Profile of a Place

Separate but equal is the approach that my roommate and I took when we moved in. To keep things separate, her things are on the left and mine are on the right. The equal part comes in if one of us wants to use something of the others (such as a nail clipper or a hair tie.) This means that almost anything we own is open to use with permission. We decided that we didn’t want to combine any of our things just yet because we didn’t know each other that well. I believe it’s a good idea because it will reduce the chance of an argument over whose things are whose. Girls seem to be pettier about their things than boys. Having two girls in such a small space can lead to unwanted confrontation and bitterness. I’m not a territorial person, but she may be and for that reason, separate but equal is definitely the best approach.

My dorm room is ridiculously small. Everyone’s dorm room is small but for some reason mine just feels the smallest. I don’t understand how Grand Valley’s residence officials expect two people to live there. I have seen many arrangements in different rooms. Some rooms actually do look like they have more space but it’s still too small to work with. What’s worse is that the space seemed even smaller when I added my belongings. Having such a small room makes it hard to keep things separate. I figure that my room is about two and a quarter arm lengths wide and three and a quarter arm lengths long. With both beds lofted against the wall that gives about two feet of walking space between beds. This means the dividing line is about one foot away from our beds. A room this small can easily be cluttered.

Walking into my room, one of the first things that strike the nose is the fresh Febreze smell. The scent is a combination of wild flowers and rain. Something that may catch the eye is all the red in the room. My room is red from my rug to my sheets and even the plates and cups I use. I figured that everything goes with red so whichever color my roommate bought would fit just right. I was wrong, she bought green items so we kind of have a Christmas theme going but it’s not that bad. All of the red that I have overpowers her green so it’s not as if we are “Decking the Halls.” Another visual that may catch the eye is the cleanliness of one side of the room compared to the other. The right side, my side, is always neat and orderly but to the left is normally a wreck. Clothes are usually everywhere and it makes for a cluttered looking room. When a room is cluttered it looks even smaller. Sometimes when I walk through the door her towel and dirty clothes are right in the middle of the floor. It’s obvious to see that in most cases, she does not honor our “separate but equal” rule. It’s ironic that this is happening because she thought of the idea. I guess she is comfortable enough with me now to join more of our belongings.

Earlier I mentioned a little about the layout of my dorm room. Now, here is the full version. When you come into the dorm, each set up on the right and left are basically the same. The closets are against the same wall as the door in separate corners. On top of my closet is a big black stereo, most of the time I have some type of R&B or Neo Soul coming from the speakers. My roommate has the TV and DVD player on top of her closet. Recently we watched the MTV Music Awards on it. Moving right along to our microwaves, which are located on separate walls, one of them in sitting on the refrigerator and the other is on two storage bins. All of my laundry items are at the foot of my bed. I believe Jazmin, my roommate,