Indian food.

Yes, Indian food. You might be asking yourself, “Why is he talking about Indian food?” Just so you know, you’re in the right asking yourself that question. I had never had indian food before college, or even before sophomore year. I just never had the opportunity. None of my friends from home were Indian, and even so, none of us ate Indian food or even tried it. To me, it really wasn’t a big deal, but to my fellow students, everyone scoffed at me. From that point on I made it a goal of mine to try new foods and experiences, and since then, I’ve been a lot happier. Plus, everyone loves samosas, it’s a fact of life.

Sure, you may still be thinking, “Why is he talking about Indian food?” Well to be blunt, I still have no idea myself, however, I do know that college in general is a similar experience to my Indian food one.  College is full of new things, both familiar and new. We tend to cling to the familiar, even though new things can be just as good (such as samosas), and we often don’t get to dabble in these new experiences. And it’s a shame, because those are often the most memorable.

Instead of listing my biggest regrets so far from college, I’d rather say my biggest gratification is trying new things. Without just going, I never would have learned about Capoeira. During orientation, if I never went to the DSAGA event (which I contemplated for a long time whether or not to go), I never would have met the majority of my best friends and my whole college experience would have been different. If I never went to the Bmore Proud summit, I might have never broadened my horizons past the Hopkins campus, and never met any students from other schools. I’ve gained a lot from just going and trying something new.

I guess what I’m ultimately saying is to step out of your comfort zone. Sure, this message is cliche, but it’s so true. Just do something different, try something new. You’ll never know what you’re missing until you find out for yourself.

Plus, you’ll never know how good a samosa is until you try one.