Mommy, I want my own room back!
Julie Managan
Issue date: 1/31/06 Section: features
Versus Magazine Online [Image Edition]
A small random thought flits through the back of my head. Something, somewhere in the abyss is making a noise. beep. Beep. BEEP. BEEEEEEP!!!!!!!!!!! Oh please someone make it stop! I lean over and starting hitting at my alarm clock trying to make the noise go away. It keeps going and going no matter what button I push, and after about forty-five long, excruciating seconds I realize that it doesn't make a difference which button I press - the noise will not stop. This is because it is my roommate's alarm that is ringing. Go figure.
Eventually she rolls out of bed and turns it off. (But first she has to climb ALL the way down from the lofted bed…). I am left with the task of falling back asleep in the one short hour before my own alarm goes off. Such is life with a Vanderbilt roommate.
I love my roommate I really do. She is very fun and we totally get along. But something about Vanderbilt kids makes the roommate idea a little weird. I mean, your average Vandy student came from a home that had the same number of bedrooms as there were people in the household (yes this sometimes means a guest room as well). That means many people here don't have a history of room-sharing.
Room-sharing ethics can be a little weird for first-timers. The big one: you are not identical people. If you were, you would drive each other mad. I know this from experience. This means that your roommate will not agree with you on key things such as: food, room temperature, hygiene, wet towels, acceptable behavior when both you and their boyfriend are in the room, etc. I realize that you think people who disagree with your views on these important tenets are stark raving lunatics, but here is the thing: they think the same thing about you. So deal. You had a nice little break at home in your own personal king-sized bed, you are ready to return to the hardships of cohabitation. My roommate woke me up the day before break with a big bright smile and a shout - "It's cleaning day!" I made it through that, and now I know I can make it through anything. So can you.
A small random thought flits through the back of my head. Something, somewhere in the abyss is making a noise. beep. Beep. BEEP. BEEEEEEP!!!!!!!!!!! Oh please someone make it stop! I lean over and starting hitting at my alarm clock trying to make the noise go away. It keeps going and going no matter what button I push, and after about forty-five long, excruciating seconds I realize that it doesn't make a difference which button I press - the noise will not stop. This is because it is my roommate's alarm that is ringing. Go figure.
Eventually she rolls out of bed and turns it off. (But first she has to climb ALL the way down from the lofted bed…). I am left with the task of falling back asleep in the one short hour before my own alarm goes off. Such is life with a Vanderbilt roommate.
I love my roommate I really do. She is very fun and we totally get along. But something about Vanderbilt kids makes the roommate idea a little weird. I mean, your average Vandy student came from a home that had the same number of bedrooms as there were people in the household (yes this sometimes means a guest room as well). That means many people here don't have a history of room-sharing.
Room-sharing ethics can be a little weird for first-timers. The big one: you are not identical people. If you were, you would drive each other mad. I know this from experience. This means that your roommate will not agree with you on key things such as: food, room temperature, hygiene, wet towels, acceptable behavior when both you and their boyfriend are in the room, etc. I realize that you think people who disagree with your views on these important tenets are stark raving lunatics, but here is the thing: they think the same thing about you. So deal. You had a nice little break at home in your own personal king-sized bed, you are ready to return to the hardships of cohabitation. My roommate woke me up the day before break with a big bright smile and a shout - "It's cleaning day!" I made it through that, and now I know I can make it through anything. So can you.