We spoke to Oskar, a 23-year-old Norwegian studying drama at OsloMet, about his experience living with other students in Oslo.
What do you like best about living in a student flat?
“You can be as social as you want, but you can also retreat to your room if you want to be on your own. I am a very social person, so I think it’s fun living with other people. My flatmates and I are all drama students, and we enjoy doing different things together in our spare time. Sometimes we just turn on the disco ball in the living room and have a spontaneous dance party.”
What’s the worst thing about living with other people?
“It’s not always fun having to always remember to clean up after yourself. We have a cleaning schedule so that everyone knows what they’re responsible for doing each week, but you don’t always manage to set aside time to actually do the cleaning. So I’m not going to lie—I’m a bit behind on my cleaning duties at the moment.”
Is there anything you would say is unique about your shared flat in particular?
“We have a guest book in the bathroom so that friends we have over to our place can write a little message after their visit to the toilet. People have written so many nice things in that book.”
What happens when you and your flatmates run out of toilet paper?
“It’s a problem that usually seems to take care of itself. Toilet paper just magically appears—I don't always understand where it comes from. Someone must be buying more. I only buy some when I notice there’s only one roll left.”
What do you and your flatmates like doing together?
“We like watching reality TV in the living room. We also love Singstar and Just Dance on YouTube. We just move the living room table and start dancing in the living room. We also like having friends over. Between the five of us, we know a lot of different people.”
