“Is that a Dalek?”
That was one of the first things my roommate said to me as she looked excitedly at the scrap metal alien standing proudly on my shelf.
Living with a roommate is a new experience for many of us in college. I remember being very excited to receive my Housing assignment. My roommate seemed very friendly from the small amount of conversations over Facebook that we had. I was a little nervous on the day we moved in, though -- something that usually happens when you move to a completely different continent. Getting to know my roommate as we moved our seemingly endless belongings inside our room, however, dissipated all of my nerves.
We started a Doctor Who marathon the very next day, which always indicates the beginning of a great friendship.
“Ok, you need to stop working and start eating.”
It was midterm season and I hadn’t exactly gotten the whole staying-on-top-of-your-work thing down yet. I was up late at night while my roommate gave me a disapproving look. Then, she ordered us a pizza, made me take a break, and probably saved my essay from being the mess it would have been had I written it in my stressed-out state.
Soon enough, movie nights, long-winded discussions about absolutely everything, and venting to each other with ice cream pints in hand became a part of our normal routine. It was always amazing coming home to someone I could just relax with.
“How do you crack an egg?”
We were terrible at baking, but we loved doing new things together, like making four dozen delicious chocolate chip cookies and messing up the whole kitchen in the process, taking swing dance lessons, realizing we had terrible coordination, and dancing all night anyway, or jumping into Lake Michigan in the middle of January and immediately regretting the decisions.
“Study break in the lounge!”
By the end of the year, my roommate had become one of my closest friends. However, at UChicago, my home wasn’t limited to my room. All students are a part of one of the 39 Houses on campus, each with their own traditions and energy. From activities like Scav and Awkward Date Night to just hanging out in the House lounge and playing with my Resident Head’s dogs, my House instilled in me a strong sense of community and helped me find my place in the University.