Letter from Boston Rooming Together By MASAKO YAMADA	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
一緒に住むこと 雅子さんが現在のアパートに引っ越してきて、新しいルームメートたちと暮らすようになって3ヵ月が過ぎました。その間、シカゴへ行ったり、日本へ行ったりと、いろいろ忙しくしていた雅子さんですが、ふと考えてみると、ルームメートとほとんど一緒に過ごしていないことに気づいて…。

Immediately after I moved into this apartment with my current roommates, I went and spent two months in Chicago and another month in Japan. A lot happened to me during those three months, and I've changed in many subtle ways. It's not at all surprising that my roommates established many new routines before I came back to the States, too. I'm sure they thought of me occasionally ― I also thought about them ― but we never wrote or called each other. My room was used for storage while I was away, and that was fine with me.

Until we started really living together, Becca was the only person who knew us all ― she went to college with Lynne; she went on a semester-long trip with Amy, and she was the cousin of one of my friends. The rest of us had never met each other. By the time the summer was over, though, it already seemed as if my three roommates had known each other for ages. It was obvious that I had a little catching up to do.

My roommates are always planning things to do together, and they always include me in their plans, but I can't hang out with them as often as I'd like.

Another reason why I still feel like I'm "Roommate number four" is probably because I'm still a student whereas all of the others work. Since Becca's job is in the TV industry, she has to work odd hours, and it's hard for her to accommodate herself to a "normal" schedule. She would seem to be the one most likely to miss out on our social activities. Her working at night, however, isn't as big a leap from the "normal" life as my being a student is.

My roommates often ride out to the suburbs of Boston on a Sunday afternoon to get some exercise and check out the scenery. The trips take only a few hours. I like New England towns too, but I haven't ever joined my roommates on one of these trips yet. I can't seem to tear myself away from just reading in the comfort of my own room.

Recently they went on a one-day road trip to Maine without any specific plans at all. They took winding back roads, stopped at craft fairs, and spent the night in a motel they found by chance. I was actually considering coming along, but they left while I was celebrating the end of midterms with my friends.

I was getting a little annoyed at myself, so yesterday I finally decided to join them for a "Day on the Town." First, we went to Chinatown to have some dim sum. None of my roommates are really familiar with Asian food. Two of the three had never heard of dim sum before ― so it was fun to watch them try to pick up the slippery steamed pieces of food with their plastic chopsticks.

Then we went to Faneuil Hall to see if there were any photo shops that would take cheesy photos of us dressed up in period costumes. Faneuil Hall is very touristy, so we thought it would have such a shop. We have been planning to make Christmas postcards together using those silly photos, and we've also planned a big Christmas party together. But after looking around for the cheesy photo shop with no luck, we gave up.

Then we went to a bar and spent a couple of hours there. We got quite comfortable and even spread out a newspaper on the bar to read the job listings together. Therefore, it was a while before I realized that I didn't feel too good. Just then, a nice young bartender put a bowl of chicken soup in front of me, free of charge. That made me feel better and added a nice touch to the day.

My roommates are planning a big trip to Brazil in February. They often congregate in the living room to discuss their plans, and it sounds like it's going to be a fun trip. Again, they invited me, but there is no way I can miss my classes, so I'll be holding down the fort in Massachusetts.

I know I'll miss them during those two weeks while they are in Brazil. I'll miss them more than I did during the three months of summer, because now I'm really starting to know them.

Shukan ST: Nov. 29, 1996

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