Curiosity is a form of love so special to me that I can’t express it accurately without devaluing it to an extent. In my experience, being able to find someone who matches you — or even contradicts you in certain aspects — that you’re immediately comfortable with is more valuable than people give it credit for. Not being able to know every aspect of someone, but still constantly wanting to know them, is beautiful. The best part of a relationship is the fact that both people chose each other for no reason in particular. Every interaction isn’t met with pressure or expectation, but just genuine enjoyment of each other’s company. 

Since coming here, I’ve met a range of individuals who offer something different with every interaction. Sometimes I grow close with these people, sometimes they become acquaintances, and from time to time, I only meet them once and never again. With the people I have become friends with, I’m still learning new things about them everyday. People have said to me that, sometimes, this campus feels so small, and after a few months of being here, you already know everyone. I think that’s a very generalizing thing to say. You can’t truly know everyone. There isn’t any way to. However, it’s a beautiful thing to try. 

Being virtuously curious is so admirable that it can be feared. A fear of saying the wrong thing or asking the wrong question manipulates the ability to know someone at all. While I love curiosity and believe it’s one of the greatest things you can give to the people around you, I understand why it’s not common. There’s this fear of being perceived the wrong way by asking a simple question that sets so many people back. 

While I don’t have the greatest advice to bypass this, I do believe in doing things even if you’re scared while doing them. Talk to the people you want to talk to, ask an awkward icebreaker question to break silence, compliment someone and ask where they got a piece of clothing from. Know that whatever you do, no matter how afraid you are, you can either live a lifetime of regret for not knowing, or you can spend 30 seconds being afraid and leave the interaction with your answer. 

People flourish under the possibility of being able to explain or express themselves, and the only way to watch that unfold is to just ask. You don’t need the right question, you just have to be comfortably uncomfortable with asking multiple. There isn’t any better way to express interest in a person — romantic or otherwise — than to want to understand them.