Kelly Jie, G11, RDF International School

I kick my suitcase when I find out Jasmyn will be my roommate during the military training. “Gee, you are living with a boy for a week!” The girls around me burst into laughing.

Jasmyn, a boyish girl with short hair and tanned skin. Among a group of dolled-up girls with spotless makeup, Jasmyn is an “alien,” with zero lipstick, mascara, or brand-name products. How can she even call herself a girl? I poured scorn on her.

However, things totally change soon after I move into the new dorm. When unpacking my bag, I notice that Jasmyn has made my bed. I feel surprised and want to thank her, but I am too sheepish to speak out.

Unexpectedly, Jasmyn’s voice arise: “You’re welcome.” She just read my mind. “I’m a telepath,” she shrug. “Just kidding! Take it easy. I hear lunches here are awful, so I buy instant noodles if you want.” I was hesitant, still feeling embarrassed for giving her the cold shoulder. “Are you doing okay? You seem nervous. If you don’t feel well, wake me up even if it’s midnight.”

Of course I am not sick at all. I get nervous because of the mixture of embarrassment and shame in my heart. I realize that I shouldn’t have judged Jasmyn solely on how she looks and the most important thing to make friends is one’s character rather than appearance. From then on, she become my bestie in school. When I ask why she never use cosmetics or wear dresses to look more attractive, Jasmyn good-humoredly pat my arm. “Who has the right to decide if I am pretty or not? The standards of beauty vary all the time. It just doesn’t make any sense to change myself in pursuit of some transitory ideas.”

Her words resonate with me. I realize that my previous judgment say nothing about Jasmyn. In attributing flaws to her, I am avoiding the insecurities I have about my own appearance.

Jasmyn help me see myself in a different light, and as such, I have developed a new way to see new faces in my life: I no longer “judged a book by its cover.”