Chinese Oppression of Germany
Ok, not actually a housemate, but we nearly moved her in.

Last September, we found ourselves in need of a flatmate and, in the pro-active manner common to all students left it far too late, such that we were forced to plaster the interweb with adverts reading "Housemate needed URGENTLY. Hoping to fill room in SE London by end of week, etc..."

We got a flattering number of responses. One of them was a German girl who, from the tone of her emails, seemed desperate to get out of her current flat. She was sharing a flat with a Chinese girl and it sounded like things weren't going very well between them.

Eventually I got an email from her which asked me:
"What is the atmosphere like in your house?" - relaxed, friendly. We like to vegetate in the living room and we all drink more than is good for us.

Then:
"What are your policies with guests in the house?" - that's fine, we have friends and other halves coming over to visit quite frequently. As long as you're not going to clog up the house with your own miniature detachment of the 4th Reich then we don't mind.

And then:
"Do you all have the same rights?"
This question threw me. What did she mean by rights? Was this perhaps a language issue?
I wrote back to ask: "I'm not sure what you mean by rights. Everybody is free to come and go as they please, everyone can use the kitchen, bathroom and living room freely - as long as they pay the rent on time, of course!"

She soon elucidated:
"Actually, that is what I meant by rights. My current flatmate seems to be convinced that she has a greater ownership of the flat and so I am forbidden to go in the living room."

The same night I'd received that email, we picked a housemate who'd come round to see it and just clicked with us. So when I wrote the emails to tell everybody else, "I'm sorry but the room's already been taken," I did genuinely feel quite sorry to have to disappoint this German lass. I really hope she found somewhere else to live without being oppressed...
(LongJohnBaldry, Mon 2 Mar 2009, 11:11, 4 replies)

but she's german
so she deserves it, innit? After all who won the war?
( Sextant goes to him is emotionally erect, on this day, Mon 2 Mar 2009, 13:23, closed)

China?
.
(bazmorningstar efil4nat3b, Mon 2 Mar 2009, 13:51, closed)

Oh noes...
das chinesische Mädchen schlägt meine busen mit einem schwarzen kätzchen...
(emadex thinks the world will end on, Mon 2 Mar 2009, 14:48, closed)

Gezundheit

(Barry Chuckle's Moustache, Mon 2 Mar 2009, 15:36, closed)