by Charlesie Robison
This semester is coming to a close, and with a new semester comes students going abroad! Study abroad students will be going around the world, having new experiences, making new friends, and experiencing a culture unlike their own! However, if you are like me, you are staying here in Danville, Kentucky where the most culture you can get is ramen from a man named Daniel. YetBut, with everyone going abroad, there are also many people returning home. This means that you–yes, you–may be getting a new roommate. So, here is a quick list of five things that are best to do if you get a new roommate next semester!
- Push your beds together! It’s going to be cold when they arrive! And what is the best way to bond AND stay warm? Sharing a bed, of course!! If the beds are too heavy, that’s fine! Just make the other bed so unusable that they can share the twin with you! Put your stuff on it, make it a second closet, just throw the mattress out the window, the world is your oyster. Less space = more cuddling! And more cuddling = more bonding!
- Assert your dominance! This was YOUR room first! Make sure they know that! Hang up your posters on all of the walls, and use both closets. Guarantee that they know that they are entering your space, and need to follow your rules. You are in the room 100% of the year, they will only be there for 50%, so, statistically, that means you get 75% of the room and they get 25%! So, be courteous and leave a little corner for them to keep their stuff. It is basic math, and even more so, basic human decency.
- Share your finances! This is good practice for the future! Pool all of your money together, Flex dollars and otherwise! Who cares if only one of you has a job? It’s your shared money! No need to budget, you can always just get more money later. If they refuse, tell them that they are being selfish. Greed is a deadly sin for a reason. They should WANT to help you with your credit card debt! And if not? I am pretty sure those are grounds to sue.
- Throw a welcome home party! What is better than coming back to school after being away for months, being jetlagged and tired, and walking in to see a bunch of people you don’t know yelling surprise in a small room? I can’t think of anything better. It’s a chance to meet new friends, obviously! Don’t worry about inviting your roommate’s friends- that’s a lot of work, and stalking is universally agreed upon to be a bad thing, so its best to just not try altogether,. Just invite your own friends! Be as loud as possible too, so that other people in your dorm building can join the welcome home party!
- There is no place like home! After coming back from being abroad, chances are they are feeling homesick. Not just for the Centre, but for their room back home. So, try and replicate that feeling as much as possible to really help them settle in. However, as stated before, stalking is bad, so here are some ideas that are universal enough that they will make anyone feel like they are back in their childhood home! One, make sure to ask them about their grades whenever they come back, and if they are failing, ground them! Just like their mother would. Screw their weekend plans, take them on a fishing trip! And be sure to give them the birds and the bees talk on the ride there. Did they have a childhood pet? Recreate that feeling by pouring water in their shoes, destroying their things, and playing noises in the middle of the night. It will be like their puppy is right there with them! Not only will all of this help with homesickness, but it can also keep them from wanting to go home over the weekend. Yay! More bonding time!
Those are just a few things to help you with getting adjusted to having a new roommate. It can be scary and intimidating to have a stranger enter a space you have spent so many months cultivating, but they are probably just as scared. These things can help both of you adjust to this big change, and if you follow them, I can guarantee that spring semester will really be the season of rebirth: rebirthing new friendships that is!