Roomies

I have been lucky enough in my life to have only shared a room with my younger sister when we lived in Uganda. And I have to be honest, I don’t really remember much about sharing a room. When you are little, private space is never an issue – especially between siblings.

But, moving to New York City meant embracing the “all-American” experience. And by that I mean a room mate. I have to admit, I was apprehensive about the fact that I would be sharing a room with another fully grown human being! I had no idea what she would be like and had to trust that the powers that be at Mountbatten paired me up with someone that I was compatible with when the only real information they had on me was what music I liked, what time I went to bed, how much I drank, and whether or not I snored!

In my time in NYC, I was lucky enough to have two roomies – both very different, but equally brilliant. Having a roomie has taught me a lot and I thought I should tell you guys about it!

You become comfortable very quickly
One of the things I was terrified about when learning I was going to be sharing my personal space with another human was that I wouldn’t feel comfortable being around someone else all the time. Well, I can tell you now this is something that you needn’t worry about. It look less than a week for me to feel completely and utterly relaxed around someone else. And before you know it, you are prancing around in your undies dancing to the Hamilton Soundtrack together!

I have learnt that I have way to much “stuff”
Having a roomie has taught me that I am basically a hoarder. You will probably see me on that TV show in a few years time where people can no longer move in their own homes because they have so much junk! After just one year I had accumulated so much JUNK that it actually filled over two large black bin liners. Now I’m back in the UK, I cannot WAIT to do a large cull of all the ‘stuff’ I no longer even look at! My mum will be so proud!

We have doubled the size of our wardrobes
Sharing is caring and when it comes to clothes I am definitely up for having more without having to buy any! Sharing a room with someone – especially someone who is the same dress size as you – is fantastic as you basically have two wardrobes! It was fun to be able to borrow something or try out a new style before ACTUALLY going and buying a new item of clothing.

Not everyone is designed to have a room mate
This year has taught me that not everyone is designed to have a room mate. Some people just need their own space. It’s nothing personal but they just do not like the idea of having to share a room where you can basically reach out and touch each other from your beds! It’s hard and some people can just cope with it better than others. And it’s totally okay if you are that kind of person who just needs more of their own space!

It’s nice having someone to come home to
This is pretty self explanatory. Having someone to come home to is just so lovely. It is what I imagine married life being like. I absolutely loved having a wife – especially when she cooks AMAZING food for you!

Personal Alarm Clock
It is safe to say that I would have missed my flight to the Bahamas if it were not for my room mate! Coming home at 3am from a pretty large night out when you have to be up at 5am to catch a flight is not much fun. Without Sophie I would have never made the flight. I slept through all the alarms I had set and really had no energy to function after only a few hours sleep and far too many G+Ts.

3am chats about life, love and the universe
This one is self explanatory really. Having a room mate means that you end up staying up super late confessing all of your secrets and musings about life, love and the universe. It’s one of the things I absolutely loved about having a room mate as it can really help if you have a lot on your mind.

Having a room mate has taught me so many life-lessons. There are ups and downs but when you find your roomie soul mate, the bond you create is like no other! The pros definitely out-weight the cons and, since being home, I already miss having my wife around to greet me when I end my day!

Love Monique x