Foreign roommates: the pros and cons

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You might be ready to live alone in Beijing, but you probably can't afford it. The capital is the most expensive city in the country when it comes to housing. As the housing prices soar, the rent skyrockets. In Beijing, rent is at least 3,000 yuan ($460) for a decent-sized shared room within the Fifth Ring Road; 6,000 yuan gets you a basic studio and 8,000 yuan a decent one-bedroom place not very far away from the city center.

For many Chinese with an average income, the rent in Beijing is getting ridiculous. Even for foreigners, who usually make more than the average wage, it is still expensive to live alone. Maybe those rent-burdened Chinese and foreigners should live together. 

In recent years, I have noticed that more and more Chinese are welcoming the idea of having foreign roommates. My friend Di lived mostly with foreigners in Beijing for eight years. One of the main reasons he prefers a foreign roommate is that he is gay, and coming out to his foreign roommates is easier, he said. 

His first foreign roommates were a British girl and an American girl. They shared a three-bedroom apartment in the Dongzhimen area. 

It did not take long to discover that their lifestyles were too different. The girls enjoyed loud music, parties and alcohol, and as the only Chinese, Di had to handle all the complaints from neighbors. Meanwhile, the girls found the lingering cooking smells in the apartment really annoying. One day, Di came home and saw the toilet left unflushed; he asked them to leave soon after. 

To be fair, China is such a big country that even Chinese from different provinces can experience a huge culture shock living together, let alone a foreigner.

After living with Chinese for years, I had my first foreign roommate in 2013. Learning from Di's experience, I posted an ad on the Beijinger's website emphasizing that I want "no partying, no couples, no animals, no drugs and no drama."

An Italian woman contacted me and asked if she could see the place, a small two-bedroom apartment located in the Tuanjiehu area, just a 10-minute walk to the famous Sanlitun. She liked it and moved in immediately. We got along well for the next six months. 

Looking back, I think whether or not you can get along with a foreign roommate really depends on one's personality and how much you want to integrate. 

When dealing with a foreign roommate, you need to be more culturally sensitive. It could be tiring at times, but it helps to open your mind. For example, even though English is not our native language, my Italian roommate and I tried our best to communicate and learn from each other. She taught me how to cook Italian cuisine, and I showed her how to do online shopping in China.

I soon realized that the disadvantage of having a foreign roommate is that they are transient. After changing three foreign roommates in one year, I decided to put an end to it. 

A year later, Di and I, who were both frustrated with having foreign roommates, moved in together. 

This article was published on the Global Times Metropolitan section Two Cents page, a space for reader submissions, including opinion, humor and satire. The ideas expressed are those of the author alone, and do not represent the position of the Global Times.

Source: Global Times

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1083813.shtml

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