During the UK lockdown to limit the spread of coronavirus, we hear from the committee in a series of blog reflections. First up, secretary Sarah Clark shares how her and her boyfriend chose to move in together earlier than they otherwise might have - and how that's going!
Sarah Clark (AXIS secretary and full-time process engineer) - 10th April 2020
Before the UK lockdown commenced, I lived alone, and my partner and I were at the early stages of discussing when to move in together. On Sunday 22nd March we talked about possibly moving in together earlier than planned, should lockdown happen, but decided against this as forcing the situation too early might do damage to our relationship. On Monday 23rd March at 10pm, I had a new roommate! The prospect of being alone for the duration of lock down would not have worked for either of us, so it was a no brainer once the reality was set, but it’s been a steep learning curve!
The first three weeks have been challenging. It was a quick turnaround after the announcement; we didn’t have the time to set ourselves up, we didn’t have workstations, there was a lot more stuff – that first weekend together we spent the entire time reorganising the flat, so we could walk without tripping over our belongings. The initial first three days, without realising, I also took on the brunt of the homework and upon realising we divided up equal responsibility for home tasks; I have learned to let go of control of things like dirty dishes. We also had different routines that took some getting used to. I typically start my working day earlier, sometimes I work out in the morning, whereas my boyfriend is not a morning person and would prefer to work longer into the evenings. I found myself finishing work later too, so we finished at the same time, which just meant I worked more overall and this wasn’t realistic for my own down time.
Overall, I am glad we did move in together, despite the bizarre situation, it’s working for us. It’s a work in progress and at only 3 weeks down of possibly 13, I expect there to be a few bumps in the road. The key for us has been open communication from the start. I don’t think we will revert to living apart after the lockdown, well…it depends how big that dirty dish pile gets!
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