Page 68 - The Ultimate Guidebook for Teens with Food Allergies

Quick Tip - Getting a single room can help you control what food comes into your room. If you want a roommate, though, requesting somebody you know is a good option. And, if you don’t know your roommate ahead of time, it can still work well if you clearly explain your situation and how your roommate can help you.
When things go wrong
Learning Independence on the Fly, by Tess
For the most part, going to university has been a great experience for me. But there have definitely been a few struggles along the way. The hardest of them has been moving away from home to another city. I now live four hours away from my parents who have always been there to help me when I need them. I didn’t anticipate how difficult things would be without that security blanket. It was an adjustment initially as I lived alone. But it was also a learning curve! I now have a great roommate who doesn’t eat any of my allergens at home. She makes it easy for our little apartment to feel safe and just like home. I feel completely safe and don’t have to worry about the contents of food or cross-contamination issues. At home, we never had my allergens in the cupboards. And that is the way that I like my new apartment cupboards as well. I couldn’t imagine how it would be with a roommate who did want to eat my allergens. Likely it would be another learning curve. But I’m hoping that we will be together for the next few years and I won't have to adjust to that.
Standing up for Yourself, by Sophia
Even though we take as many precautions as we can, university is a place where we are completely independent and have to think and protect ourselves at whatever cost. College and university are really the best years of your life. And so they should be. However, having an allergy has made me realize how much more quickly I’ve had to mature, not only look out for myself, but also to stand up for myself. If you meet someone and explain to them how severe your allergy is, and they laugh about it and proceed to take out their peanut butter sandwich, there is not much you can do except walk away from the situation. I’ve learned that the most important thing is to stick by people who support you and your allergy and look out for you. Those people are your friends and you will want to have them with you if you are ever in a situation where you feel unsafe.
Quick Tip - A college/university campus can be a huge place! Find out where the medical services are on campus and try to have friends around who know how to help in case of an emergency.