Did I Survive? Yes.

This week I want to stress the importance of the relationships that people actually have with one another. There is a lot that can be taken for granted, underappreciated, and even unnoticed when you are with people who treat you well because that’s just how they are. Of course, sometimes you get mad at someone who treats you very well, and on the other hand, good people make mistakes. A very good friend had a good point: “We don’t do stupid stuff for no reason. We do it because we don’t think it will be stupid.”

As I reflect on the things that happened in my room this year, I can say that I have taken certain relationships for granted, and we have done things that were stupid just because we didn’t think they would be in the end. But then again, that’s life, isn’t it? People just have to keep deciding, making decisions all the time. It is like a test to see how many a person can make until there is one bad one that spoils everything before it.

That is like what happened when the roommates had a “blowout” a few weeks ago. It was one bad choice that almost wiped out all of the good ones that preceded it. We took our relationship as roommates for granted, and we took each other’s tolerance for granted when we should have been more careful to respect everyone without cutting corners.

Learning that is one of the most significant outcomes of living in this situation. As three weeks remain until summer, I can say I have learned more than I could have ever imagined. I care about people who were once strangers and no more than Facebook profiles. I know what it is like to share, live with others, adjust to different personalities/backgrounds, deal with people on their bad days, talk about problems without fighting, tolerate things that would have annoyed me at home, and adjust my lifestyle to fit with the circumstances I have.

Coming into a supplemental room was a challenge that I was forced to face, and luckily turned out to be one that I have faced successfully (unless something really bad happens in the next three weeks). Coming to college is much more than adjusting to a new place, meeting new people, and studying for good grades. I have found it to be a way of modifying myself. It’s the first time, for me at least, where I am living apart from my family and friends. It is a series of challenges and tests that I have had to face, and to get through the year, I have had to pass. I know that makes it seem like a totally stressful and horrifying experience, but I’ve tried to go through it all hoping for beginner’s luck and some chances to try again later.