I glanced up from where I was writing this blog post and took a quick look at my two roommates watching TV in the living room. It’s around 9:00 p.m. on a Tuesday night. Each one of us has just returned from either studying on campus or attending meetings for the organizations that we’re a part of. One an athletic, short-haired American with striking hazel-colored eyes and ivory-(almost translucent) colored skin. The other a tall, slender, American-Indian (with distinct Korean ancestry) that looks at you with beautiful honey-colored eyes. Then you have me: a petite, too-skinny, thick-haired and big-brown-eyed Mexican. While these are just simple descriptions that attempt to portray my roommates and I, each one of us could not be more different from the other.

Aside from the fact that each one of us has had a different upbringing, we each have different tastes and interests. Sobia -the American-born Indian- enjoys snacking on edamame while Addy and I prefer snacking on near-empty bags of Goldfish and Veggie Chips. People who are unwilling to go and get to know others from a different culture, are empty in the sense that they are missing something: a differing perspective AND enriching friendships.

Despite the fact that I live in Austin (a city where diversity is easily noticeable),  most of the students at UT do an exceptional job of becoming acquaintances with people from different backgrounds and then turning these friendship pursuits into genuine friendships. If these acquaintances do turn into friendships, it’s because of similar interests. I know that earlier I said that my roommates and I have different tastes and interests, but as different as some of our interests are, we also share a lot of similar interests. Just like the three fairy-drag-queens in “Aye, No!”, all three of us utilize our differences and similarities and benefit from them. Our different personalities work well together, whether it’s to help one another out or to aid somebody in need.

All three of us love listening to artists such as Mumford and Sons, Foster the People, and occasionally having a dance party to Taylor Swift (pre-”1989”). The beauty of our friendship is that we all benefit from one another’s different cultural backgrounds and upbringings. Sobia makes a mean Kimichi Fried Chicken dish (courtesy of her mother’s recipe), I enjoy making Enchiladas Verdes, and Addy spoils us with her poached egg and potato hash breakfast. Needless to say, I will always be grateful of our willingness to step outside of our comfort zone and befriend one another that fateful day in our advertising class.

We can’t wait to see you and all your friends at “Aye, No!” out NOW!