When emailed that the web portal for housing on-campus was opened, I got very anxious about the choices I had to make: the hall, room, roommate and what to bring with me here. It was really hard to decide, and rather frustrating. I needed to know a fellow student who would just 60% match the person I believed I could share a room with, who would be able to visit the campus, compare the residence options with one another, and choose what would be best for both of us, and who also would be tolerant enough with a Muslim Palestinian getting out of Gaza Strip for the first time, ever!
I knew that I had to make an announcement of what kind of roommate both I
would be and would like to live with. Therefore, I went to the Facebook group
of all freshmen and made a post that I still did not have a roommate, and
shared some basic information about myself. Then, I do not know what unearthly
luck I got. Daniel Osborne, an American freshman from North Carolina, saw my
post and seemed interested in roommating with me. We chatted for almost two
hours about our studying, eating, drinking, and sleeping habits, the basic
principles for a perfect match. Thank God, we met each other's expectations and
believed we could be the best roommates for each other, or at least I did! Later,
we went into deeper information about our religious and cultural backgrounds. I
have to be honest enough to admit that it was immensely vital for me to live
with a tolerant roommate, who would accept me praying in the room- alone or
together with a person or two-, who would not be bothered because I could
neither drink nor party, and who would appreciate that I was coming from a very
under-served region of this world. Here was why Daniel would be the best roommate
for me. Not only did he seem even more tolerant than I wished, but he also happened
to know about Islam and Palestine very much, which I felt truly good to know!
After agreeing to be roommates, we had to choose where to live. We, at first,
thought New Hall would be perfect for us, but Catawba was more affordable for
me. Catawba also is where most international students, like me, live. To make a
wise decision, I and Daniel agreed to wait until SIM day, when Daniel visited
the campus and saw New Hall and Catawba, and he took some pictures from there. At
the night of that day, he sent me the pictures, and spoke seemingly so happily
about Catawba; how the rooms are spacious and how living in a suit would be a
brilliant choice. Now, maybe I have not told Daniel that he was doing a lot for
our favor, as if I was his brother! I truly looked up to how supportive,
appreciative and kind he was to me.
When moving-in day approached, Daniel and his sweet family were very
generous with me. Because I would be new to the country and would arrive early
on campus, they offered to send me a package of sheets and some necessary stuff
for a freshman. I thought it was very kind of them to do so for somebody they
have never met before. I very appreciatively and gladly accepted it, and Daniel
mailed it to my mail box on campus… .
---------------------------------------------This was the first part of the story. The second will be published next week, hopefully, and I will discuss in detail how we both are dealing with one another as we now are living together.
Anas, I really enjoyed this post because I think it gives a really good sense of the tolerant, understanding, and supportive community here at Roanoke. The way you described your roommate: "Now, maybe I have not told Daniel that he was doing a lot for our favor, as if I was his brother! I truly looked up to how supportive, appreciative and kind he was to me" makes me happy for you that you found such a perfect fit! I also like how you supported your statement that his family was nice with the example of how they offered to send you sheets.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Brynn. Your post really shows how awesome the Roanoke community is. Everyone is so supportive here and everyone is willing to help you out. I'm glad you found a roommate that matched what you wanted. The best way to finding a compatible roommate is to be honest with the person. I like how honest you were when you said "I have to be honest enough to admit that it was immensely vital for me to live with a tolerant roommate, who would accept me praying in the room- alone or together with a person or two-, who would not be bothered because I could neither drink nor party." This honest post helps me understand how difficult it must be to be in the United States for the first time and trying to find a tolerant person to room with.
ReplyDeleteI agree completely with everything Brynn and VB-girl say: great post, some real honesty. I like, too, that it discusses some fairly complicated things--about yourself, about living in the US, about this bizarre ritual of sharing a room for a year with someone you've never met! That kind of honesty is key in good writing.
ReplyDeleteThis was a great post showing how your roommate should be understanding and supportive because everyone has different background. It shows how great a community RC is and that everyone here is nice and willing to help people out. I loved how you told us that your roommates parents were willing to give you a package with all the stuff that freshman needs. This story was great and tells us the true community of Roanoke !
ReplyDeleteThis was a great post showing how your roommate should be understanding and supportive because everyone has different background. It shows how great a community RC is and that everyone here is nice and willing to help people out. I loved how you told us that your roommates parents were willing to give you a package with all the stuff that freshman needs. This story was great and tells us the true community of Roanoke !
ReplyDelete