I didn't realize until I surfed on over to my own blog how long it's been since my last post. When I saw the last post I knew I had to update you right away.
So, the roommate situation didn't work out.
That's an understatement.
The roommate situation was a veritable disaster.
I'm quite proud of myself for the way I handled it, emotionally, logistically. You know sometimes you wonder if you're making any progress at all in being a better person and working on your "stuff?" This was one of those situations that showed me that I have. One of the few good things that came out of it.
Anyway. The last time I posted, I had just moved into a three bedroom house in SW Portland. I found the room listing on Craigslist. After telling one of my uncles about my roommate disaster, he said something to the tune of, 'That's your problem. Don't you know that? Only idiots use Craigslist."
Well, that may not be entirely true, and there may be some perfectly lovely, normal, intelligent people who post things on Craigslist. Unfortunately, I didn't find one of them.
Soon after moving in, it was clear that the situation was not going well. I'm not going to list all of the things that happened, because, frankly I'm tired of talking/thinking about them. There was something neurotic with some ugly towels she had hanging in the kitchen that NO ONE was allowed to use. (What else do you put towels in the kitchen for, people?) There was something else with three big and extremely ill-mannered pooches, with whom I was perfectly comfortable - just not in my room, in my stuff, in my way ALL THE TIME. So I told the dogs to move (so they wouldn't eat my shoes) and get out of my way (so I wouldn't fall down the stairs) and shut up (so they would stop barking so loud) one too many times and the roommate got pissed off. She said only SHE was allowed to talk to them like dogs. (Yeah, but you don't lady. That's why someone else HAS to.)
She told me "I just don't see how it's going to work. There's too many things."
I said, "Are you trying to tell me you want me to move out?"
"Yes, yes, that's what I mean."
"I'd like to try to work it out. I don't think you're being fair."
Hesitation, "OK."
But I've yet to mention the weirdest and most appalling aspect of this whole situation (appalling to me anyway).
In the midst of a very long and tense conversation about her wanting me to move out, she had the audacity to say, "You know, I'm a Christian. I believe in Jesus. I believe that's the only way to salvation, and I can't have someone living in the same house going around blessing things all the time. It's just too much different-ness. You know that not everything in this house is blessed."
In other words, judenraus!
Her euphanism for "Jew, get out of my house" was "I just can't have someone living in the same house going around blah blah blah."
Really?
Like, really?
You really think it's OK to think that and say things like that to people?
A friend of mine had a humorous take on the situation.
This girls is so wacky that she belongs on an episode from Seinfeld or Friends - she is truly comic material. The good news is that you're not living with her. If she's this way that soon into the roommate relationship, imagine what would happen over time.
I'd say her response to you is pretty unfathomable. She may really just dislike Jews that much. If so, why didn't she raise this issue sooner?
Perhaps one of her church friends just recently told her how dangerous we are. (Haha)
But it could be something totally different - some screw got knocked loose in her brain so that she just needed to get you out of her life, and she made up the psycho Christian story as a cover. Maybe you remind her of the sister with whom she's had a lifelong, bitter rivalry. (Oh, sad.)
Maybe she developed an immediate crush on you, and doesn't want to admit that she's gay. (Hahaha)
Maybe she got a new boyfriend and wants him to live in your room. For any of these reasons, she didn't want to tell you the truth, so a religious lie was easier. Who knows?! The good news is, you're outta there, safe and sound.
Although she agreed to "give it a try," I called her the next morning and told her I'd be out by the end of the week. I was just so appalled I didn't quite know what to say.
Fortunately, my aunt and uncle were kind enough to let me crash at their place in Beaverton until I could move into my new place, which I did two weekends ago.
I have to say. After all of this crap, after moving almost five times in the last three months, after being told I couldn't stay in someone's house because I'm Jewish, I am SO HAPPY to have my own place. No psycho roommates, no ill-mannered pets, no nonsense.
Now I'm just waiting for my life to return to some semblance of normality. Trying to pass math, working hard in Bio, re-certing in life guarding, planning my next trek to Israel.
Posts
1 comment:
That is a sad and very believable story. This was a "failure to show love" on your ex-roommate's part, even by the most liberal or wacky Christian standards. Evangelicalism is on the hunt for protecting the rights of Christians to wear their religiosity on their sleeve, but it's a double-standard. She should have been proud to have a roommate that wasn't afraid to be religious! Good job. It's sad that the only real social "sins" left is "hypocrisy" and "intolerance." Your roommate is guilty of both, for sure.
I guess to be fair, we should be asking ourselves how we'd handle a roommate whose religious expression ruffled our feathers. But at the same time, this was not a very difficult one. Christianity and Judaism: both monotheistic, cut from the same cloth, both believe in blessing, prayer, the sacredness of everyday life and our material existence. I really don't understand this one.
Good luck negotiating the shark-filled waters.
Post a Comment