Living the not so 'Vista Way'

It's hard for anyone not only considering the Disney program but any kind of cultural-educational exchange - especially if you have medical concerns.

Having to live in a house with a stranger is never easy - let alone up to 5 of them. It's also never easy to be the last roommate to arrive when everyone else has been there almost a month before you. They've already had time to get to know each other, settle in and build a daily/weekly routine. Girls can be rude and it's hard to come in and ask for everything to change just for you - whether it's life threatening or not.

It's hard to explain in a way that they will fully understand how easily one product or food spill can harm you. There are nuts in food, cleaning products, candies, alcohol and beauty products... among many other things. You do have to live with these people for 6 months (more or less depending on your exchange program) so upsetting them by telling them what they can and cant do could pose potentially harmful. We've all heard the stories of immature jealous girls smearing peanut butter on lockers and doorknobs and wiping it off so its not visible... just to get back at a stupid misunderstanding.

You can lecture someone and educate someone until the cows come home. But in the end people are going to eat what they're going to eat and buy what they're going to buy, whether they remember or not. This not only goes for my roommates but anyone's roommates anywhere, or coworkers, or friends - even family forgets sometimes.

Now don't get me wrong, I am really starting to like my roommates. They aren't inconsiderate or anything, they have just never had to deal with this situation very often. One of my roommates even has a shellfish allergy. My first week after Check-in they did go out and buy new kitchen soap and disinfectant wipes. They asked me about the specifications of my allergy. My one roommates always notifies me when she's going to open her peanut butter and asks if I want my bedroom door closed - I like her the best so far.

But it is always hard to try to 'fit in' when you have to be so cautious. To walk into your kitchen after a day at work and wonder if their dishes or the sink is clean, or the counter has been wiped down, or if there's that possibility of cross-contamination on the door handles of the fridge or drawers. Its even harder in a country where (next to Asian style cooking) Americans consumer the most amount of nuts and nut products I've ever seen and without any concern for anyone around them.

Although I feel bad for purposely secluding myself because I did come to Disney World to make friends (and believe me some of my roommates have commented on it) no matter where you go, live or work your #1 priority must be your safety first.

I keep all of my food in a separate container in the fridge and I don't keep anything in the pantry. I keep my food in another container in our storage locker/closet shelves. Any other food I keep at other friends houses - when your travelling its good to have people who understand and try to help you out. I try to do most of my cooking at their houses as well. I also keep a set of my own cutlery and dishes in my room and I rarely sit at the kitchen table or on the couches in the living room.

But again, this all sounds bad but you get used to it. It becomes part of your daily/weekly routine just like... reading the ingredients list of every single thing you buy or asking the waitress about the products they cook with when your friends do drag you out somewhere. Which is fine for me. Our dishwasher's cleaning capabilities and our buildings lack of cleanliness in general leave something to be desired anyways...

I refuse to be the one of the only 2 out of 6 women in the house to clean. Especially when I don't feel comfortable touching anything due to my allergies. I came here to be a room-mate not a 'room-mom.' Although they have been keeping the kitchen cleaner since our first inspection and our bathroom is getting better. But can you blame them? Vista Way is the oldest out of the 4 complexes... so how many years of students have been dirtying up the buildings before we came?

Going anywhere in the big world can be difficult at times whether your moving out on your own for the first time or dealing with any type of allergy or condition. It helps if you can surround yourself with people who understand and love you for who you are. It also helps if you can come to terms with the fact you're going to be dealing with this and people the rest of your life and try to make the best of things. I try to stay optimistic and positive... or at least try make funny humour out of it so it's less awkward.