"It's always good to try new things."

You've probably heard this phrase before, most likely from your mother, but when was the last time you put it into practice? My parents always encouraged me to try new things, when I was a kid, but I was always hesitant.

What if I don't like it? What if I don't understand it?

Unbeknownst to me, I was already experiencing new things that many kids did not. My father would tell me tales of his travels in the Army: the places he'd gone, the people he'd met, the food he'd eaten. My mother encouraged my sister and I to try German food, because she is from Germany.

For a while, we lived in Fort Stewart, Ga., where I experienced a whirlwind of Southern food and culture. The Deep South, by the way, is a totally different animal from the Southern culture I had grown accustomed to from dad's Kentucky roots.

When my father retired from the Army, we moved from Fort Stewart to Wamego, and I experienced the worst culture shock of my life.

Suddenly, I found myself surrounded by non-military families, many of whom had never lived anywhere except Kansas. Nobody knew what rouladen was, there were no shark steaks to be found, and I couldn't shake the feeling of being out of place because I was used to being the only white kid in class. I felt culturally deprived.

I decided then and there that I would always try to make a point to try new things.

K-State is great because I can walk down the street and listen to conversations in a dozen different languages. I love the fact that I am surrounded by diversity, and that an infinite number of possible new experiences await me.

This Saturday, I'm going to a Japanese dinner at the International Student Center. I've never had tempura udon before, and I can't wait to try it.

On Sunday, I'm going to a free concert at the K-State Student Union to listen to a type of classical Indian music called Carnatic. I looked at photos of the instruments that will be played and I'm intrigued. A double-headed drum played sideways; I wonder what that will sound like.

You, fellow K-Staters, have a wonderful opportunity to travel around the world on one campus. You have the ability to learn just how alike all people are, no matter how different they seem upon first glance. You have the chance to learn about things you cannot even begin to dream of.

But, in order to do so, you must be willing to follow your mom's advice: always try new things. Don't be afraid to try something new just because you think you might not like it. If you don't like it, you never have to do it again. It's that simple.

I want to try new things because I learn new things about myself. The more I learn about other people, the more I discover my own humanity. The more I learn, the more I realize how much more there is to learn out there.

It's humbling and awe-inspiring to realize how big and small the world is all at once. And yes, I sometimes get nervous, but I've discovered the more familiar I become with something strange, the less I fear it.

So the next time you have an opportunity to try something new, don't hesitate, don't wonder and don't worry.

Try it. You might learn something about yourself, too.