How many to a room?
A few years ago, I was house-sharing in South London, with three very good friends, when one of them had to up-and-leave us to go to Iran (and whilst there, get married and conscripted), but before he left he got us a new flatmate, someone quiet who kept himself to himself. Sounds good we thought. How naive we were...!
The guy was called Harold, was a Hong Kong Chinese guy, and very quiet. He was also a devout Christian, and occasionally he would have these large gatherings in our dining rooms, praising the Lord in Cantonese at the top of their voices... not fun!
But the main reason we remember him (apart from when he left chicken bones burning in a pan for hours, stinking out the kitchen and ruining the pan), was the people he had in his room. Not just one or two staying a few nights in his room, but the half-a-dozen guys living there for weeks and weeks on end, paying (him) rent, whilst the first time we met these people, we were told that they were living there now!
My flatmate Dave had the worst experience. Living on the ground floor at the front of the house, he was once woken by someone breaking in through his window, only to find out it was one of Harold's friends who had forgotten his key!
Soon we made a decision to ask him to move. After he moved out, the room was in a horrible state, including a carpet almost caked in chinchilla faeces. Nice! The next occupant in that room had to completely redecorate before she even considered staying there!
(hit me with your jesus stick, Tue 10 Apr 2007, 17:49, Reply)