Growing up in a home where we would eat together every night around the dining room table, I found it strange last year moving into my first-year accommodation, where my flatmates would retreat into their bedrooms every night, ramen in hand. It was a miracle if I interacted with them once a week. This led to a year of either going to my friends’ flats, where they adopted me into their homes, or persuading them to trek to my flat to eat dinner. The promise of a clean, undisturbed kitchen in most cases outweighed the risk of being joined by a small mouse whilst we cook.
Now, this year, living with two of my best friends, we share dinner every night. This is such an important part of my day, where we all swap stories about catch-ups, gym classes and that one annoying person in our tutorial who just won’t let you speak.
Yet for everyone, this is not the case. It’s easy when living with friends to let time slip by and realise you’ve stopped actively spending time together. You feel as though you see them constantly, running into each other in corridors and getting the bus back from uni, but without having any meaningful conversations.
Spending time with flatmates — whether they’re your closest friends, people you found on a Facebook group, or anything in between — is a crucial element in ensuring you have a positive social and living situation. In a practical sense, it’s an easy way to raise any issues or points to discuss about the flat rather than sending passive-aggressive messages on group chats. It’s also a good way to remind yourself that your flatmates aren’t evil after they leave their mug in the sink unwashed yet again.
Sharing dinner, breakfast, or simply a cup of tea is the perfect way to spend time with flatmates. It doesn’t require any elaborate plans, but just choosing to sit down and spend time together rather than going to your bedroom for that next Netflix episode. Autumn also provides lots of opportunities for fun activities to do together, such as pumpkin carving, movie nights or baking to break up midterms. Take this as your sign to message the group chat and get those plans booked in!
Photo by Zach Reiner on Unsplash.
