Try everything at least once

Growing up my mom always stressed the importance of being a well rounded individual, meaning that to understand this mixed up "melting pot" of a society we live in requires that we walk a mile in another persons shoes, eat things you can't pronounce, and trying everything at least once.

Take sushi for example; sushi is known by most people as raw fish, which is not an appetizing thought at first. But most of sushi contains cooked crab and some even has fried shrimp. That is something I would have never known had I not gone to a Japanese restaurant and tried it for myself. Now sushi is my favorite food and I even worked up the nerve to try the rolls with raw fish, something I never would have done if I didn't try everything once (try the rainbow roll, it's awesome).

We are at a unique point in our lives where this amazing institution worries about culturing us, and all we have to do is show up to countless events that you pay for in tuition anyways. Last year there was Mardi Gras, Holi Fest, Chinese New Year, Salsa Night, and the cafeteria even had a guest chef come in to make sushi. The sad fact of the matter is that only a small percentage of students actually go to these events, with the largest ones maybe topping 300 students.

If more students attended campus functions then it is only logical to think that the next year the university would allocate more funds to make the event larger and more fun. Part of this low attendance could be partly because this university has such a large number of students who commute from Dallas, Paris, Tyler, etc. I also commute 30 minutes every day, and I know first hand how boring it can be waiting around for hours after class just to come to an event. The difference is that I love experiencing new things, meeting new people, tasting new foods; you cannot do that for free when you get out into the real world.

I'm not telling you to go out and try everything that anyone offers you; that would be naive. Don't do something stupid like drugs and blame it on me. You need to learn about what you are trying so you understand what makes it interesting and unique. Do go to concerts, plays, pretty much any event put on by the campus recreation or The Club. Not knowing is not an excuse, open your eyes to the world around you.

I am sick and tired of people saying that there is nothing to do in Commerce. That is completely wrong, you just are not doing anything.