Assignment #12 - Irene Kim - Hey, Roomie!

When I come home from school, I make a straight beeline up the stairs to my bedroom, where I lie in total face-plant position on my bed for about ten minutes, recovering from a long school day. No, but actually, it's important for me to recharge and reset after seven hours of learning information and "socializing"--I understand many people do not consider school to be socially exhausting, but I do, which is not surprising considering I am the dictionary definition of an introvert.

Needless to say, I value my alone time and time spent with friends and family. I tend to get a little bit anxious sometimes in particularly social or unfamiliar settings, but I can get over it. Despite this, I do love to try new things and am working on putting myself more out there, so I would love to room with someone who is willing to do that with me--whether it be trying a new food, traveling and experiencing a new culture, going out for early morning hiking trips, taking a new class together, you name it. Essentially, I would love a roommate who knows how to spend some quiet time but is open to trying new things.

Another matter to take into consideration is that I plan on bringing my piano, or at least a keyboard, to college so it may be a bit loud at times. This is negotiable, but if the dormitory rules allow it, I am pretty adamant about having a piano in my room--it helps me relax and reset, and I am planning on pursuing a minor in music, so it would be great for practicing as well. So, I really hope my future roommate likes hearing music--even better, if she studies music or knows how to play an instrument, we could compose songs together or have a karaoke night!

Honestly, though, these are all pretty tight check-boxes on my perfect roommate list. I would be perfectly content with someone who's nice, chill, and is willing to be friends with me. About two years ago, I had a roommate named Iris during an overnight summer camp at Vanderbilt. Iris and I were as different as could be. From the first day, I learned that she lived ten minutes from where the camp was, so she had packed very minimalist essentials (the smart option), while my over-worried self had packed my entire closet, room and bathroom. She was up until midnight, everyday, without fail, FaceTiming her boyfriend, while I was fast asleep by 10. And yet, we had the best time together and we found commonalities here and there--we both loved brownies, we were both learning French at school, and we both hadn't worn our retainers for weeks on end. :/ My point being, I am honestly cool with rooming with anyone--as long as they're a generally nice person--even if they're completely different from me! I'm looking forward to college, and I am absolutely looking forward to sharing that experience with my future roommate!