Even when we decide to move in with a friend, there is still some form of "awkward moment" of being unsure of ourselves. This is untested waters in your friendship and your not sure exactly what it’s like to live with them. You see a whole new side of someone. In order to get through some of the awkwardness, here are some ways to bond with your friends and roommates.
1. The floor is lava.
This is especially fun to do at inconvenient times like when they are doing their laundry and you have hoarded every blanket and pillow on the couch with you so that they have no escape. Trying to navigate your home without touching the floor is a surprising way to bond with people.
2. Build a fort in your living room.
Honestly, who doesn’t enjoy building a fort, it was the closest thing to a castle we could get when we were kids.
3. Have a sword fight.
I mean if you built the fort, you might as well pretend it’s a castle and have a good old fashioned sword fight. It’s a great way to bond and, according to ‘How I Met Your Mother,’ solve disagreements.
4. Declare war.
I once had a silly string fight in the park with my best friend while my older sister watched and took pictures. We later used those for our joint graduation party invitations. Everyone had a good time.
5. Intentionally get lost.
Then try and navigate your way home without a GPS. I did this with my best friend once; our 20-minute drive turned into a 45-minute drive. There was a lot of yelling, wrong turns and uncontrollable laughter, but we did eventually make it home.
6. Take a class together.
This way you always have someone to study with and if the class is unbearable then you go through hell together.
7. Roommate nights.
In my apartment, we do bad alcohol and anime night. We try an alcohol that can be nothing but awful and watch an anime series together. This is our version of roommate night and we think it’s the best, but feel free to try your own version of this.
8. Have your own personal book club.
Pick a book to read together and talk about it. Get emotionally invested in characters together and when they inevitably die because you like them then suffer together.
9. Take turns cooking dinner.
It’s definitely an experience if you keep trying different recipes, but you learn more about the other person through this.
10. Plan an outing together.
My roommate and I go to a coffee place in town every Sunday for a few hours. Our schedules are so different we almost never see each other, getting coffee every Sunday gives us a chance to catch up on each other's lives. You could go shopping, go to a lake, creek, or beach depending on where you live; just spend some time catching up on each other's lives.
11. Sing.
Loud and proud, in each others company. If you are comfortable singing terribly in front of each other to your Spotify playlist, then you are true friends.
