moving out=claustrophobia?

Having no choice in the matter coupled with a decent enough set of circumstances results in pretty high levels of content. Iro, Nadeeka and I moved out into our own apartment a few days back and it’s pretty nice. It’s got a view to die for, almost-furnished, great bathrooms and fully air-conditioned. The only sore point is that we don’t have a microwave or a washing machine. It’s a fuck up but not big enough to destroy all the positive feelings associated with moving into a place that looks really great and has a swimming pool to match. You know you’re in a first world country when you can move into what would be called a luxurious apartment in Colombo with such modest finances.

Living with other people is a daunting prospect. Life in university, i.e. campus life, can get very claustrophobic. It’s very strange that it is your friends, the select few you should accept completely if not unconditionally, become the ones who will push you over the edge of tolerance. I think, like relationships, not all friendships work out. Why do people think that fighting for a friendship is so much more important that fighting for a relationship? Why can’t we just walk away? I think we should just accept that some friendships run out of steam and some don’t- just like any old relationship. Anyway, if living in close proximity with people on campus can be so constricting, it must be worse when there’s no canteen, library or class to run into when you want pure, unadulterated isolation (almost)… When you are in your allocated room on campus, some privacy is afforded to you because there is still some physical effort involved if someone wants to visit. In an apartment, even that’s not there; no respite, no escape from anything.

I think we all need some element of sensitivity to our flatmates’ moods; a sensitivity that alerts you to the need of not being overly-cheery when your flatmate is depressed or too nosy when they are extremely private. Considering my lack of experience in the matter of having flatmates I am hardly the person to talk about this but let’s see… hopefully things won’t be as bad as all those episodes of Sex and The City and I paint it out to be. Friendships, however much I’d like to think to the contrary, operate on very fragile ground and it’d be really nice and I would be extremely grateful if they stood intact even after I move out.