{"id":6507,"date":"2014-10-25T12:21:41","date_gmt":"2014-10-25T17:21:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/goglobal\/?p=6507"},"modified":"2014-10-25T12:21:41","modified_gmt":"2014-10-25T17:21:41","slug":"roommate-bonding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.luc.edu\/goglobal\/?p=6507","title":{"rendered":"Roommate Bonding"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"My
My roommate is Caitlin Selvaggi from Pennsylvania. During our first weekend together in London, we went to Brick Lane market and discovered a plethora of vintage stores and street vendors. At night, though, we got lost. Our neighbor Paul captured this picture of us attempting to interpret Good Maps.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Forced interactions with strangers can be very uncomfortable, especially if that first encounter\u00a0has you and this stranger sleeping 10\u00a0ft\u00a0away from each other. In college, the majority of students will have a roommate at least once, and the space shared may very well be very small. The adjustment of downsizing the square feet of your room is hard enough, let alone adding another person and their things. This is\u00a0true in the States and when studying abroad. Luckily,\u00a0most people who study abroad have been in college for at least one year, which\u00a0means that they will\u00a0have some experience with adjusting to shared spaces and new habits. The roommate situation won’t be a foreign shock. Student Sean Lechleiter says, “I’ve had a roommate for the past couple\u00a0years now, so my current roommate is just like all the other ones pretty much.\u00a0We respect each others’ space.” However, one thing is most definitely different when studying abroad, and it works to the advantage of new roommates. When far away from home, people can become very disoriented.\u00a0Imagine the confusion of moving to a new country and trying to assimilate as quickly as possible before the experience is over. The classes are foreign, the street maps aren’t clear, the food is good, but you have no idea where to get it.\u00a0You and your new roommate are in this boat together. Feel free to lean on one another in the\u00a0beginning\u00a0phases of this process. For the first week or\u00a0<\/i>two,\u00a0<\/i>it is okay to be a new appendage on this random person.\u00a0When you want to explore, chances are they will too. Do things together because you may not know anyone else to do things with.<\/p>\n

\"Caitlin<\/a>
Caitlin and I joined a group of other students to take a day trip to York, England on October 11.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For example:<\/p>\n