I’ve had bad experiences moving in with people. And good ones too. When I decided to move in the new apartment, with 3 others, I was not sure what to expect. I was pretty sure that I was ready for this, until I stepped into the room, and my perception changed, and was challenged.
Freshers – due to some odd reasons, I have not been able to live with them. I find them very childish, and whining all the time, for things as small as 8 Rs, which irritate the hell out of me. I’ve had this experience with 2 other folks earlier, and if I knew, I might not have taken this decision.
After my bad experience in Bangalore, I decided to come back to Pune. Here, I was looking for single rooms preferably, but wasn’t able to find a good one, in my range and area of preference. This led me to finally settle down for a sharing room.
I saw the ad, visited the flat, and liked it instantaneously. It was a well furnished flat, with 3 people, who seemed nice. I had a long discussion with them where we discussed our expectations and what nots. I left the flat with a simple note – I will finalize the flat, give me a call once you guys get time to discuss internally and reach a conclusion. This was my standard line, when I liked a flat. I wanted to move in and settle down, as soon as possible.
They seemed a little dicey, in the beginning. So I was not sure if I will get the call, but I did, in around half hour. And the flat was finalized. I moved in couple days later, which my entire luggage, which of course was a lot.
As I moved in the flat, I entered my room, my room mate to be was there, made space for me. Other guy followed me in the room, and we exchanged pleasantries. I wanted to put them at ease, and feel comfortable around them as well. I dropped my luggage on side of the bed, and started chatting with them. The third one joined quickly.
Soon I found that they were a nightmare, that I didn’t want to live – Freshers (well, almost). As soon as I found that, I texted a friend, THEY ARE FRESHERS, it read. and the reply came immediately, OMG!!! WHAT WILL YOU DO NOW!!!.
I decided to let it slip, and see how things go. I chatted up with those guys for a couple hours and liked them. Mostly sharing my experiences with others and at job, and at times listening to their experiences.
Day ended on a pleasant note.
Next day my friend asked me, do you want to move out? And I said, I will see how it goes. I didn’t want to move out immediately, and wanted to give them more time. I am glad I did.
They are still freshers, but there is a feeling of friendliness in them. Yes, they are careless to a fault, like almost everyone is fresh out of college, but the childish behavior makes me laugh rather than make me angry, which was a good sort of change. I settled in quite comfortably with them.
We laugh for hours, talk for hours and pull each others legs. At times when with them, I don’t even realize what time it is, and sometimes forget about important stuff too. They’ve made me feel like home, and accepted me like an elder brother, and likewise, became my younger brothers, in just a couple days time.
After talking to them for a while, I realized that it wasn’t just me who was unsure if it will work out – They were worried too. Knowing that I was around 6-7 years older than them, they were not sure if I will gel well with them, and they also had a bad experience with someone. They were glad that I was able to gel with them, sooner than they expected.
And I was happy too.
Suddenly life has changed, and I am much more relaxed at home than I ever was. I know that I don’t have to worry about anything when I go back to flat. There will be no one sitting with grudge when I go back home, arguing about small amounts of money spent, or how one thing was cooked by the cook. Things though are not exactly sorted out, and lacks slight discipline which I will definitely add to the mix, but are very cool. People trust each other, and know how to enjoy life.
No one takes comments as personal, and are open to play around. There is constant bickering and barking and shouting, and yet the conversations are never heated or argumentative. It’s all for the heck of it, and for making everyone feel that they are as much part of the family as everyone else is.
It’s quite opposite to what I’ve witnessed so far. People don’t close doors and decide that paying rent is enough. People interact, and enjoy, and relish the time that is spend with others.
I am sure I will love this place. And these guys. This has opened a new world of possibilities for me, and will give me a chance to drop the extra burden of seriousness and responsibility that I made myself believe is part of my character for years.
Logans Views 