Some of the best learning experiences I’ve had are because of my roommates — the people I chose to live with, people I see every day, whether I like it or not. Sometimes, they were close friends, other times, strangers. Always, I’ve learned something.

My first set of roommates my freshman year were three international students from Beijing. When I first heard the news I would be living with international students, I tried to see the situation in a positive light. This would be an opportunity to learn about an entirely different culture and to meet people I might not otherwise have had the chance to encounter. Unfortunately, I wasn’t quite ready for the challenge. The combined stress of leaving home for the first time in my life and living with three girls who spoke a language entirely foreign from my own was simply too much for me, and I’m ashamed to say I moved out within the first couple of months.

My second set of roommates were three girls whom I’d formed a strong friendship with during my first few months at school.

The first year we lived together was ideal. We ate meals together in the cafeteria, went to campus events and spent late nights gossiping and sharing our life stories.

Our second year rooming together was when things started going downhill.

We lived in Akers Hall, where four students share a room with a wall dividing the dorm into two separate “bedrooms.” The girl I shared a room with was someone whom I considered to be one of my closest friends. I realized, however, that she perhaps did not feel the same way when she suddenly stopped speaking to me.

I was devastated. I had no idea what I’d done to offend this girl, whom I considered one of my best friends at the time. I tried talking to her, but it was of no use; it seemed as if my former friend already had moved on.

I still have yet to learn the exact reasons for our falling out, but at this point, it doesn’t really matter.

I assumed that this friendship was lost because of something I’d done wrong. Uttering one too many sarcastic comments, leaving hair in the bathroom sink or borrowing my roommate’s hair dryer too many times. All of these reasons seem so trivial when I see them written down, but it’s almost three years later, and remembering this situation still hurts.

I moved out of Akers in mid-April of that year, after I finally realized that our friendship was beyond repair and my living situation had become entirely unbearable.

After I moved out, I spent a lot of time thinking about what had happened. I kept asking myself what I’d done wrong, considering possible reasons for why things turned out the way they did.

The only answer I could find was that there must have been something fatally flawed about my personality that I simply could not see. And although, thankfully, at this point in my life I’ve come to realize this is not true, this unfortunate situation did cause me to do some serious introspection.

This experience allowed me to remove some of the less attractive parts of my personality — specifically, an out-of-control sarcastic sense of humor that could often leave some of my closest friends feeling scathed and insulted.

My experiences with roommates in the years following my original roommate disaster were not much better. And ever since that situation my sophomore year, I’ve been extremely skeptical about living with anyone, particularly my close friends.

But in the end, I’m glad. I’m glad I had the chance to experience this sort of situation because it gave me a wonderful opportunity for personal growth. I take more care now with the words I choose, particularly when speaking to my close friends. And I like to think I’ve eliminated my use of biting sarcasm almost entirely.

College offers many learning experiences for students; your living situation is just one of them. Although I have not enjoyed some of my past living situations, I am proud that I have been able to learn from them, and I like to think I have become a better person because of it.

Caron Creighton is a guest columnist at The State News and a professional writing senior. Reach her at creigh16@msu.edu.