House Sharing

House sharing is inevitable for those on a working holiday.
Before coming here, I had been looking forward to a fun life with many international friends.
But, as the reality is always different from the ideal (or: ... as the reality always differs from the ideal), there were some problems. I think most problems come from relations between house mates (or: roommates, flatmates, apartmentmates depending on the type of share).
The fundamental causes of the problems are:

First, different personalities. Even when obvious emotional conflicts are excluded, lingering tensions between roommates still remain. One person wants the other to go out, drink together, and have fun.
But the other person does not want to go. He just wants to rest at home and feels he is being bothered by his roommate. This response makes the roommate feel upset. When this continues, it creates a Cold War atmosphere.

Second, different life styles. One person likes playing online video games at home speaking through a headset with his friends till midnight.
The other roommate has to get to sleep so he can wake up early in the morning, so he asks him to turn it off and be quiet. When the gaming roommate is asked to keep quiet, he feels offended.

Resolving these kinds of conflicts shouldn't be emotional.
Take a step back and think what would be a win-win situation for everyone.
Be considerate of others' feelings and look back at what you may have done to your sharemates.
By doing this, we can have a fun life with any sharemtes!