All my life, I’ve had the privilege of living in my suburban house with my balanced family of 4. As with most families, they blessed me with 18 years of chaos, comfort, and companionship. Transitioning into my second year of undergrad, I embarked upon a new residential endeavor: living with 6 other girls. More than a month into this adventure, I can confidently say that the virtues of chaos, comfort, and companionship have been upheld to the highest extent. I’ve reaped the benefits and suffered (kidding) the consequences of living with 6 other individuals, and the only thing left to do is revel in my refreshing reality and share it with the world.
While we all knew each other before living together, some more than others, we didn’t really know each other. After the initial awkward settlement and serious effort to make our drafty apartment into some rendition of a home, we have finally grown accustomed to each other’s habits and lifestyles. This undoubtedly includes the usual eating times, favorite shows, and weekend plans, but I cannot mention our habits without noting our lovable quirks. This includes, but is not limited to: the nighttime stretching ritual, daily peculiar juice concoctions, comical zoomies around our kitchen, or constant debate over whether or not we would choose fight or flight in moments of panic (it is very apparent that we would ALL choose flight but this is somehow still up for debate.) These outlandish behaviors constantly incite laughter and genuine ridicule of one another, yet ultimately just deepen my love for each individual.
While a cliche, our living room couch has turned into the spot where everything and anything is discussed. What started as a unanimous love for Modern Family has evolved into the most unhinged, tasteless conversations. The couch is where we bond: we eat, laugh, and share thoughts. There is beauty in the fact that while I may not know every detail of these girls’ past, I am very much up to date on their present. With our thin walls and overt emotions, we revel in each other’s romantic endeavors and humorous collegiate experiences. I treasure our differences and respect the efforts my housemates place behind pursuing their individual goals.
I simply cannot write this article without mentioning the disastrous technical issues that develop when 7 girls reside in one apartment. Our trash is a never-ending abyss of waste, dishes are never truly done, and floors have a constant lingering layer of harmless dirt covering them. Existing with organization and cleanliness has definitely been a learning curve for all of us and I am very proud of the progress we have made. We’ve managed to create a system in an attempt to equally split the chores and ensure everyone pays their due diligence.
To me, the title of “housemate” comes with unspoken loyalty and companionship, defined by my adoration for the girls I live with. I always have a buddy to do anything with. Even when doing something as mundane as schmoozing on the couch, I am blessed with a housemate by my side to join me. We have crafted some beautiful traditions, mostly centered around food, to state it very honestly. Encapsulated by late-night In N Out, air-fried chicken nuggets, and toast of various breads, we embrace the most beautiful evolution of communion, defined by our growing bond.
I was provided a glimpse of how the rest of our school year will prevail when we decided to make a collaborative apartment bucket list. That list alone is a tangible depiction of the memories, traditions, and friendships that will continue to blossom over the months. To my housemates reading this: thank you for your companionship and comradery, I hold our joint residence sacred to my heart.