Before we even set out to become a fellow our beloved Program Manager Nick Cortina @AtlasCorps sent us a meticilous work of art called the Housing e-mail. Detailing all the options there are for us to find the suitable housing for the coming year… Did it help? Yes! I thank Nick for his detailed work!
Over the past seven years of my young adult life I have been a roommate to many. As you may have been too… Some of these houses were more intercultural houses, some were merely more social, some were tranquil… yet here I am sharing an apartment with two other people from Honduras and Puerto Rico – YES, I am based in DC.
One of the greatest things about sharing the space with such different cultures that you get the chance to learn about the cuisine, new drinks and when you have a question about amazon prime they can guide you. That was First Month!
One of the other great things about sharing your space with people is that when you are new to the environment they can guide you, where the nearest hospital is, the pharmacy, cheapest store around. That was Second Month!
After a while of being very nice to one another and trying to find a boundary in your humble of a boat you start to understand you have learned enough of the Burritos but now it’s time to cook your pasta and go watch your favorite show after a long hard day. That was MONTH THREE! I call it the boundary month!
In a place as cold as DC, me and my roommates – people of working class – get home after work and we all want to do the same thing in the kitchen, the bathroom and the living room. That’s when you realize that what you have set out to be your personal space is not so wide any more. It’s somewhat smaller. Yet, we worked around it and made compromises to maintain our lifestyle. Yes, we managed!
I like my roommates they are good people but as I was searching the wells of the www, I found this article that expressed my feelings in a greater extent. And I invite all of you to read it. Especially people who are searching for housing right now.
But from the article I like #11 the most so far ( 11. But on your hardest days, you’ll learn that you really can’t live without them.)… The reason being when you get sick, they knock on your door and ask how you are doing and if you are really down after a day at work and hoping to choose McDonalds vs. Taco Bell, your roommate can be the one who reminds you that you did good that day by saying I like what you did with your outfit today.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year Everyone at AtlasCorps! May the New Year Bring you all the luck you wish upon a star…
