What better way to have the adventure of your life so far, than with a friend by your side experiencing it with you? At Glion, you can choose to live by yourself or share a room, or apartment, with like-minded hospitality students from around the world. Who knows, 15 years from now you could be having your own friends reunion together!
Everyone loves the sitcom Friends; no matter what year you were born, where you are from, it is hands down one of the greatest series of all time!
Friends showed us how awesome it is to have roommates, from the bonds you create that could last a lifetime to the constant support system you can have, and potentially meeting the love of your life (not bad, right?). For some people, they have never lived with anyone besides their family, and this piece is a how-to guide on living with roommates, with the advice given based on the Friends experience.
Adjust and adapt
Living with roommates, especially for the first time, requires huge adjustment; whether it be sharing a room in a dorm, or sharing an apartment, learning to adjust will be the first thing you have to learn. On the show, Chandler, Joey, Ross, Phoebe, Monica, and Rachel were roommates with one another at some point in time, and they had to majorly adjust. We all know how difficult it is to live with someone and how many compromises have to be made to do so.
It was difficult to put up with Monica’s OCD, Ross’s dehumidifier, or even Joey’s eating habits; remember: Joey doesn’t share food! However, the show showed us the importance of adapting, which is a must in today’s world. It showed us how to find the beauty in our roommate’s flaws, the art of compromise, and to enjoy the weird bits about all of us and how to make it work.
Conflict is normal, and ok
Conflict and confrontation can be highly uncomfortable, of course, but it is inevitable when you live with someone, and it is ok, as long as you always find a way to work through it. There were times where Monica almost lost her head when Rachel didn’t scrub the toilet the right way, or forgot to take out the trash.
There were plenty of times when Chandler almost got into it with Joey because he had used his toothbrush (I highly wouldn’t recommend this), but they always found a way to resolve it. It takes patience, kindness, and always remembering that you both are adjusting to each other, that there is always common ground, and that somedays will be off days, and that is ok.
Friends for life
Friendship is truly a beautiful thing, which is definitely the biggest lesson the gang from Friends taught us. Yes, indeed, you may not always be friends with your roommate or super close, but if you go in with an open mind, you could end up with a friend or friends for a lifetime, sharing memories and moments together that you will cherish for a long time and remember in your golden years.
A buddy beside you is more helpful than anything else in the world, no matter how complicated the solution is. Chandler and Joey’s relationship was the definition of #goals. We had some serious friendship aspirations after seeing how they couldn’t go a day without talking to each other, and how they knew what was bothering the other person. Who wouldn’t want that?
Overall, Friends taught us so much, and if you are thinking of getting a roommate, I would highly advise you to take a lesson out of the sitcom’s book because they were definitely doing it right!
