Last fall, I took a roll of the dice and decided to live with my best friend and three other complete strangers. This sounded like a unique and fun idea at first, and I went in with an open mind, hoping to gain some new friends and a few great bonfire-worthy stories. I came out with both, along with a few other valuable life lessons that I probably wouldn't have gained anywhere else.
Just because you live across the street from Taco Bell, doesn't mean you should go every chance you get.
It is just as it sounds. I lived within a two minute walking distance of Taco Bell, and I did go every chance I got. I had a unique schedule this year between classes and activities, often leaving me with little opportunity to eat throughout the day. On several occasions, I had one opportunity to scarf down some food in the morning and wouldn't be free again until after ten o'clock at night. My school is not located in a college town, giving very limited options to eat late at night with several businesses closing between nine and ten at night. Fortunately enough, Taco Bell was open until two in the morning every night. I took that opportunity by the wings and ran with it. So did one of my roommates. Never in a million years did I think I would be known by my first name and order at Taco Bell, nor did I think I would establish such a close friendship because of the fine fast-food establishment. Both of those things happened, and I don't regret either. My size remained the same, but the depth of my wallet unfortunately did not.
First impressions are not always genuine.
The first time I met two of those strangers, they came off as well-mannered, professionally composed individuals. The more I got to know them, the more I realized my initial thoughts could not be further from the truth. Sometimes, people are difficult to get along with, but it is imperative to remember that it is just practice for coping with all of the different types of characters you will meet later in life.
The best people you meet can come from the most unexpected places.
Out of the that room full of strangers I've lived with over the past year, the best person I met lived right next door. This rare personality completely altered my perspective on so many different pieces of life, and yet this same person somehow claims to believe the same thing about me. I have absolutely no idea how that happened. This one of a kind human being is one that I hope to remain in contact with for a very long time, and I can't wait to see what kinds of impeccably monumental feats they will accomplish, and how they will impact countless lives down the road, much like mine.
Sometimes meeting strangers will lead to meeting more strangers.
Through one of these strangers, I met two other entertaining acquaintances that I can now call friends. All it took was one night of rolling with the punches. The night I became friends with these two guys, all I had planned on doing was homework and catching up on sleep. Little did I know that is not at all what was going to happen. We went on an adventure that night, and I wouldn't for a split second trade it for a better grade in a class that I would've worked on had I stayed in the room instead.
Living with a bunch of dudes can get a little messy.
This can be interpreted in many different lights. Tensions can get high. That small living space comprised of five compact rooms slightly larger than the size of a gas station restroom, can become a battlefield. I can recall several instances where each of us would stray away from a corner of the suite we shared just to prevent any conflict. As I said, this can also be taken quite literally. For a majority of this last year, I would ask that people refrain from coming in to prevent contracting some sort of air-borne illness. This is no joke. I'm surprised any of us made it out of there alive. That place was disgusting, and it's not that we didn't care enough to take care of it. The second anyone attempted to clean, they would get as far as the trashcan, turn around, and the area they just picked up would be more disastrous than before. I just hope the next people that decide to live there bring a hazmat suit, they'll certainly need i
Cohesive communication can become lifeblood.
Throughout the year, many of us would rely on each other in countless instances. The side door, being the most convenient, would be locked every night at midnight. We then had a strategy in which we would call someone still in the room to come open the side door. This was proven quite useful, especially when we had a heavy load to carry upstairs. Other times, we would rely on someone just to knock on our door to make sure we were awake for an important test, or simply just to make sure we woke up at a reasonable time of day, which believe me, happened a lot. Many times though, we would rely on each other just to be the one to say, "Dude, don't go in there." Take that as you will.
I wouldn't take any of it back.
All in all, the few friends I've gained from this experience, along with these rare lifelong lessons are gifts that I would not trade. Even though I could've done without being yelled at, sprayed with water, and being forced to live in conditions that may have taken a few years off of my life, I can honestly say I did not regret this living arrangement one bit. I now have a few more stories I can pull out of my repertoire when I'm sitting around the bonfire with my grandkids talking about my days in college.
