Sous Chef Benjamin

Scrolling, scrolling, scrolling through Facebook in history class. I only started using Facebook to get a roommate, so now it is ironic that I run my blog and lots of advertisements for PSUB through Facebook. I probably searched through 400-500 people on the Purdue Class of 2022 Facebook page hoping to find someone who stood out to me. I was kind of desparate. Finally, the first guy to mention anything about faith also mentioned soccer and service. Even better, I told my mom if I was going to Purdue, then I wanted a different culture by rooming with an international student. This guy was from Colombia.WHAT A MATCH! The rest is history and we were roommates.

The first time Benji and I talked and met:

I got the opportunity to Facetime Benji prior to meeting him mainly with my buddy Jake Labus. I don't remember much of the conversation other than being quite impressed by his English and learning that he went to an American school. He also told me that I would be a giant in Colombia. The first time we met was when he came to Carmel after his first visit to Purdue. This time he came with his parents and I was very nervous. Would he like our food, would he be weird, would we be able to communicate with his parents, would I get the chance to introduce him to my friends, how late would he stay? All the answers were calmed when his family walked through the door with a big bouquet of flowers and candy. His parents were very nice and talkative and displayed their faith. They had minor trouble communicating that was easily helped by Benji. LITTLE DID I KNOW, Benjamin thought I hated (of course dramatic as always) him afterwards because I did not talk much.

Favorite Moments With Benji:

1) Benji and I had very little communication the first two months or so. He rarely cameback in the dorm before 1am because he was either studying or with the connected Latino community on campus. So my first favorite moments I will not share, but I have a distinct memory I do want to share. The temperature was 56 degrees or something. I was wearing a longsleeve t-shirt and sweats. Benji comes in and throws his jacket down yelling "WILL, I CAN'T DO THIS ANYMORE!" He then proceeded to put on a winter coat. Oh a rude awakening hit him.

2) October 14th came and it snowed. Benji had never seen snow before, but came in begging for my belief that it was snowing. So, we went out for a meal and it was snowing and I was not that surprised. Benji, however, was yelling "I TOLD YOU ITS SNOWING, ITS THE MIDDLE OF OCTOBER WHY IS IT SNOWING THIS IS CRAZY." I just laughed and watched him stick his tongue out.

3) We broke up with our girlfriends on the same weekend and had eerily similar girl issues throughout the rest of the semester. I loved our late night conversations of frustration, sadness, happiness, and advice to each other after these conversations. They did not always end up talking about girls but they would often start there.

4) I got to watch Benji sled for the first time with my friends. He loved every second. I asked him about it afterwards. "It was so fun," he paused and stomped around in this sort of dance away from the sidewalk, "I mean how can you not be happy in the snow."

5) Benji one time told me when he had well um late nights in Colombia his favorite thing was the first sip of the ice cold water his mom would put by his bedside. So one day he was out late and I left an ice cold cup of water on his bed before I left. I have never ever had a task so simple be so celebrated. He will still bring up how nice it was.

6) On April fool's day I fake hurt my leg with the lights off before bed. Benji scrambled to get the lights and when I yelled April Fool's he went on a rant of his mental thoughts in those 20 seconds. He told how he was ready to call my mom, the hospital, how he was unsure abou thow it would affect my diabetes. He also repeatedly told me he hated me. I loved every second of the prank.

7) On Halloween (I think), I asked Benji if he gets scared easily. He told me in his fake but quite convincing macho tone that he never gets scared. That night, I snuck over to his bed while he was on his phone and scared the crap out of him. He then admitted he gets scared easily and that he was planning to get me back... he never did.

BENJAMIN:

I miss hanging out with you everyday. You are most likely the funniest person I know. You have an unbelievable creative mind that will make any conversation funny and interesting. You are so caring and generous. You are the only person who whenever I talk to you will ask about my family. You consistently impress me with your wisdom in how to treat people and life. You are a drama queen, but that is one of the things I love most. We both know you don't even take yourself seriously. When it comes to your house, you welcome people with extreme grace. You always offer coffee, your bed if they are sleeping there, and drink if you have it. You kept a tower of creamer just in case someone you had over liked cream in their coffee, but you of course, drank it black. I am undoubetedly a better person becasue of you and rooming with you was one of the 3 best things from senior year. Keep doing you and making the world laugh.