Being in trapped in a room with two single beds, a desk, and a dresser can really bring people together in a multitude of ways. While doing your dishes in the same sink you brush your teeth is not ideal, it is part of this whole college experience we all long for. While many of us have had our fair share of ups and down with roommates, we all go through roommate withdrawal when its all said and done.
Having a roommate is like getting your first pet. You want to spend all day with them, get to know them quickly and become the best of friends. At first you are not sure how to act. The only thing you really know may be the outdated Facebook pictures and wall decor. After your first encounter where you essentially have to demonstrate how happy and bubbly you are 24/7 and how you are always squeaky clean, the true colors begin to peak through.
After a few days you'll begin to pick up on their habits. Maybe they sleep all day or wake you up before the sun is up. Maybe they leave their things about or chew obnoxiously. These little things don't seem to bother you at the moment but as time progresses these things will start to eat away with you as the stress of the semester kicks in.
As midterms approach the fights begin. Spending day in and day out with one person, sleeping only a few feet away from them starts to become a real pain. Fights over who needs to buy toilet paper and who's turn it is to do the dishes will pop-up left and right. You'll then fade into the silent state where you're either not around, watching Netflix, or listening to music.
After a while, one brave soul will break the silence barrier. You will soon realize your fights were not completely validated and should essentially be forgotten. After some awkward encounters you'll start to become more relaxed and either find your best friend or learn how to tolerate them for another few months.
Regardless of the relationship you have with your roommate, you'll have found a person who tolerates you as a person all day every day. They have seen you at your best and worst and help you transition through an entire experience and get used to life on your own. While they may get on your nerves or disagree with you, at the end of the day you share something no one else can quite understand.
We owe our roommates a thank you for always being there for us in a way, even if they didn't want to be there in the first place. They deal with quite a bit and regardless of how well you get along or not, they help us transition into the real world. Some may show us how to cook and essentially survive while others may demonstrate how not to live your life. Regardless of the type of roommate, we all owe them a thank you in some way or another.
