In the consideration of something I initially found fresh and entertaining, and perhaps felt I could entirely welcome, but later turned to have feelings of dismay toward would have to do with my living situation. In 2012, I came to the United States as an international exchange student. In the beginning, I was very open and excited about what possibilities could come to comprise my living situation while here in the US. I wanted to have a roommate for several reasons. One, obviously it would lessen the amount of money I would have to afford each month for rental obligations. Two, it would be nice to have the company of someone else in the same age range that I could share experiences with, and simply just to have a friend around.
As it turned out, my younger cousin ended up moving in with me – becoming my roommate. In the beginning, I figured it would be great, since she is family and I already knew her, there wouldn’t be any initial awkwardness getting to know someone new. Also, given that we are related, I felt comfortable knowing that I could trust and confide in her. I knew there wouldn’t be financial issues or other scenarios that could arise in taking on a roommate who I knew nothing of. Thus, the situation seemed overall as if it would be perfect. In the beginning, everything appeared as though it was all going to work out splendidly. I would have my routine and schedule, and she would have hers. Leaving little room for any negativity between us. Or so I thought.
After some time had passed with my younger cousin as my roommate, there were several things that continually came up and began to pester at my nerves. I’m sure the same happens in most roommate-to-roommate situations, but being that we were family members, it seemed to only exacerbate the problem. At first, small things would bother me, but those small things would turn to bigger things, and as time went on, I found myself more and more unhappy with my living situation. Things like dirty dishes left in the sink for more than two days, or piles of laundry never attended to were some of the smaller things that would put a twitch in my neck. Other times, there would be nights when the TV or radio would be blaring the very night I might be trying for some much needed sleep. On some occasions, we both would disagree about petty dinner or grocery issues, cleaning duties and use of the bathroom.
Eventually, my having my cousin as my roommate came to leave me with a bitter taste in my mouth for even living with anyone at all. In fact, my true desire began to be strongly focused on renting an apartment or room of my own without any roommates. I truly wanted to be by myself! The more time that passed with my cousin as my roommate, the stronger my desire to live on my own became.
I do not believe that my desire to live on my own, in my own apartment or home was specifically induced by my cousin’s shortcomings or was solely due to our relationship. In fact, I think my desire for independence would have arisen regardless of who my roommate had been. In the end, I suppose having lived with a roommate (cousin or not) eventually enlightened me about my true independence – that I am happier with the privacy I find by myself. In such a situation, any kitchen or laundry messes would be my own. Lights out would be on my watch, and not up to anyone else. There are a multitude of reasons that I believe I am happier living on my own, under my own set circumstances, but I believe they all boil down to my desire to live independently.
Given the initial interest and beliefs I held regarding living with a roommate, which ultimately transformed into an utter distaste for sharing living space with not only my cousin, but any roommate for that matter, I believe this reflects the concept of something that I was initially interested and happy with, but later became something entirely opposite. Sure, the circumstances surrounding my cousin and me living together could have had some influence on my change of heart, but as I mentioned before, it may have come regardless of who I lived with.
In consideration of where I turn for entertainment, I would have to refer to television. There are a number of programs on TV that interest me. There are some that I watch routinely, and prove to be great entertainment escapes. However, I can attest to the fact that after a certain amount of time, even my favorite shows grow old at some point, especially if I’ve already seen them. Comparatively, this is also a situation that I can attribute as similar to the concept of something being fresh and interesting in the beginning, but can ultimately lead to disinterest and even boredom. As in the instance of my cousin/roommate, both subjects have an initial interest that allures my attention and seemingly fits what I might be looking for, but eventually become dull or overly disappointing, which causes me to look elsewhere. In my living situation, I began to look elsewhere for another living situation. In the case of television, I often look to other entertainment outlets such as the internet or gaming when my interest in it begins to dwindle.
Concluding these considerations, I would say that it would be fair to assume that anything can have some initial appeal that may appear to be something we may permanently desire. However, on the same token, anything can also eventually become tiresome or boring to some degree depending on the subject. Harnessing that initial interest or appeal may help to revive those feelings or perception, but ultimately, we all seem to lose interest at one point or another. Perhaps it is because of the constant change around us. One day the newest edition of a high-tech phone will be unveiled, the next day a newer and better one is now on the market. Celebrities are constantly reinventing themselves. Artists are always changing their music to be one better than the last. New conveniences come out in electronics. New movies always being promoted. It’s almost as if we’re always wanting or waiting for the next big thing to come our way. One might say that our constant need for entertainment and stimulation is not only due to our own greedy lust for more, but also because we’ve become products of our environment through media and advertising. Either way, it is interesting how quickly interests may be here today and gone tomorrow.
