As I cut across the front lawn and reach the porch steps, I can hear a lo-fi sound coming from the stereo system in the living room. I am greeted by my roommates, Mike and Kim. I ask about the music; it’s a tune I haven’t heard before. Mike tells me it is 1960’s French pop artist France Gall. We agree to explore the history of French pop music in the future.

Then I am attracted to the kitchen. Before I step in, I pop my head into John and Sam’s room, the only room on the first floor. John is at his computer mastering the vocals for a new song he has just produced. He hands me his headphones and asks my opinion on the new track he has been developing. I am amazed by his ear for melody, and I am inspired by his ability to create. I tell him I like the new joint, and I’m excited to hear the finished project.

On the other side of the room, Sam is organizing his desk. He has just returned from northern Michigan, where he was checking up on his bees. Sam is always out and about. I ask him how his trip was, and I vaguely am able to understand how rewarding of a process beekeeping can be. I tell Sam that he will have to teach me more when I have the opportunity to visit his bees myself.

When I step out of John and Sam’s room and into the kitchen, I find Alexander Stansberry. . . Stanz. Stanz tells me about a Mexican dish he is preparing. Nothing too fancy, but I admire the care and passion he puts into each meal he prepares. If I’m ever confused in the kitchen, I know I can turn to Stanz to point me in the right direction, and that comforts me.

As I proceed up the stairs to my room, I am greeted at the top of the stairs by Ann. Ann gives me a big hug and asks how my day was. I never had any sisters growing up, and since I have moved in at Oakhill, Ann has been like an older sister to me. Finally, I take a seat in the couch in my room and reflect on the day’s adventures.

My whole life, I had never lived with more than five people, and I had never lived with any girls that were my age.

It didn’t help that as I told people where I would be living this year, a great majority of them questioned if I knew what I was getting myself into.

People told me I wouldn’t have enough privacy, it would be too challenging to share a bathroom with women, etc. But those are the things that have made the experience so great.

On a regular basis, we confront our differences and compromise to create a happy and successful community. We all have very different hobbies and majors, and we are all at MSU for different reasons.

Of course, we have faced challenges that you would expect in a household of seven college students, such as keeping the living room clean after we’ve had guests and making sure all the dishes are done, but the support we provide each other largely has outweighed the challenges we’ve encountered as a group.

The household I live in has been an extension of the learning process at college for me that has often proved more important than what is taught in the classroom.

These are the people that I contemplate life with. The people that I converse with about what I value and what I want to commit my life to after I graduate.

So here’s to all six of my lovely roommates who have helped me learn about the world and learn about myself, and for those of you who are hesitant to live with someone new, I highly encourage you to take the chance.

Thomas Kladis is a comparative cultures and politics junior. Reach him at kladisth@msu.edu.