專四晨讀美文：Problems in Sharing a House

Problems in Sharing a House
If you like the idea of staying with a family,
living in a house might be the answer.
Good landladies-those who are superb cooks and launderers,
are figures as popular in fiction as the bad ones
who terrorize their guests
and overcharge them at the slightest opportunity.
The truth is probably somewhere between the two extremes.
If you are lucky, the food will be adequate,
some of your laundry may be done for you
and you will have a reasonable amount of
comfort and companionship.
For the less fortunate,
house rules may restrict the freedom to invite friends to visit,
and shared cooking and bathroom facilities
can be frustrating and row-provoking
if tidy and untidy guests are living under the same roof.
The same disadvantages can apply to flat sharing,
with the added difficulties
that arise from deciding who pays for what,
and in what proportion.
One person may spend hours on the phone,
while another rarely makes calls.
If you want privacy with a guest,
how do you persuade the others to go out;
how do you persuade them to leave you in peace,
especially if you are a student and want to study?
Conversely, flat sharing can be very cheap,
there will always be someone to talk to and go out with,
and the chores, in theory, can be shared.