Real-life reality TV

I’ve noticed that privacy seems to be a pretty important value in Sweden. While Swedish students may sometimes seem anything but reserved at a local pub/nightclub/any other establishment that sells alcoholic beverages, when it comes to where they live they usually prefer to be alone.

BENJAMIN MACK/THE ARBITER - Dorms on Linnaeus University's campus. The university is the only residential college in Sweden.

Unsurprisingly, this desire to be able to watch reruns of “Friends” at all hours of the day is reflected in the housing options available to students at Linnaeus University. As the only residential campus in Sweden – where the majority of students live on campus and all university buildings are centrally located – students have basically two options:

1. Live by yourself. As Depeche Mode might say, enjoy the silence.
2. Live in a corridor, a social environment that bizarrely offers private bedrooms and bathrooms but a public kitchen and lounge area reminiscent of a sleazy motel. Beware of cockroaches.

Personally, I prefer a little bit of sociability from time to time, so naturally when I came to campus I went with option B. Turns out it’s been the best decision I made since I decided it was probably a good idea to eat food every once and a while.

Seriously, there’s nothing quite like living with seven other guys and girls who are equally passive towards the need to remember to put the toilet seat up. And it’s always encouraging to see others eat cereal straight from the box and wearing a bathrobe for most of the day.

I love living in a corridor because…

• It’s about loyalty, friendship and family. I’ve lived with the same people for the past 251 days, and by now we see each other as one big, over-medicated family worthy of any reality show.
• It leads to instant parties. How cool is that? Name anything else that galvanizes people to invite 100 friends over for a costume party that involves 90 minutes of planning.
• It’s the best kind of reality TV. There’s real cheers, real tears, and real cheese quesadillas. There’s no director hollering “Cut! Effects!” And the best part is, you’re a participant. For overly dramatic people like myself, it’s even better than Jerry Springer.
  

  BENJAMIN MACK/THE ARBITER - Impromptu costume parties are just one of the many benefits of living with other people.

• It gives you a sense of place. Living in a corridor, you become exposed to new cultures. People in my own corridor come from Germany, Italy, South Korea, Belgium and France. Unsurprisingly, the food is incredible.
• There’s no “faking it.” If you’re Brad Pitt’s daughter and you want to act, you get to act. If you’re a Trump, you get to build. If you’re a Bush and want a ranch in Texas, then you get a ranch in Texas. Those people may get to slide by, but in a corridor you have to learn to get along with others. At the very least, it’s usually a good idea to remember who’s coffee mug belongs to who.
• It turns hardened people into mush. You share laughter, tears, and flu-like symptoms with these people.  Their emotions become yours, and yours theirs. Tell me the last time the guy taking your order at McDonald’s did that.
• It encourages good, healthy hating. You all become fans of whatever sports team other people in the corridor are fans of. And these new converts can be even more rabid than you. I got my entire corridor hooked on Boise State football. While hosting a viewing party against Fresno State, I jokingly commented that an opposing player had made a decent play. I was told I could go to hell.
• It’s cheap. Having eight people sharing most everything sure cuts down on living costs.
• It’s all new, all the time. Today will not be exactly the same as yesterday, and tomorrow will not be the same as today.
• It’s gives you something to look back on and talk about when you’re visiting family for Christmas without upsetting Aunt Sally or causing Grandpa to storm off in a huff. It’s not religion, politics, war, money, or even sports. And hey, you might even get to become the main topic of conversation. Because let’s be honest: there’s a certain satisfaction in one-upping your cousins when it comes to what you’ve done in the past year.

PHOTO COURTESY ANNE BALONIER - Outdoor fikas are another benefit of corridor living.

So bite me, those of you who want to live by yourself. Life isn’t just about what you do, it’s who you meet.

And besides, the last time I was silent for more than ten minutes, I hadn’t been born yet.

Short URL: http://arbiteronline.com/?p=69653

Posted by Benjamin Mack on May 9 2011. Filed under Columns, Culture, Culture Main Feature. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.