Wen Zhai // Contributor
Andrea is a Communications student who has been studying at CapU since Fall 2018.
Andrea opened a little red bag with delicate colourful blocks from Japan (a gift from her mother) and took out a rosary (I had never seen or heard of one before). “It’s supposed to be like God is always with you,” she explained to me. Andrea is Catholic and the Holy Rosary was originally given to her mom by a priest from their church. “It’s supposed to be for protection—spiritual protection,” she said. “I keep it with me always.”
Andrea carries this photo with her every day. “She’s my best friend since we were in the second grade, and so we’ve been friends like over ten years,” she said, chucking at the number “ten.” For someone who’s only 20 years old, having a friend for more than ten years is a real blessing. “We’ve never grown apart because she’s back home and I’m here and we still talk every day. We’re always in contact and we know everything about each other. She’s like my biggest support system.”
Andrea’s notebook has shiny silver intricate patterns on a fluorescent blue cover. She writes her feelings in it when she’s angry or sad, and it makes her feel better after. The diary, which is also from her mom, is just two years old, but Andrea has been writing about her feelings like this for six years.
As a music lover, Andrea carried a pair of earphones, also from her mom. “My mom gives me everything!” she laughed.
To take care of her hair and nails, Andrea takes green tea pills daily and carries a little red Fortiplex Omega-3 pill case with her every day.
At the end of my interview with her, I asked Andrea if she would be comfortable with me taking a photo of her. Without me even raising the camera, she blushed and shied away immediately. “No…but you’ve got my photo there,” she smiled, pointing to the polaroid. Good friends allow us to try things we’re too shy to do alone, but don’t mind doing when they’re around.