You’ve never met your roommate… but live together.
YOU’VE NEVER MET YOUR ROOMMATE… BUT LIVE TOGETHER.
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Remember that exhilarating, terrifying email about your housing assignment? For many of us, it was the first real step into dorm life. But what if that initial contact was… minimal? Or nonexistent? You arrive, perhaps a little disheveled from travel, brimming with a mix of academic ambition and social anxiety. You unlock the door to your shoebox-sized sanctuary, and there it is: a perfectly made bed on one side, a meticulously organized desk, or perhaps, a chaotic explosion of textbooks and instant ramen wrappers. Your roommate. Or, more accurately, evidence of your roommate.
The phantom presence. Their alarm blares at 4 AM, but they’re never there when you wake. A stack of obscure philosophy books appears, then vanishes. The lingering scent of exotic tea, or maybe stale pizza, hints at a life lived in parallel. You learn about them through subtle clues: a half-eaten granola bar, a lone sock, a note on the whiteboard that mysteriously wasn’t for you. You share a wall, a bathroom, a heating vent, but never a conversation. Did you ever wonder what their story was, beyond the fleeting glimpses or the sounds echoing from their side of the room? How did you navigate the unspoken rules of sharing a space with a ghost?
This isn’t just about the occasional mouse in the wall or the late-night study debates; it’s about the unique chaos of co-existence without direct interaction. It’s about learning independence, resilience, and maybe even a little detective work, all before your first midterm. What’s your "ghost roommate" story? What bizarre habits did you uncover, or what hilarious misunderstanding arose from living with an almost entirely unseen individual? Share your chronicles.