My Roomie and I have been sharing my place for over a year now. It was a surprisingly easy transition particularly given I had lived alone for years, but we are both pretty laid back and it worked out well. I liked her being here, I realised (or was that admitted) that I actually don't like living alone, who knew I had been kidding myself for so long :)
Late last year wheels were set in motion for my Roomie's Wife to apply for a spousal visa so that she could move from the US to the UK, their marriage in Canada is legally recognised over here and once the visa was granted in January plans were made for the big move to take place in March.
The plan was for them both to stay with me for as long as it worked out for us all, I was happy that I was able to help them settle here and was genuinely excited about the move but at the same time I was feeling apprehensive. They would be together, as a couple, which was how I had always known them, but it was still a strange feeling. I wanted them to be comfortable living here but so did I, and my apprehension came from wondering how the dynamics would change.
Some of my friends were wary, they wanted to make sure I wasn’t being taking advantage of, I was touched by their concern, and assured them that I would see how things went and would change the arrangement if it didn’t work out.
March arrived and the Wife did too. It was a huge step for someone who had not really travelled out of the US until the Roomie moved to the UK. We did what we could to help her fit in, mixing up a combination of trips out with just staying home so that some routine could be established.
Six weeks in and things are going well, living under the same roof has not been hard and I don’t feel like my life has been completely disrupted. I am pretty relaxed and glad they are here. I am fairly sure they are happy too and whilst I would fully understand it if they decided they wanted their own space and chose to move I already know I would miss them.
