Life lesson found in country twang

And to date, no member of my family would ever dream of country music whispering through our suburban, Main Line home.

But my boyfriend convinced me to actually listen to "Did I Shave My Legs For This?," and I actually liked it.

This experience taught me something that will change my life. I had always considered myself totally open-minded, but I wasn't.

There are many diverse cultures, lifestyles and people at this University from whom to learn. And I thought I had given all of them a chance.

Spending one semester as The Daily Collegian's diversity beat reporter, I had interviewed gay people, people who opposed the "gay lifestyle," African-American people, Asian-American people, sado-masochistic couples . . . trust me, the list goes on and on. In other words, people different than any life I had ever known.

Although I cannot pretend I completely understand how all of these people feel, I am glad that I had an opportunity to gain a better understanding of their lives.

But I realized something else last semester. To learn about people different than oneself, all you have to do is look to your roommate, friend or co-worker.

I never want to discount the experiences I had learning about other ethnicities, my point is that although all the people around you may be the same ethnicity, religion, major, etc., there are still aspects about them for you to understand and learn from.

You don't have to travel to foreign countries to learn something today. You don't have to go out seeking a new friend of a different religion or ethnicity. You don't even have to put much work into it.

All you have to do is let your friends expose you to their differences, instead of remembering how you always hated something so you still will.

I used to criticize my boyfriend for listening to that music, even though I'd never really given it a chance. Now that I've been made to listen to it, I can recognize a few country songs I like and wait to see if they're playing on the radio.

From my next-door neighbor, I've learned a new philosophy. She's taught me that every minor problem does not have to be a drama; it's actually possible to laugh 50 percent of the day.

And from my roommate, I've been reminded that although I might make fun of her inspirational posters, they help see her through a day. They work for her.

These aren't things I normally would have learned about in day-to-day classes. They are things I attribute my friends with teaching me. And I have to thank them for opening me up to these new experiences.

Everyday, I learn something new from them. And I don't learn them because they are different from me and I press them to know about their "culture." I learn because I take an interest in any minor ways in which we differ.

I encourage you to learn about completely different cultures and people from far-off lands. But I want to remind you that sometimes your distaste for a particular food, length of skirt or method of transportation is based on a prejudice you may not even be aware of.

Sometimes it's necessary to give up those long-standing prejudices and just listen to Deana belt one out.