{"id":17546,"date":"2013-07-30T15:38:06","date_gmt":"2013-07-30T19:38:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/?p=17546"},"modified":"2013-07-30T15:38:06","modified_gmt":"2013-07-30T19:38:06","slug":"how-to-share-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/2013\/07\/30\/how-to-share-home\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Share a Home"},"content":{"rendered":"Having moved a fair amount in my 19 years of living (from Singapore to Hong Kong at the tender age of\u00a0two weeks<\/em> old, from apartment to village house to apartment on at least\u00a0five separate occasions, and even to Vancouver for one brief summer), establishing a concrete concept of home has never been an easy task. If, like me, you were raised as a third culture kid<\/a>, or perhaps if your family was just fond of skipping town frequently, you can probably relate.\r\n\r\nEventually, I came to realize that by far the most compelling way to make a home is by sharing it with those who are trying to do the same.\r\n\r\nYou will undoubtedly face a lot of challenges when learning to accept the unfamiliar. Embrace this, so that their cultures can be part of your new one as well. The knowledge you will gain from your experiences and interactions with other students will allow you to some day call this place home (my fellow blogger Stephen puts this much more eloquently in his last entry<\/a>). For those of you coming into U of T hoping to gain more than just a degree from a big-name academic institution, which I certainly hope would be the case (remember, it\u2019s just a piece of paper, albeit a very important and expensive piece of paper), read on.\r\n\r\nAs I divulged in my introduction post, I experienced bouts of culture shock upon my arrival at U of T. Not so much about \u201cCanadian culture\u201d (accepting maple syrup as a staple food group and Neil Young<\/a> as a national treasure didn\u2019t take long \u2013 I kid<\/em>, but seriously), but more so the culture of independence that comes with being a university student.\r\n\r\nThere is a certain comfort that comes with knowing that the rest of the undergraduate population here knows exactly how you feel. During midterm season, there\u2019s always a quiet, terrible sense of solidarity in the Robarts Reading Room past 1:00am. And you'll probably see and do things with your friends that you never imagined:\r\n\r\n\"\"<\/a>\r\n\r\nWe\u2019ve all heard and seen the Hollywood clich\u00e9s about roommates and fellow dorm mates. Expect a lot less Single White Female<\/em> and a lot more initial social awkwardness and personality clashes. Being a good roommate and friend is always a difficult balance to strike, and after\u00a0eight months of seeing the same people everyday, don\u2019t doubt that you\u2019ll be fighting the urge to cover your ears every time someone so much as opens their mouth.\r\n\r\nRemember that compromise is key, but being walked over (or the walk-er<\/em> over) is never okay (more about roommate etiquette later!). As I\u2019ve said before, don\u2019t be upset if a friendship that seemed like it was meant to be the first week of classes fizzles off by the beginning of second semester. Use your time at university to figure out the kind of people you want to surround yourself with and to understand what it means to be a true friend to someone.\r\n\r\nBe patient, and you\u2019ll definitely find your peeps \u2013 they\u2019ll be the reason why you\u2019ll take pride in your new home.\r\n\r\n\"\"<\/a>\r\n

Perhaps if you\u2019re lucky enough, you\u2019ll find the Chandler to your Ross.<\/em><\/p>\r\n

-Katrina<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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\nHaving moved a fair amount in my 19 years of living (from Singapore to Hong Kong at the tender age of\u00a0two weeks old, from apartment to village house to apartment on at least\u00a0five separate occasions, and even to Vancouver for…\n<\/div>
Continue reading “How to Share a Home”<\/span>…<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>
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