Monday, May 4, 2009
I think the first time you rent out an apartment is a pretty big rite of passage. Having your own spit of property to call your own, at least till the lease expires, is a pretty momentous occasion. Its probably the first time you'll have everything up to you, sole responsibility to pay all the bills on time, make the money, cook, clean, balance a diet, deal with setting up and paying utilities, having roommates, dealing with neighbors, landlords, and any mishaps that result. Trying to organize everything, sorting out chores, ensuring they get done, and distinguishing each others personal space are also key elements to managing living on your own. It can definitely be difficult from time to time to make ends meet and manage a good relationship with your roommate but once you've done it your confidence improves ten fold and you feel much more comfortable and ready to rent out future apartments, even progressing to possible home ownership. I believe its definitely a big step, especially when compared to European countries in which people our age usually still live with their parents, until they get married really, something that seems really bizarre to most of us in the U.S. who move out at age 18-20. People tend to have more respect for someone once they've shown they can live on their own and manage bills without the help of mommy and daddy, something most people gradually ascend to.
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I think its really interesting to compare our rites of passage (moving out of your parents house, living on your own) to that of people in Europe. Its hard to say which one would be better, perhaps they are just different. Although sometimes i wonder if europeans got it right, i mean, i feel fine living on my own, but sometimes i wonder if a few more years could have helped me deal with some of the pitfalls that are bound to happen when striking out on your own. some things are just unavoidable, accidents and such, but i wonder if there are some things that could be avoided with a few more years of experience. i think that we as americans equate independence with maturity, which definitely has its truths in my opinion, but i wonder what it would be like to gain it in different ways or at least have a sort of grace period. i know that coming to college was at least for me a little jarring in that i was suddenly in strange city, on my own, not knowing a single person. i think some people thrive in that but i think others, like me, could have benefitted from a more gradual experience.
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