With three showers between fourteen students in my flat, things can (understandably) get a little tense now and then, and all sorts of rules have been born out of necessity following rather *ahem* interesting experiences. Such exciting circumstances have led to a few realisations for me, many of which I wish I'd been aware of before arriving.
The first of these is that it will always be damp.
You know that disgusting feeling of cold water under your feet in swimming pool changing rooms? Yeah, that. That is constant. It's quite unsettling the first few days when it takes you by surprise, but, worryingly enough, I can't say I notice it any more.
Secondly, people pee in the shower.
This is one of those situations that led to a rule. With a wet-room style shower, peeing is really not ideal for anyone, and the smell lingers (sorry for that thought). Thankfully, this hasn't happened since, and I'm really hoping it stays that way.
You can't keep your stuff in the bathroom.
There are two parts to this one. Firstly, there just isn't the space for it. For a flat designed for so many people, the storage really isn't optimal. For this reason, I'd recommend investing in a shower basket which lives in your room on a shelf and you can just pick up and take with you. Quite possibly the best investment I've made this month. Secondly, although this hasn't happened in my flat, I've heard tales of 'borrowing' from others. I guess this is where I'm grateful to have such fantastic flatmates, because if I had space I'm confident we wouldn't have this issue, but it is a thing. That happens. Just not to me.
You need to reconsider your shower schedule.
You're a morning showerer? So are seven others. And all of you are trying to lie in for as long as humanly possible in a personal game of 'how quickly can I get ready?' Waiting for a free shower can take a while, and when one is free you have to get in there quickly, because I can guarantee that someone else is also on the lookout. This isn't helped by the fact that I, along with most of my flatmates, have a shower of preference. It must also be remembered that point number one still applies when you finally get into one.
Despite my grumbles and complaints, however, sharing showers really isn't all that bad, and once you're into a routine it flows pretty easily. It also makes for an interesting conversation starter when one has a plumbing issue, to shine a positive light on a less than ideal situation!
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