[JirQUEST]

Author's Note: This was something I wrote for a feature writing class last semester. Contact details are withheld to protect interviewees' privacy.


The dishes sit unwashed in the sink. Trash overflows the bin. A banana skin balances on the edge, looking as if it might spill over anytime. Remnants of food lie around the bin. Outside the kitchen area, the hall is messy with crumpled papers and clothes that are not yours.

You come home late from work and this is what you see when you enter the share-house. You sigh. The place was clean when you left earlier that morning. Your housemates sit in the hall watching television. You look at them and say, "What happened to the place?"

"Nothing. What's the problem?" one of them says, without turning away from the television.

Does the above scenario scare you? Living with housemates, people who are not your family, can be a daunting experience. There is also a lot of luck involved. If you are lucky, your housemates can be angels. If not, they can be from hell, evil that comes in human form.

Michelle, a 23-year-old, attests to that. In her three years of studying, she has changed housemates four times. Although not all of them are due to a clash of personalities, she has had her fair share of problems. There was Rob, whom she calls the "bread-man" because of an incident that reminds her most about him.

"There was once when I was throwing out stuff in the cupboard and I threw away some bread of his. He came home and asked me, 'Where's my bread?'

"Then I said, 'I threw it out because it was mouldy.' And he said, 'So when are you going to buy me my bread?'

"I didn't expect that from him. So I told him sarcastically, 'Oh do you want me to run to the store now to get your bread?'

"And he went, 'Yeah.' I was like thinking what the ****?"

Michelle is glad that he is gone, but now she has to contend with Adam, her current housemate. He reminds her of Rob because they are both arrogant.

"Adam is as bad as him. Rob works out and he has muscles. He thinks he is cool because of that. But Adam just thinks he is masculine and he is loud. He makes a lot of noise, slamming the doors and storming around the house," she says.

Arrogance appears to be a similar issue for Rodger, a Queensland University of Technology (QUT) student doing a degree in Journalism. He has lived in two share-houses and, although he really enjoys the company of his current housemates, he cannot say the same for his previous housemates.

"I didn't like them at all. When I talked to them, their response wasn't good and they were arrogant. They didn't want to know me and I didn't want to know them. As a household, we didn't do much. The companionship just wasn't there."

Cathy, a 20-year-old visual arts student who lives with her sister and friend, prefers companionship as well. She wants her housemate, Jas, to socialise more with her friends.

"Jas has a different set of friends. That is fine, but I feel it is better if she comes out and takes part in the celebrations every time I have a dinner party with my friends. It just makes me more conscious when I am out there having fun and she is confined to her room.

"I know she is quite domestic, but it gives me the feeling that it is not her space anymore when my friends are around," Cathy says.

Cathy believes that is not such a big deal though. And she is thankful that Jas is a nice person.

"She's very clean and orderly, and she's quite flexible. She cooks and cleans. She has good communication skills and she is responsible. She is good with money too, so we let her handle the rent."

Sounds like the perfect housemate. Cathy agrees, except that a few minor things disturb her a bit.

"At the start of the year, she kept losing hair and it was all over the carpet. Her hair was quite dark and it was obvious since my sister and I are blonde. And she keeps leaving the bands in her braces all over the place. But I can't complain much. Jas is a very nice girl."


Bad habits are another problem that can jeopardise the atmosphere in a shared dwelling. For many, cleanliness is a common problem.

Michelle is facing it now. As for Rodger, he is glad not to have such problems anymore.

"My previous housemates weren't clean people. They left lots of things lying around the house. The biggest problem was the dishes. I was afraid to go into the kitchen at times," Rodger says.

Michelle's housemates, Adam and Mandy, are also guilty of not washing their dishes.

"I mean, we have a dishwasher! It's not that complicated to put the dishes into the dishwasher, put some powder in and then press a button. I don't understand why they can't do that!

"I keep telling them to wash the dishes, but they just pile it up and leave it there. It gets so frustrating that I just leave my dishes in there as well sometimes," she laments.

It only serves to irritate her more. She ends up complaining and cleaning the dishes most of the times. But she recognises that Mandy takes some time to clean up and Mandy has apologised to her a few times before.

