The word roommate is a familiar term for students and young working professionals. For some, this might send shivers down their spines having had some bad experiences and for some this might possibly be the best time of their lives. No matter what kind of experience you might have had, it always teaches you something useful.
Bad roommates teach you how to develop a tough frame of mind, stay calm in difficult situations and how to deal with pressures. This can be a priceless learning experience which may come in handy in your daily life, where you are meeting and interacting with people that you are not the best of friends with.
Having said that, I have categorized roommates based on my personal experiences:
- The Mess Creators:
When you are an organized and clean person, then it is not only difficult but impossible to live with a roommate who creates a mess at every place that he/she visits. I once had a roommate who would eat and sleep on the mess that he creates. At one point my apartment literally looked like a dumping ground for soda cans, beer bottles and dirty clothes.
- The Note Writers:
These are the kind of roommates who don't believe in discussions or speaking to you in person. Living with them can be a painful surprise, as you wake up and the first thing you notice is sticky notes all over the apartment. After a certain point you stop getting mad at them as it is of no use because all replies that you receive may include a sticky note stuck to your door.
- The Party Lovers:
Any time of the day or week is party time for such people. They work really hard towards achieving their 'Bachelors of Partying' and anytime you enter the apartment you feel like you're entering a club as you meet a bunch of drunk people dancing to loud music. A common symptom arising from such roommates is that you are sleep deprived for the most part of your tenure.
- The Borrowers:
A special mention to such roommates, as they borrow stuff and then make you feel guilty for asking for your own stuff back. At one point all the things that you see around them looks familiar as they used to belong to you.
- The Food Thief:
As a student you always want to save every penny that you possibly can, but then you see your food expense going up like crazy. At first you feel that your diet has increased but later you realize the reason for that is your special friend who believes in eating your food but never sharing his/her food with you. The milk, the apples and the biscuits that you store start to vanish.
- The Buddy:
This is the ideal roommate that makes your student life the most memorable time spent. A person who stays your friend even after the college is over. He/she is your hangout buddy and your advisor during the highs and lows of your career.
If you have an interesting roommate experience, please share it with us.
Mainstreet Equity Corp. is a publicly-traded (TSX: MEQ) residential real estate company in Canada. Mainstreet currently owns and operates properties in Surrey, BC; New Westminster, BC; Abbotsford, BC; Calgary, AB; Cochrane, AB; Lethbridge, AB; Edmonton, AB; Fort Saskatchewan, AB; and Saskatoon, SK.
Mainstreet provides affordable, renovated apartment suites to Canadians, and is committed to creating real value without diluting shareholder interests.