How it's Done, Moishe House Seattle-Style

Dividing up tasks to complete is not a problem at our house. We're not in high school anymore: there isn't the one slacker, and the perfectionist who takes on too much. We're all pretty supportive of each other and try to handle tasks collaboratively. So if someone is throwing a Shabbat dinner, you can bet their housemate will do the sweeping while they're in the kitchen. Or if someone throws an event at the movies, their housemate will park the car while they're buying tickets.

We try to incorporate each other's strengths. Since Nicole is an excellent camper and knows all about the perfect heat-insulating sleeping bags and hiking boots and bug sprays to bring on camping trails, we enourage her to plan our outdoor events. Since Neal is a movie buff and can remember the plots of movies hes seen ten years ago (and can analyze characters, conflicts, and come to an independent conclusion as to whether or not the director has succeeded in his artistic vision), we encourage him to plan our movie-themed events. Masha is an excellent bridge between Russia and America, and a fierce tango dancer and amazing cook, so we encourage and support her in planning Russian-themed events, dance parties, and help her in the kitchen when she's cooking something for shabbat (we also help her by eating her food). Steven is a writer and actor, so he plans the theatrical programming (like story night and campy movie night) and we help him by reading our stories and poems at his events, and attempting to remember all the lines from our favorite camp movie classics.

Sometimes we like to partner with other Jewish organizations in the area to bring fresh faces to our events. This month, we partnered with Seattle-based "JConnect" on a kayaking trip. It taught us an important lesson about communication: when kayaking, don't paddle away from your kayaking friends or you will end up lost and alone. At the next kayaking event, we will bring a bullhorn.

Every week, we like to find a time as a group to decompress and talk about how things have been going. We talk about the mundane (rent, chores) and the exciting (new members, event ideas, ways to expand programming). By checking in, we affirm each other and feel more like a team. It helps to remind us that we're so lucky to be able to live with our friends and throw events for such a diverse community. Instead of living alone or with strangers, we feel like we're part of a wider social network where the social opportunities are truly endless.