"I don't really mind 'cause she is good with other things. Mandy is like a motherly figure, like if I am sick, she'll run me a hot bath. So I guess I can't complain much.

"And there was once, I lost my assignment and had to go back to school at midnight to get it done again, 'cause it was due the next day. Mandy volunteered to drive me down and even stayed with me 'cause she thought it was not safe."

As for Adam, Michelle says he cannot be bothered and she reckons she has never seen Adam do any housework.

"I am sure he has done some housework before, but I've never seen it."

Her frustrations with Adam do not end there. He often takes her cigarettes without asking and does not replace them. When she confronts him, he denies taking them and even declares that he has quit smoking.

Her situation is a huge contrast compared to Cathy's, who says Jas does the cleaning more often, although she and her sister chip in. They get along quite well with each other and Cathy is disappointed that Jas is moving out at the end of the year.

"She said she wanted to experience a new environment and I thought it was fair enough."

Now, Cathy is looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead with a new housemate. Her friend, Jeanine, is moving in with her. They lived together before and Cathy believes things will be fine, if not better.

Michelle is not so lucky. She has to bear with Adam for a couple more months before she graduates and moves back to Los Angeles. Her wish almost came true weeks ago though, when she received a call from someone regarding an advertisement for a vacant space in the apartment.

"He wanted to move and didn't even bother to inform us. This girl called and 10 minutes later, she was outside our door. We weren't even prepared. I had to turn her away.

"And I was thinking, if he wants to move, I might as well find a friend to replace him, instead of someone I don't know. So I managed to find Sarah, who's in the same course as I am and everything was planned nicely until he backs out at the last minute!"

The bad experiences have changed Michelle's expectations of a housemate and her character. Before, she was just excited to be away from home and didn't know what a horrible flatmate was.

"I used to be a lot more easygoing. Now I find that I lose a lot of trust in people."

Rodger feels he has changed as well.

"I think after living with housemates, I become more aware of my attitude and the people around me. My interaction with people has definitely changed a lot."

And although Cathy has not had any bad experiences so far, she learnt a lot from Jas about compromise and believes she has grown from it. As for her expectations, they are not any different from before.

"I just hope Jeanine's able to mix well with my sister and be part of the family."

It seems no one can escape from housemate problems. Given the frequent interaction, the clash of different habits, lifestyles and opinions, it is hard to avoid conflict. Despite the unique differences, everyone appears to wish for a housemate that can click well with them, perhaps to hang out together. Nobody wants a Rob or an Adam. But is the perfect housemate an Utopian dream?

Perhaps Michelle has the answer. She reckons housemates do not have to be best friends.

"They should be able to clean up on their own and contribute to the household. And be pleasant enough to live with."

[Lubesh]

Great stuff, for our first column posting. Now get out there and find some dirt!.lol

[The Druid]

really big column! looks like the eiffel tower was built on it! but real good work Jir. better than your magic tricks even

[felix]

Hmm...in overall a fine piece of work. Your interview quotes could be improved, but I liked how your references were done. 7.5/10.

[DarkPower]

interesting column... I thought it was a little long but thats fine I suppose.. it sounds like your whole housemate situation or atleast what you have told me about it.

[JirQUEST]

almost there... i got my inspiration from my hsemates actually

[JirQUEST]

thanks pple. this piece was meant to be a magazine submission as well. except i never got around to it. but the tutor gave good marks and i was enjoying this subject very much

btw kota, i dont know if i should be happy or sad with that remark... lol i pride myself on my tricks too

[DarkPower]

lol figures.

[The Druid]

Originally Posted by JirQUEST

thanks pple. this piece was meant to be a magazine submission as well. except i never got around to it. but the tutor gave good marks and i was enjoying this subject very much

btw kota, i dont know if i should be happy or sad with that remark... lol i pride myself on my tricks too

dude, i seriously appreciate your magic tricks. keeping that in mind, you should be happy that i said the column is even better than the tricks

[JirQUEST]

like i mentioned b4... i guess it's columns after all... else this site wouldnt be here huh?