Room for Roommates

I came to Bangalore a year back in December 2020. That was my first time away from home in a completely different city. I started living in a 4bhk with 3 of my classmates whom I had only known through online classes. I was in a constant fear of living with people I hardly knew. What if they are just terrible people? What if I find them unbearable? What if they find me unbearable? What if I want to run away and never return? But soon enough I made a home here. A home I look forward to returning every single day. Amidst the disagreement and chaos I grew to love my roommates while they grew to tolerate me. Families are not just made of parents and children, I can assure that.

But with experiences seen and heard I don't think the journey has been as smooth as me for most people. My current roommate Ahana said, "My previous roommate was a kleptomaniac. I would see money from my wallet, random things from my desk disappearing all the time. Initially I thought maybe I wasn't being careful. But later when 5 more people accused my roommate of stealing and she too admitted, I had no other choice but to be sure. I guess I could not get used to this specific 'quirk' of my roommate and I eventually had to change my room".

"I stayed in a PG for 1 year. We had one common toilet for the floor. And somebody for some strange reason would not flush the commode. Seems funny now. But still gives me nightmares. I had to leave the PG of course," said Anjali my other roommate.

"I had the craziest experience living in a flat that I shared with 3 other people. 2 of my roommates were locals and had a lot of friends in the city. They would distribute the keys to our house to random people without our knowledge. I would return home to at least 15 random people I do not know in our house every day. One day as I returned home and went to my room I saw a guy stinking alcohol taking out the mirror out of my wall and just casually walking away. As I confronted him he threw the mirror at me and ran. I left the place 2 days later," said Aman, an entrepreneur talking about his college days in Bangalore.

Moving out of our comfort zone can be hard. Sharing space with new and different people can be scary and challenging. But I can surely say that it expands our comfort zone, gives a lesson or two about acceptance and most importantly gives us memories of a life time. Also isn't living with friends 24/7 all of our childhood dream come true? If your roommate/friend isn't a kleptomaniac that is!