Differences between the Roommates

            Within these past three weeks at the American College of Greece, I have gotten to know Bridget quite well. When I look back at what I wrote in the first blog post, I might change some of those things now. I’m sure as we travel and spend more time together we will learn even more about each other. It’s been clear we have many similarities but also many differences.

            One apparent difference between Bridget and I is our appearances. Bridget stands tall at five feet and nine inches. Meanwhile, I am five feet and one inch and still shorter than my friends when wearing heels. Bridget has medium length dark brunette hair. It’s mostly straight with a bit of volume and sometimes some waves. However, she claims in high school that it was insanely curly. I can definitely see that. But one day it stopped being curly and it hasn’t changed back. She wears her hair pulled back a lot. My hair is on the shorter side. It is brunette with blonde highlights. When it dries naturally it becomes very poofy, which is most days, otherwise I straighten it down. I almost never wear my hair up in public unless I’m at the gym. Also, Bridget has medium brown eyes with hints of gold, while sometimes my eyes look blue and other times they look green.

            We both have lived on the East Coast our entire lives. Bridget is from Dunstable, a small farm town in Massachusetts. It’s about 40 minutes from Boston. She went to her public school which was shared with the neighboring town. Meanwhile, I am from lower Westchester New York. My address says “Bronxville”, which is a small preppy town, but I actually am in Yonkers which, is one of the largest cities in New York. I am about twenty minutes from New York City. I attended one of the many all-girl private schools in my area.

            Bridget is the oldest of three children. She has a younger brother who is thirteen years old and her younger sister is sixteen years old. Also, she has never had any pets. The way she talks about her family makes it seem like they are very close. She has the independent and responsible qualities of the oldest sibling. Sometimes I view myself as the oldest child, even though I am not. My brother is two years older than me, I have a fraternal twin sister, and a sister two years younger than me. Additionally, I have a thirteen-year-old golden doodle who I consider my best friend.

            In high school, Bridget was a three-season athlete. She played on the field hockey, softball and swim team, but softball was her favorite. She was a dedicated team member and had practice every day. This is a difference between us because I wasn’t consistently on any of the sports teams in high school. However, I figure skated outside of school and was very involved in the music and dance program at my school. Now that we’re abroad, neither of us participate in any of these activities that we used to. Instead we have been going to the gym together, walking around the city, and trying to get acclimated to our new environment.

            Bridget is a very conscientious student. She is majoring in Finance at Loyola with plans to go somewhere new after college. Afterwards, she hopes to make her way back to Massachusetts. I, on the other hand, am a Communications and Writing major with a minor in Spanish. However, I’m mostly likely dropping my minor due to my abroad location and schedule when I return. I also hope to try something new but would enjoy ending up back in New York.

            This past summer she had an internship at her dad’s captive insurance company and worked many long hours. After that experience, she learned that she liked it and would consider doing something in the insurance field. I had a similar experience this summer working at my dad’s REO real estate company in the Bronx. One moment I would be so bored and the next would be as hectic as if the room was on fire. Ultimately, I found it quite interesting and enjoyed it, but I don’t think I want to take over the family business.

            As for travel, Bridget has been out of the United States several times in her life besides this semester. She’s been to Costa Rica, the Caribbean, Canada, and places in Europe such as Spain, Ireland, and Italy. It’s nice and comforting living abroad with someone who has traveled so much. I have been to Germany, Spain, France, Czech Republic, Austria, and Great Britain. Bridget and I have both visited some of the more famous cities, so we have been excited to visit less touristy cities in Europe. For instance, this weekend we will be going to Sofia, Bulgaria.

            Ultimately, Bridget and I have many differences. These differences range from our appearances, to our interests and aspirations, to the way we grew up and our life experiences. However, I think it’s these differences that have helped us to become good friends and get along so easily. That being said, we still have many similarities and both can’t wait to continue on with this semester in Greece.