“Cold Comfort” by David Olenick.
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My Roommate Evoultion Story:
It all started in Mexico. I was on vacation with my family and I got an e-mail from UP that said my roommate was named “Annika Holopainen”. My reaction: “WTF kind of name is that?”. I went to Facebook and found a bunch of Holopainens in Finland. FINLAND!?!?! What? An international roommate? Alright, this is cool!
We talked over Facebook for a while. I found out she was a 6’1”/6’2” basketball player. I was going to do rowing, so that could work. We talked some more: she liked hip hop/R&B music; I mostly liked alternative. She was girly; I was a geek. We seemed like opposites… ugh this was going to be a long year.
Finally, school started. I met my roommate awkwardly before orientation on one of the paths. Weird. Anyway, that first night sleeping next to your new roommate is super odd. Like what? I have to live with someone for the whole year? I have to live with this person the whole year?
Anyway, the school year started. I had 6:00AM rowing practices 6 days a week and she had pre-season conditioning. We lived our separate lives and barely talked. The most I said to her on a daily basis was, “Can you put headphones on? I am going to study.” It was kind of a dull situation. I really didn’t see anyone during the first semester because I was doing rowing and I was a Biology major. Both sucked! I was tired all the time! The only things I ever did were exercise, read, and sleep.
Then, I quit rowing!! Woohoo! I decided I wasn’t going to be a Bio major either and everything changed. Our roommate only relationship became something better. We started getting close even though we really were quite different people. By the end of the semester, we weren’t great friends or anything but we talked a lot more and over break, I came to see her game at San Francisco, where she scored 29 points. Just saying.
Then, the second semester began and we actually started become good friends. There was one night in February where we filmed this 15 minute video of mostly Annika singing and dancing. It was the funniest thing (but I have sworn never to show anyone). It showed me how fun and crazy she could be, and how there were some distinct similarities between us. (she blames her weirdness on me, but I think it was always inside of her) Now, we know each other very well! We even have inside jokes!
The sad news: Annika is leaving the west coast. I probably wont see her for a very long time, which sucks! I can say that she is one of my best friends at school and it makes me very sad that she is leaving! I don’t really know how our relationship is going to fare from here on out but I hope this year stays with both of us for a long-ass time!!!!
How I will remember my wonderful freshman year roommate, Annika Holopainen: salmiakki (“The saltier the better”); GL on the DL; basketball; shopping; excessive-shopping; shoes; the never ending Rihanna playlist; Brädi Lämpöö (the only Finnish I can rap); nights of crying (it happens); once you go black you never go back; nights of proof-reading essays; pillow stealer; a green blanket; Salatut Elämät; alcoholism; nudity; saunas; sushi; shushi; DONT DROP THAT THUN THUN THUN; traps that break ankles; talking in 3rd person; FTS; true story; strawberries and raspberries; 2 week health food diet—>6 week junk food diet; vomiting on existences; “you try speaking Finnish!!!”; “Hey?”; tanning; Katniss; really bright pants; red bull; How I Met Your Mother; dance like nobody’s watching; sing like nobody’s watching
