Imagining the Adult Me
Why I want to have my own place
Having been raised as a Catholic and having strict parents to go with it meant that I’ve lived most of my life in a sheltered environment. Though, I did have my fair share of a rebellion phase — like staying late at a friend’s house, going out on parties, and the classic ‘hanging out with friends’ but really going out on dates scenario.
Still, the goody two shoes in me made sure that I was a consistent Dean’s lister and graduated with Latin honors. Despite my conservative upbringing, I was able to balance being an academic achiever and a troublemaker.
After I graduated from college and started working, the chains have become looser. I don’t need to ask permission every time I go out and even got to travel with my friends without any guardians in sight. However, as I near my mid-20s, I am thinking of what my life would be like once I have my own place. Living in an Asian household means that I get to live with my parents, until I decided to get married and build a home with my spouse.
For me, the idea of living alone would shoot me straight to reality and open my eyes to the struggles of everyday life. Having my own place would mean that I make all the decisions in my life — from what to eat, how to do laundry, to deciding whether I’ll take a bath for the day or not.
Once I have my own place, I’ll finally be able to have people over and even have my date stay the night if we had a great connection. In the Western media, couples usually move in together before they decide whether to get married or not. In an Asian household, this concept is usually frowned upon.
However, it just makes sense in my eyes. Living with someone for a given period of time lets you see the other person for who they really are — not just the side that they want to show you. One can never completely like everything about the other person — and that’s completely normal. The main benefit of living together would be knowing how to navigate through these differences and see if you truly are a good match for each other.
