Saturday, September 20, 2008

FLATS AND MATES


It's quiet Saturday in a quiet, almost sleepy student campus. I have been thinking how this new campus I have moved to in June is much more calm. I have also been thinking about my previous year here in JKL. My studies had started, I had moved from my parents place. First time in my life I had started to live on my own. Well, not totally on my own.

I guess those that were not confronted with the possibility to study in the place of their original being would probably experience these things I plan to write about much earlier. Anyway, Slovenia is also not Finland, students do not have so good oportunities to move away from their parents as soon as they finish high-school. If we Slovenians live close to the universities, we in most cases stay at home. Flats are expencive, scholarships are rare, and so on...

Last year, I was placed into a shared appartement; it was a small two-room flat. I had my own room, the bathroom and kitchen were shared with the flatmate. Never before I had been given the expirience to live with a person I had never met. People are put kind of randomely togehter, girls and boys are not mixed - and so one starts to live with the other one, like it or not these two have to share their everydays.

For me, and I guess also for every single one, such sharing can bring some nice and.. well, also not that pleasant thingies. I have found out what had made me a cranky shared-flat dweller, and decided to write it here. These are kind of general things, don't be tough on me if I'm overdoing...

- A small flat where kitchen table is placed right infront of my door.
- Flatmates visitors that sit behind that kitchen table and talk loud infront of my door.
- Flatmates visitors that are there when I don't feel like having any people around.
- Lots of visits.
- Unknown people that appear while I'm eating in the kitchen.
- Occupied kitchen.
- Having an unpleasant feeling when going home due to uncertain situation in the flat.
- Loud talking.
- Packed fridge.
- Smell of fried meat that stays on my clothes.
- Strange atmosphere due to personal problems.
- Putting personal problems too much on the other one; it's hard to help or listen sometimes.
- Old guys that dribble over young girlies.
- A boyfriend arriving at late hours at night.
- A boyfriend visiting for several days can become annoying, no matter how quiet and polite.
- Feeling that my privacy is too much observed or disturbed.
- Feeling sorry for not being tough enough and telling what bothers/bothered me.

People have different experiences in shared flats: I have heard some stories. Students are just put together, their habits differ, their characters differ, and in some cases, the cultures are also very appart. Forcing a friendship is perhaps not that good idea; in my opinion, the bond between flatmates grows, or it does not. However, I prefer sharing where my privacy is not disturbed, where I can feel relaxed and independant enough, and where lives of flatmates are not mixing too much.

Getting a one-room flat is, I guess, dream of every student here. However, waiting times for those flats are long. Meanwhile, we all have to learn how to be tolerant - with the other, and with one's self.

6 comments:

david santos said...

Very, very nice picture!!!
Nice weekend.

kaneli said...

Thanks.

Aelfsciene said...

Tale razgled mi je pa znan :)

Kako je pa sedaj z novima cimrama?

Sej v slovenscini lahko napises, hehe.

kaneli said...

Ja, a ni lepo to naše drevesce?

Problem prejšnjega fleta je bilo že samo naselje, ki je dejansko geto za mladino na izmenjavi. To pomeni zabave, hrup in razbijanje. :S Lansko leto je bila sploh štala, ker je bilo ful izmenjalcev, pa eno od naselji prenavljajo. Mah, saj je luštno, da se zabavajo, ampak lani so pri tem razbili tudi eno od savn. :/

Sedanje naselje je res mirno, smeti so na svojem mestu, v pralnici in sauni ni gneče. Če imaš za sostanovalce Fince, je verjetno drugače, ker so le domačini. Zaenkrat je OK. :) Čez vikend sem bila sama, pa tudi drugače se deklet sploh ne čuti. Še dobro, da ju ni bilo v soboto zvečer - iz Lutakka sem prišla ob 2h zjutraj, in zganjala hrup, hihi.

Ulmiel said...

I know the feeling ... sploh, če moraš živet takole dalj časa, meni je bilo že dva tedna več kot dovolj - k sreči sva se z D.,s katero sem delila sobo čisto ujeli tudi po 24/7 druženju, ostali pa so že bili klizav teren, sploh Japonci, verjetno tudi zaradi čist drugačne kulutre ...

kaneli said...

Mi imamo vsaj lastne sobe - torej vsaj malce zasebnosti. ;)