I never write about my roommate…mostly because it’s embarrassing to admit that I don’t know anything about her.

It’s strange, because I’ve lived with her for six months and know random, intimate details about her life, like the brand of shampoo she uses or how she takes her coffee, but I don’t know the important stuff, like her last name or where she works.

That’s awful, I know. But see, we don’t speak the same language. I speak English and German and JapanGlish and she speaks Japanese. So we’re forced to communicate via Charades and Pictionary. But mostly, besides the occasional sleepy ‘ohaiyo’ in the morning, we don’t communicate at all.

The other day, though, we came close to having a real conversation. I was listening to Paris Hilton’s “Nothing in this World” and she said: “I like Paris Hilton.” And then I lied (for the sake of some potential roommate bonding), and said that I did too.

Then we smiled at each other awkwardly and she went back to doing the dishes.

And that was the end of that.

I feel bad about not making more of an effort to get to know her. When I first moved in, I repeatedly invited her to hang out but she always refused. She has two jobs and works seven days a week, so she was probably wasn’t lying when she said she didn’t have time. But I also thinks she’s shy.

I find her fascinating though. She wakes up three hours before she has to leave for work and spends about an an hour and a half of that putting on make-up. I’m talking eye shadow and fake eyelashes, the works. Every single day.

I also know she dropped out of college and works in a restaurant and a yoga studio. What I don’t know however, is why. Correct me if I’m wrong here, but as far as I know dropping out of college in Japan is kinda a big deal. While getting into a University is extremely difficult, from what I understand, once you’re in it’s a breeze. So to go through all of that work to get accepted only to quit after a year, doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.

There’s a lot I’d love to ask her, if only my Japanese text book came with a chapter entitled “Useful Phrases for Uncomfortable Conversations with Your Shy Roommate”. But the best it has to offer is “How to Properly Negate an Adjective.” So not helpful.

Sometimes, I’ll wake up to find her sound asleep on the floor of her room, still in her work clothes, the lights on and her portable TV / Phone clutched in her hand. I feel really sorry for her and worry that she’ll work herself into state of major depression.

I wonder if she has been tabulating her own mental list of “Curious Things About the Weird Roommate.” I wonder what she thinks about me. I wonder if she finds it strange that I burn everything I cook or that I eat Oreos for breakfast or that I frequently talk to the Television.

But mostly, I wonder if we’ll ever be friends. Maybe once I’ve mastered Japanese we’ll be BFF’s and jokingly reminisce about those few months when we dreaded talking to each other. Or maybe we’ll find that we have so little in common that reverting back to week-long silences is just easier.

Reannon Muth

Reannon Muth is a full-time writer, social media consultant and owner and manager of the Taken by the Wind travel blog. Born in Hawaii, Reannon has lived in five countries, at Disney World and on a cruise ship. She currently lives in fabulous Las Vegas.