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"You're here! You've got to come meet everyone! Hi! I'm Mary-Jo and I just know we're going to become best friends!"
She was a talker, a non-stop whirlwind of energy and gestures and I was overwhelmed. I still needed to find some territory to call my own, unpack, and try not to freak out about leaving my boyfriend (The Engineer, by the way) behind for three months.
"Hi, I'm Tina."
"I know! You're from Denver and that's perfect because you'll know a LOT of people here and that will help me get introduced to everyone! We've got to do that!"
I didn't bother to tell her, at that time, that I was really not a popular person, was in fact a total nerd from a very small school, and she was out of luck if she was looking to find people through me.
"Would it be alright if we talk about some roommate stuff first? I've got a few questions."
Family discreetly headed off to explore so that we could hammer out some co-existence policies more to my comfort.
Though her sorority girl enthusiam (no offense meant to anyone who enjoyed their sorority life, but it just wasn't something I was even remotely interested in) was overwhelming, she was actually a fairly reasonable person, and did finally understand that though I was willing to share my clothes (she had very few) and my electronics (including one awesome boom box which lasted until just five or so years ago) and my typewriter (pica font, size 14, a treasured item from Grandma Vivian), I did need some space of my own. We divied up closets and drawers. She moved stuff. I unpacked stuff. I felt better.
She immediately spied one of my favorite shirts and asked to borrow it for, "Our very first dinner together in the dorms! Aren't you excited?" Well, not really. I was already having food issues, and hadn't really planned to spend my days in her company (read shadow) but agreed that sure, let's do that.
Family then came back, said goodbye, and I was left alone with my whirlwind. She practically dragged me along as she introduced me to almost every person we passed, whom she'd already met during her first, "Rounds of meet and greet. Everyone meets everyone as soon as possible. You've got to!"
Apparently I also had to "get ready for dinner" by fixing my hair and make-up. "It's what everyone does, you've got to!" I complied. I found that a lot of the time when calculating the cost of a decision involving Mary-Jo, it really was just easier to "Just do it."
"Would it be alright if we talk about some roommate stuff first? I've got a few questions."
Family discreetly headed off to explore so that we could hammer out some co-existence policies more to my comfort.
Though her sorority girl enthusiam (no offense meant to anyone who enjoyed their sorority life, but it just wasn't something I was even remotely interested in) was overwhelming, she was actually a fairly reasonable person, and did finally understand that though I was willing to share my clothes (she had very few) and my electronics (including one awesome boom box which lasted until just five or so years ago) and my typewriter (pica font, size 14, a treasured item from Grandma Vivian), I did need some space of my own. We divied up closets and drawers. She moved stuff. I unpacked stuff. I felt better.
She immediately spied one of my favorite shirts and asked to borrow it for, "Our very first dinner together in the dorms! Aren't you excited?" Well, not really. I was already having food issues, and hadn't really planned to spend my days in her company (read shadow) but agreed that sure, let's do that.
Family then came back, said goodbye, and I was left alone with my whirlwind. She practically dragged me along as she introduced me to almost every person we passed, whom she'd already met during her first, "Rounds of meet and greet. Everyone meets everyone as soon as possible. You've got to!"
Apparently I also had to "get ready for dinner" by fixing my hair and make-up. "It's what everyone does, you've got to!" I complied. I found that a lot of the time when calculating the cost of a decision involving Mary-Jo, it really was just easier to "Just do it."
Dinner
was an experience, but I'll spare you. I really am going to tell
actual stories, but you had to meet the players first, and this is
how it happened. Next time: the cheerleader, and the boyfriends, and
getting locked out...
Any stories to share? Crazy roommates? Bossy roommates? Good food in your dorm?
~Tina, remembering Cap'n Crunch, which became a staple of my diet, and that there was diet coke available at all times. Even at breakfast.
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