Being in a university is a bigger opportunity to meet people. But it’s a real delight to meet people with either extremely strange behaviours or extremely welcoming behaviours. I found out these kind of people. The generous ones, the pleasant ones, the bitter ones, the cheats and the beautiful as well as ‘ugly’ ones.
But do we base out choice of friends on these factors? Appearance indeed is disturbingly deceptive. The nice, beautiful friend you met some months ago, now your roommate could be an enemy, a bitter leaf in your soup.
Interestingly, those you expected to be rowdy and untidy turn out being the opposite. Some roommates bring you joy, others make you rot from the inside. With a despicable behaviour and an uninspiring countenance, they suck the happy you, kill the vibrant you and hurt the awesome grace on your life.
Is getting a good roommate a thing of choice or luck or grace from God?
Who are the seven kinds of roommates?
1. The Dirty Roommate: They are seriously dirty. They would not allow you breathe good air without you sincerely telling them to take their shoes, singlets and boxer shorts outside for some sun and fresh air. Girls, you know this, she cooks on Monday, usually with your bowls and utensils, and washes them on Friday. It’s Okro soup and yam or groundnut soup and rice. Imagine the stench after these days. Bearing with a dirty roommate is heavily unbearable. You’re 85% tempted to tell others how they are because you just cannot know how to deal with them. Some of them get absolutely furious if it seems you’re controlling their lives or trying to make things difficult for them.
People with this kind of roommate try also to be dirty in a way. ‘Oh, if he’s not cleaning, we’ll all sit in the dirt’. Funny, he’s not concerned and you are. You find yourself burning with anger while they are around. Some roommates with good hearts try to teach them the true way. They lay their beds, clean their bowls, and sweep without saying a word. Some may pick up, others may not have seen it. A dirty roommate is unbearable as an untidy one. Washes and scatters all the stuff around after taking them off the dry line. Place books anywhere, puts water that he’s drunk half empty on the floor, spits her orange seeds on the ground. This is probably to the extreme, but reader, these folks exist. To get a roommate like that, you seriously need grace to move on.
2. The Neat Roommate: Please put my handkerchief where you took it from. And kindly arrange my books as you saw them. These people are extremely neat and just as most of us cannot bear with the extremely dirty ones, bearing with the neat ones is trouble as well. They want every thing done right. She irons for the week on Sundays, lays her bed every morning, cleans the room almost every day and expects you to live up to her standard. You leave the room messy because you had a test or had to rush for class and come back to meet your stuff well-arranged. Or you may have to face it.
They may complain a bit. What happens when an extremely neat roommate and an extremely dirty one meet? What would be the reaction? It’s even a pride to bring your friends into the room because they know your room is always clean and neat. But it’s tough at times, when they begin criticising you and make you feel you’re not doing well at all. But there are good sides to a neat roommate than to a dirty one, or?
3. The introvert: They just would not talk, they’re extremely quiet and reserved. Some popular writers have said introverts are people whose energy tend to grow during reflection and dwindle during interaction. They have only three friends in the whole university and go out for lectures alone. Hello is their super word and they shake their heads in response to what you say. Imagine you go out to see something so funny and come back to meet your roommate, with all the enthusiasm and joy you begin to professionally narrate your adventure, using literary devices and figures of speech to strengthen the humorous and informative information.
After your long narration with some smiles and laughter intermittently he or she replies, ‘So?’or ‘I see’. Ouch! That hurts, doesn’t it? Well, let’s be real, they are not encouraging to be around. Sometimes when you’re down and sad, looking for someone to share with, these introverts are indifferent and may not even say a word. Well, some remain helpful. They help you concentrate and meditate at times. But it’s still not encouraging. To the extreme, they would either leave the room or be extra quiet when you get visitors. Why should they talk at all? You make noise and they don’t like it, they leave, you don’t know what hurts them and what doesn’t. Do you have one like that?
4. The Extrovert: Oh My, the extrovert is super cool. But when they don’t let you rest, they’re a major headache. You are popular because of them. You can’t rest at all. They always have a new friend to show you, they are extra friendly but incredibly talkative. You ask them one question and they begin to rhyme and rattle. They play you music and are noisy. We have extroverts I call spirit raisers.
