christina
june 10, 2017
I spent the weekend at Christina’s house. She lives an hour and a half north from me, and so I packed a bag and my camera and made the journey up. (Along with our friend, Farah.)
Christina and I were roommates in our first year. We spent eight months sharing the same room — learning about each other’s personalities, likes, dislikes and habits. The thing about having a roommate is that there is always someone to come home to after the day. Whether you were in a great mood or a crap one, your roommate would always know. And so throughout the year, we’d seen each other at our bests and worsts — laughing and crying about school, friends, boys, family.
I was wrong about Christina when I first met her. I thought she’d be reserved, to herself, and maybe intimidating. She is completely the opposite. She loves people; loves her friends, making people laugh, and being as carefree and fun-loving as possible. Rarely do you meet someone as kind and sweet as her. She’s all about living with her heart. And getting to call her my roommate (and friend) this year was one of the best parts of first year.
She lives, quite literally, in the middle of nowhere. But her house is lovely and her small, small town is a quiet change from my city. After a long day, we’re lounging on her backyard deck, feet kicked up, drinks in hand, and soft pop music playing from a bluetooth speaker. I talk to her about how she decorates, the scents that make her happy, why she loved university and what she looks for in a friend.
(P.S. Thank you to Farah for being my personal assistant and model director for this shoot!)
foreword
What do you value the most in a friend?
I value… a friend that… I know always has my best intentions at heart. And will—I don’t know how to put it into words. Like, well a friend that I can laugh all the time, about anything, with. And just have a good time, all the time, even if it’s not going out and spending money… But yeah… someone who [...] t I know values me back because then I feel I can fully give them my full friendship. A friend that just says “Oh, I’m there for you” but then [when I need them] they’re like “Sorry I’m busy,” you know? [I want] a friend that acts [on their word.]
(I recorded our conversation for this question for five minutes; the middle section of the recording has been omitted.)
Me: [With Christina] it feels like you’ve known her for a lot longer than you have.
Farah: (*To Christina*) You’re very down-to-earth.
Me: Yeahhhhh, when I first saw you, I was like “Oh noooo, she’s too prettyyyyy.”
I don’t like when people think that about me!
Farah: You’re [also] kind and caring — without any sort of incentive.
Well yeah, I don’t expect things in return. I just enjoy being friends with people.
What made first-year of uni great for you?
Obviously the people. (*laughs*) Lydia, our don. She made it so much better — one, because she brought us all together. And that was the key of first year. (*pauses*) I really don’t know what I would have done without everybody that I met. [...] I couldn’t ask for anything better. I would never do anything different first year. Because of the people. And… wait, what was the question again?
What made first year great.
Yeah the people!! The people I met. And like, (*Valley girl voice*) my roommate, Kris. (*jokingly*) Wherever she is right now. Um, yeah that would have been ten times worse if we didn’t get along.
Oh my God, could you imagine?
Farah: You guys [were known as] roommate goals.
[And] our res was like—I tell everybody, “You don’t understand. You think your res was nice? Have you seen SJ?” I had the best residence experience. And also! The cafeteria people! They’d always give me a smile and talk to me about what I did that day.
What are some of your favourite scents?
I think I have two. One is baked goods. Anything super sweet that just came out of the oven — like the way our [first-year dorm] room smelled. It was like sugar cookie or something.
How do you decorate your personal space?
When I decorate my personal space, it’s usually with really light colours so that it looks like an open space and it [feels] happy and bright because [then it] makes my mood happier. I like adding accent flowers because flowers add a pop of colour, but not in a tacky way; like a cute, summer way. (*Pauses*) I like adding fairy lights! (*sarcastically*) Gotta be tumblr, right?
What’s something you want to do before you die?
I have a lot of things. I want to travel the world. [Also] I do want to be on Big Brother! (*laughs*) That is one of my biggest goals in life. It’s kind of unrealistic, but I’m still gonna go for it.
They film that in Mississauga.
I know! I’m gonna go for it and see what happens. There are tons of things I wanna do before I die… Skydive! Do the CN Tower thing. I’d be scared, but if I had the opportunity to do it, I’d regret not doing it.
