Leaving Home Generally, most people have in their minds a picture of their "ideal home", but if you are students or people j

Leaving Home
    Good morning. Today, we are going to talk about an interesting topic, that is, should you live with parents or leave home after graduation from school?
    A person’s home reflects his character just as clearly as the clothes he wears, the food he eats and the friends with whom he spends his time. Most people have in their minds a picture of their "ideal home"; but in general, and particularly for students or for people just beginning work, there are practical limitations of money and location which may prevent them from finding this ideal home.
    Not having enough money, in fact, often means that the only way of getting along when you leave school is to stay at home for a while until things improve financially. There are many advantages to staying at home. Your clothes are usually washed for you, your meals are cooked and you already have your circle of friends around you. Parents are often very generous in asking for only a little help with paying the rent, and you do not usually have to pay the bills for electricity, etc.
    On the other hand, a lot depends on how you get on with your family. Do your parents like your friends? Are you prepared to be patient when your parents ask you where you are going in the evening and what time you expect to be back? Do they mind if you throw a party at home? If you decide that you would rather leave home and that you finally have enough money for a place of your own, how can you find somewhere else to live?
    If you plan to stay in your home area, you probably know the possibilities already. Friends and the local newspapers are always a good source of information. If you are going to work in a new area, again there are the newspapers; and there are also accommodation agencies. There are offices which have a list of houses and flats which you can rent. However, this can be an expensive way of finding a flat because you usually have to pay the agency the same amount as a week’s rent for the flat they show you.
    For students, many colleges and universities have accommodation officers, whose job is to help you find somewhere to live. Of course you can often live on campus but many students would rather find their own accommodation in the town. However, in some areas this is difficult because there is a large student population and many house-owners are not happy about renting rooms to students. But what sort of accommodation is available?
    If you like the idea of living with a family then digs might be the answer. Living in digs means having one room in someone’s house. Your landlord or usually your land-lady cooks your meals and may wash your clothes if you are lucky. You always have some one to talk to, and your room will often be very comfortable. However, you may find that digs have the same disadvantages .as living at your home: you can not invite your friends to visit you freely, and if you do not get on with your landlady your life may be rather unhappy.
    Sharing a flat with some other students may seem a better answer. This Can be very cheap. There are no old people watching over you and telling you what to do, and your housework can in theory be shared with your flatmates. However there may be problems if your characters are different. One person may spend hours on the telephone or taking hot, deep baths, while another never telephones anyone and likes cold Showers. Then who pays the bills in this case? One of your flatmates may like playing music very loudly perhaps while you are trying to study. And can you ask the other to go out if you want to see a friend alone?
    If you think that having other people around all the time will not be pleasant perhaps you should try a bedsitter (one room which you use as a bedroom and sitting room combined). A bedsitter is not very expensive; it is easy to keep cleaning and cheap to heat since it is only one room; and, by putting up pictures on the walls and perhaps buying some furniture of your own you can make it feel like a real home. The disadvantages are that you have to cook in the rooms so that it may always be full of food smells; you may have to have your wet clothes hanging all round the room to dry; and it can be very lonely at first if you moved into a new area.
    If all this makes you think that it would be better to stay in the safety of your parents homes, remember that thousands of students move into their own accommodations every year and survive.