They always heighten your happy moods and make you feel loved while others would just make you feel exhausted. They want your opinion about everything that happens in their life, and their topics for discussion range from love, life, sex, church doctrine and politics, some, you’re not a quarter interested in. Most of the time, you hurt them, they say it and are the direct opposite of the introvert. They’re fun to be with anyway, you’ll be forced to love them.
5. The Wayward Roommate: Everything about this person is just too wrong. Their believes, their views about life, their ideas, friends, clothing and appearance. You’re paying dues almost everyday, he only knows how, you’re seeing a different girl in your room each day. You saw weed before thanks to her, you saw a used condom thanks to him, you saw two people for the first time… Let me end here. There is one thing I’ve taught myself, to see a positive side to everything but with this it was really difficult. Then I said, maybe you get the chance to try to put some Jesus in his or her life. Sometimes roommates of such wayward roommates leave the room and that’s all.
I’ve seen some people pack their bags out of a room because they just can’t stand their roommate’s behaviour. Wayward roommates don’t mind coming in at twelve or two midnight, drunk and bitter. But the biggest question you ask God in your prayer is Am I safe? If you’re lucky, they do all the trash on their own. If not, they try to convince you. And if you’re not strong, nor have praying grandmothers, simply forget it. He or she is going down with you.
6. The Religious Roommate: Our new parents, our new Bibles. They counsel and motivate, the correct and discipline. Their friends call them Pope, Bishop, Elder, Man of God, Woman of voice. They can sing a lot and pray as well. They wake up at two in the morning and pray in tongues and sing, having their devotion. Some wake you up, ‘Please join me in prayer’. It’s a joyful experience living with these people but some can be a pain in the neck. They’re just incorrigible. To them, they’re always right. Self-righteous children of the resurrection. Before I studied for this article, i realised most of these religious roommates bore grudges with one or two of their roommates, especially the ladies. Some are not spiritual but religious.
They’d want to pick all the toothpicks in your eye while there’s a woefully huge timber log in theirs. They sometimes for a reason become quiet and like to send. ‘Roommate, please buy me water, please buy me this or that’. If you’re not lucky and people come for consultation from them, you have to find a second room so that you don’t hear secrets. Religious roommates would not mind shouting in prayer and making your sleep uncomfortable. There are some who are generous and loving, but it comes at a price. Would you want to have one of such people?
7. The Lazy Roommate: Today I don’t feel like doing anything, I just want to lay in my bed, that’s pardonable at least, but a lazy roommate’s song is ‘Everyday I don’t feel like doing anything, I just want to lay in my bed’. They just won’t do it. They are not far from the untidy roommates. They want to send you everyday. They want to help from you always. Buy this, buy that. Oh, and if you’re course mates, that’s great news. They photocopy all assignments and dab your work completely. They suck at cooking and are always behind a technical gadget. It’s either a phone, a game or their computer. Lazy roommates may not lock the door before sleeping, leave the lights on, leave their bowls and plates unwashed. If they’re girls, they don’t want to help with anything. Lectures are their worst enemies and sleep is their bestie. A lazy roommate is another specie and not all of us can tolerate them.
8. The Ideal Roommate: They are not the best and definitely not the worst. They’re the roommates who make you smile, laugh and have great fun. They’re interested in what you’re interested in, they’re just who you wanted to live with, they are like family. I call them the carefully selected roommate who match your personality. Have you seen two roommates together and you wished, I wish I were in a room like this? I know you have. They’re not easy to come across but once you have them your stay on campus is just beautiful.
Ideal roommates could also be said to be the pairing of opposite roommates. One is spiritual and disciplined, the other is wayward and stubborn, or as in the case of the introvert and extrovert. People hear they’re roommates and they go like, ‘that’s great, he’ll influence him a bit’. That’s also ideal?
It’s not about the roommate, it’s more about you. The better you are the better you touch others. One thing about university students is no one wants to feel as though they are being catered for or parented by a friend. This is where they enjoy their freedom away from home. Make your room a home, it’s possible. If they’re making you feel bad and worse, get out of the scene, they’re not worth living with.
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