Ah. For the first time in two weeks I actually can summon the enthusiasm to compose a plinky post. This (I swear) has nothing to do with the fact that I have a computer science assignment which I should be doing at this moment. - As a completely random side note I am currently using my Opensuse USB from my assignment (at least I got that far) and my Firefox on here is defaulted to use the Italian dictionary... Makes spell check rather ineffective I'll have to change that.
Anyway if I am going to procrastinate in this manner I should at least get back on topic. That being Am I a good neighbour? and of course WHY?
I am an alright neighbour. Actually by some standards I suppose I could almost be considered a great neighbour. When I think of many of the traditional complaints of university residents - well I don't fit into most of those categories.
I don't have a penchant for heavy metal - or any music at ridiculous volumes, I am not an excessive gamer, I am not nocturnal and am personally a stickler for the 'silent hours' (2200-0600) (0900 on weekends). I don't play musical instruments in my bedroom. As an engineering student I study, or at the very least pro-actively procrastinating much of the time. I don't host parties seeing how many people I could fit into this single room. Perhaps importantly I don't have, nor have any desire to have, a frat buddy (boyfriend) with whom I have noisy sex at all hours of the day and night.
At the same time, it really depends what kind of neighbour you are looking for. I am a relatively passive, keep to myself type but I am known to door knock my neighbours (generally only well into the 'silent hours') for being loud in their own rooms. I am sorry but I can only listen to zelda theme music through the wall while trying to sleep for so long before I go completely insane.
Basically everybody is looking for neighbours in a slightly different way. It depends on where you are in your life. I am looking for something different in my uni res than I will in neighbours when I am married with a family. But I expect that so would my neighbours.
I suppose most people are looking to have neighbours that fall into one of two categories.
The non-existent. Whether you've been lucky enough to score a big lot or a hallway with a few empty rooms few people complain about the neighbours who aren't there. This also includes neighbours that do exist but are never home and even when they are so insignificant that can pretty well be ignored (this is perhaps the category I fit into best).
OR. The Convenience Friends. These are the people you have lots in common with. These are the true neighbours. The ones you get to know and get to love. The ones you really could go over to and ask for a cup of sugar while you are baking. To use a more relevant analogy for myself the ones you could ask about a question you don't understand or query about tomorrow's schedule.
Most people quietly hope for the convenience friend but are willing to settle for the non-existent. Not that that's a sure fast rule, I mean I know plenty of people who do it completely the other way and to some extent stage of life effects what kind of neighbour you are looking for. Families benefit from convenience while many workaholics would prefer no neighbours - not that they would know being 'non-existent' themselves.
Around here (the res) it is important to have convenience friends. Because friends of convenience become the closest friends you have. It gets less important year after year, now we all have established friend circles. But year one, day one, your neighbours are often the ones who will define your university experience, affect the rest of your life.
I, to this point, have been lucky in not having bad neighbours. Well not counting one of the ones from last year (thankfully she had a boyfriend so was sometimes non-existent) who was quite possibly bi-polar. I guess all I can hope is that that remains the same for next year (my last year at the res). And after that... who knows? I guess work will make me non-existent for several years after that so it really isn't important for me.
Neighbours. You can either live with them or live without them, but some, some you will wish didn't live at all...
No comments:
Post a Comment