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It all began in our freshman seminar led by our goofy instructor who we later found out used to be a clown. He taught us about creative expression, improv and taking risks. On the first day of class, I noticed her red slippers fashioned with red ribbons as an added touch by hers truly. Perhaps, she couldn’t ignore my inquisitive eyes longing to make a connection with the only other brown person in the room. Alas, after many more awkward encounters, we became friends—the Pakistani American Muslim girl and the Indian American “culturally” Hindu girl. Our budding friendship found safe-haven in an undergrad American playground when perhaps elsewhere in the world, this wouldn’t be the case.

Our friendship blossomed, leading us to plan a trip to Europe. We went from London to Paris, stayed in Madrid for a few days and then took a train to Italy. It was a spectacular rewriting of a personal narrative but it took a toll on our friendship. Traveling with people can be difficult and by the end of the trip, we couldn’t look at each other. Nothing memorable happened to prompt this type of attitude on either of our parts. Perhaps it was too much of a good thing. In any event, when we got back to the States, I wasn’t sure our friendship could survive.

Time went on as it always does. We stayed in touch and let things flow as they always do. Fast-forward two years and I found myself writing my Master’s thesis in a particularly difficult spot. My advisor told me I needed to hire a copy editor to read my thesis and I couldn’t afford it. My friend sat with me, line by line, fixing my thesis. This process took days seeing as how my paper was over 50 pages. It was during this process that I realized the strength of our bond. It transcended demographic expectation, the headaches of travel, and the test of time to a place of genuine desire for the other to succeed. It was this selflessness that is memorable. Friends are with you through the big hurdles; they ride the waves with you but more importantly, they sit with you through the mundane little things, line by line, and word by word.