I have never had a roommate, let alone a roommate who has a completely different culture and lifestyle. Even though my roommate and I have differences, we have a lot in common, though it did take some time to figure that out. Maybe time really does make a difference. The first time I met my Korean roommate, she was with her parents and I will never forget the look that they had on their faces when they saw their daughter’s foreign roommate. Clearly a brown girl was not expected. My roommate is one year younger than me and is currently a freshman. She majors in Chemistry Education and she is from Gwangju. The first few days that we were together, we barely spoke with each other. But, as time passed by, we got more comfortable and began to act as ourselves. The only thing that my roommate and I share is toilet paper. We do not share any other toiletries or food. We switch up our chores every month. The main obstacle to our friendship was language. She barely understood English and I knew just basic Korean. Also, time was not rooting for our friendship. Our class schedule was always different.
     Despite our little miscommunications, she helped me in a time where I had lost all hope. I once had a midterm exam at 9 a.m. and it so happened that I woke up at exactly 9 a.m.! I literally jumped out of bed and accidentally woke my roommate. After telling her the reason why I woke up, with her very limited English she was able to encourage me and gave me the confidence to go to the exam since I was planning on skipping it. Apparently, some professors let you enter the exam room even if you are late. It was because of her that I was able to swallow my fears and dash through my university’s hallways with one pen in my hand with my pajamas still on. Regardless of our thick language barrier, we realized that we will always be there for each other. In my previous university, I chose not to live in the dormitory because I was scared of what was to come, but even though I had no option in this case I am glad I had the opportunity to experience living with a roommate.
  

 
By Alvina Joanna, Exchange Student, India