping me in check and most importantly giving me an outlet to just be me.

Maybe what they say about rooming with friends isn’t true or maybe we just are the exception.

Your polar opposite,

Giannina