Befriending Your New Roommate
What do you do when you find out your new roommate is a vampire? Yikes… Luckily, life is not a bad novel and, chances are, you most likely won’t be paired up with a bloodsucker. However, the myth about ultimately hating your roommate can become a reality for some, so, how to avoid this? Befriending your new roommate is important. You may not be the closest of besties, but having some sort of friendly bond will make your living situation all the more pleasant.
- Rule one: Be Friendly
The best way to prevent future catastrophes is to avoid them from the get go. Be sure to show moderate enthusiasm for the new living arrangement and establish the fact that you want this to be a pleasant journey. Do not smoother your roommate with cheerfulness and bliss, however. This can be very off putting.
- Rule Two: Establish boundaries
Friends are not roommates and roommates are not friends. That, dear readers, is the golden rule. Establish this early on and you are home free. Do not get too familiar with your roommate because this can lead to frequent and unpleasant arguments. This does not mean that you are living on a battlefield and your roommate is the enemy. It simply means that getting too close brings about that certain comfort that expands boundaries you might not necessarily want expanded.
The best way to maintain a healthy roommate relationship is to clearly specify what you expect from this arrangement. For instance, if you want to alternate chores such as taking out the trash or cleaning the kitchen, print out a log and write down who does it last, then alternate. That way, everything is on paper and you can avoid confusions. I once lived with someone who loved to play music but because I did not let the person know the times that I needed silence in order to study properly, our schedules would clash and it was next to impossible to concentrate on my school work with the loud music playing.
- Rule Three: Bond
- Rule Three: Communicate
I shall go straight to an anecdote with this one. Liars, cheaters and thieves are my biggest red flags. I suppose I failed to mention this to one of my first college roommates. One night I came home from a small gathering and found her going through my jewelry collection. When I asked what she was doing, she said she was looking for something to match a pair of earrings she had recently purchased. Strike one! When I asked her why she hadn’t asked my permission before snooping through my things, she swore she had and I had given her the green light. Strike two! When I asked her if this was the first time she went through my things, she answered no (at least she was honest, right?). Strike three, and she was out! I do admit that case was rather extreme and that the average roommate does not need to be told to ask permission before entering a room and taking things that don’t belong to him/ her. However, communication is key and, you never know these days. Sometimes people get very comfortable and take liberties they shouldn’t. It is your job to warn, that way, when you open a can of whoop ass, you’ll be fully justified. Seriously though, do tell your roommate if he/she said or did anything that offended you, that way you easily avoid future altercations!