To my very best friend

Flatmate wanted: Single room for rent

That was the ad I had put up on the website for my apartment.

as much as I hate to admit - the rental situation in Sydney has surpassed beyond liveable standards for most of us regular folks. I don't think there is a single person here capable of living in a nice little apartment on their own anymore - let alone own a property. I am one of those regular folks - despite working long hours as a nurse at the hospital, picking up overtime shift after overtime shift due to the drastic staffing shortage, I can hardly afford my rent. Every day has become a struggle between paying the bills and eating three meals a day thanks to the cost of living crisis - and most people such as myself are forced to choose the former. This is where a flatmate comes in - half the rent = more money for food and other necessities = a relatively less stressed Mia.

The meticulously curated advertisement, with its emphasis on how well lit the room can be during sunny days, and the convenient use of the word 'cozy' instead of 'kinda small', not to mention the eye catching bold print stating how the place is 'fully furnished' and excitingly enough 'small pets are allowed' was sure to bring in potential renters. I of course added extra information about myself - who the renter will be sharing the flat with, in an effort to make it look less scammy and more legitimate. 'You will be sharing the flat with me, I work rotating shifts at the local hospital as a registered nurse, and am away from the house most days. I am friendly and easygoing, and love to chat over a cuppa.' All of which was 100% true.

I didn't, however, expect how quickly I would get a response to the ad. Within a few hours of putting the ad up on the website, I was receiving messages from various applicants, all just as desperate as I am to save money on rent. As I sorted through the applicants, reading each response, and analysing each profile one by one, I realised just how vibrantly diverse Sydney can be. There was a middle-aged man looking for a pet friendly place since he has two small dogs, who likes yoga and an evening glass of wine, a young hijabi girl, who was an international student wanting to live closer to her university to save on commute, stating that she mostly prefers to keep to herself, an older woman, looking for a cheaper housing option now that she is a pensioner, and loves dancing to the tunes of Frank Sinatra, and a boy in his mid 20's, who has moved to Sydney from Melbourne thanks to a new job offer, and describes himself as 'chill' and 'open-minded'.

After a few days of viewing application after application, I came across a profile that caught my eye. She was a beautiful young woman, who described herself as an artist, and who, like me, was also often busy with work. She loved tea, just as I did, and also listed herself as having an easygoing nature. After a short conversation regarding further information on the property, I sent her a defining message - 'when would you prefer to visit for an inspection?' she replied shortly after 'Are you available for this Saturday afternoon?' I checked my calendar, which, along with other life events, had a months worth my of work roster plastered across it in various brightly coloured permanent markers. Saturday - no shifts, day off. I have a night shift on Friday, but since she asked to meet in the afternoon, it aligned perfectly, I can get a short sleep in and meet her after. 'Saturday works fine for me. Is 2.30 PM good for you?' I wrote back. '2.30 is fine. See you on Saturday.' She replied seconds after. Satisfied with the arrangement, I switched out of that website and opened a messaging app on my phone to update my boyfriend, Connor, on the situation.

Connor is my long distance boyfriend, we met in high school and parted ways when he chose to travel to the UK to pursue a modelling career. While I was opposed to the idea of us being separated by distance, I felt guilty for not being more supportive of his dream as his girlfriend. I caved, and he left a year ago, and we kept in touch throughout thanks to the modern advancements of social media. From what I can gather from our conversations, Connor was struggling at first with finding work as model, but has slowly built up a nice enough portfolio to get a steady stream of offers - mostly from small business clothing companies at first, but has now worked up to slightly bigger brands.