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The Reality of Roommates:
Freedom Isn't All It's Cracked Up to Be Junior year of college, I rented out a basement of an old house converted into five apartments. My two roommates and I lived in this dank, damp two-bedroom apartment. Four parking spaces lined the back alley facing our door; a driveway provided parking for tenants in the upper floors. We affectionately dubbed the tenant who lived in the attic of this rattrap house “the psycho neighbor.” He’d leave nasty notes on the windshield of our cars. They emphatically stated that we were not to park in “his parking space.” And apparently, he liked to park in the alley under the streetlight. But with 12 people living in the house, parking was first-come, first-served as far as we were concerned. This did not sit well with the thirtysomething single (who was a waiter at a posh local restaurant). So the notes continued. We kept them in case we needed them as evidence to a later crime. Little did we know, a few weeks into spring, my visiting friend’s car tires would be slashed. Apparently, he’d had enough. Not that the police could do anything. Then one night, my visiting friend and I rolled into the alley after midnight only to find him waiting for us in his car across the alley. He pulled up, rolled the window down and hidden in the code of a string of expletives, we figured out he wanted my friend’s van and roommate’s car moved. Right now. I ran into the apartment and burst into tears; my two friends got their keys to de-park their double-parked cars. But when Car One saw Car Two backing in direct line of a tree, she jumped out of her car to warn of the impending danger. Unfortunately driver of Car One forgot to put her car in park. The car rolled at increasing speed down the alley’s decline, straight through the fence and into the living room of another apartment complex. It was the boom heard ’round the world. So, neighbors all around came out; we called the police and readied ourselves for a long night. The psycho neighbor came out (undoubtedly thinking we wrecked his car) and crawled army-style to his car and sped off for the night. Can we say, guilt? But apartment living not only came with external problems; I faced a plethora within the four thin walls of that pseudo-apartment itself. My roommates drank, had parties and celebrated a rather low academic emphasis. They were peers in my school of study at a Christian college, but like many college students, what they considered “living” was more important than preparing for the future. I was editing the school newspaper and working part-time, in addition to going to college full-time. I basically visited my apartment at night to sleep. My prayer and Bible study regimes were reduced to twice-a-week quickies, if I found the time. My roommates’ influence affected me more than I ever thought it would. I often found myself making poor personal decisions and struggling in my spiritual life in the midst of being introduced to many new ideas and ways of thinking. Hindsight is 20/20 and looking back, I would have made different decisions up front. And they would have started with living arrangements. ● There’s no place like home - If you attend college in the same city your parents live, swallow your pride, and live at home. I found that although I was mature in many areas, the spicy tastes of freedom proved stronger than the familiar tastes of common sense. ● Choose you this day - If you choose to live in an apartment, choose your roommates wisely. Choose an acquaintance of friends with strong Christian character. College is a rough time for a Christian’s walk with God. You need spiritual strength as close as you can get it. ● Surround me - If your roommate does not provide that source of spiritual friendship, surround yourself in other ways. Join a campus Bible study, and keep in touch with your church friends back home on a weekly basis. ● Too close for comfort - If you live in a dorm and do not choose your roommate, try to coexist without attempting to become chummy and buddy-buddy. Chances are you’ll have fewer confrontations and fewer chances for a wayward roommate to influence your social life. ● You’ve got to pray just to make it today - Daily prayer and Bible study are the two sure-fire tools to get you through college. Don’t let the stress and busyness of every day rob you of what’s more important than a college degree or anything in life - your relationship with God. Roommates may be that great transition toward full maturity and greater freedom in the work world, but every transition has its price. Ensuring God’s daily presence makes that price easier to pay.
ninetyandnine.com © 2003, Cara Baker --------- Cara Baker survived college and earned a degree without losing her religion. She’s now looking for a new roommate after occupying a one-bedroom apartment for a year, because she’s found living alone is very, very expensive. |
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