It is my first time living in a share house so I cannot really compare this experience with other experiences. Coming in as a newbie in a share house is different for everybody, but I think everybody would be nervous and excited to experience something like this. For me it was not what I had expected. The first few days I did not meet anyone, this is probably because everybody is with their lives and nobody is staying home all the time. So after the first couple of days when I went downstairs I saw someone sitting at the dinner table. My first thought was of course: “ Introduce yourself”, and that is what I did. Even though it was now my living space as well, it still felt like I entered someone else’s home. But once we talked I felt more and more at ease, and I reminded myself that it is also not really his house. Everyone’s story is different, and I really found it interesting when he told me his story. The place where I live is not very international, so I expected only to live with Japanese people. So it really surprised me that someone from the UK was living in Osaka. The next person I met was in the kitchen. She was very nice and we exchanged some basic information (where I was from, how old I was etc.) The last person I met was very rushed, but I still felt comfortable.
When I have to describe the benefits of living in a share house I would say that it is especially connected to what I prefer. Some people might think differently about it, and that’s totally okay. I’m here to talk about the benefits that affected me positively. I really like my space and I don’t like too crowded places, so I really liked it when I had to time to adjust before meeting anyone in the house. I also get nervous when I meet new people, so it is nice that the people I’m living with are busy so I don’t meet everyone at once. I more and more got the feeling that it was okay, and that it’s normal that new people live in the house. So in the beginning I was really scared to use cooking supplies, because I had the feeling that I was using someone else’s supplies. And I know we could share them, but since it was my first time living in a share house it felt a bit a new for me. Luckily, this feeling went away quickly and I totally feel comfortable about it now. It is really beneficial being able to use glasses and cooking supplies in the kitchen, and I really love this.
For me, the benefit of not seeing your housemates could be turned around to disadvantages for people that really like an active atmosphere. I do enjoy my peace and time alone, but there are people who enjoy lots of people around them all the time. Share houses do grant these experiences by having events, and house meetings. Since I really just moved in, I haven’t experienced those events yet. What I also like about the share house that I live in, is that it was furnished when I arrived and I had a table and a closet where I could store my clothes. A personal disadvantage for me is the place it is located. I prefer travelling by train instead of the bus, and there is a station, but this station is 20 minutes away. And I prefer walking over using a bicycle. But this also depends on where you live, some other share houses are very convenient when it comes to the distance of a station.
After a few weeks, I came in contact with somebody else in the sharehouse and this was a fresh new experience. We clicked almost immediately and became friends very fast. He is the same age as me, so he suggested that talking to each other was easy because of age. I don’t agree with that because at the end of the day, age does not matter and it will just come down to having a connection with somebody.
The location of my share house is close to a river, which makes the atmosphere very lively, since people work out in the near area. There is also a park close where barbeques are held and experiencing this with friends would be really nice.
