Ruth

Yeah, it was that cold outside

Ruth is my friend Andrew’s sister.  Andrew and I both studied abroad at the National University of Singapore in 2002.  We became great friends, and after a drunken promise one late night, ended up spending a couple months in India hanging with his (and our friend Laksh’s) friends, aunties and long-lost acquaintances.  Our paths have crashed on other continents in other years (most recently in New Zealand last year after selling Dimples), and our friendship has grown strong despite the distance.

So when Ruth was cruising through America after spending a semester in Canada, she stopped through Austin to see Texas and eat some pizza.  It was really neat hanging out with her, I’ve never spent significant time with the sibling of a friend before.  They share certain traits and mannerisms, but she’s definitely her own person.

She thoroughly enjoyed the free pizza, although it was a little too cold to be sitting outside.  Being a Kiwi, she handled the weather better than I did.  She had quite the culinary tour of Austin: free Homeslice, Nubian Queen Lola’s, Torchy’s, Taqueria Star, Amy’s Ice Cream and more.

It was refreshing to talk to a visitor to America.  Even though visitors and immigrants come here in droves, I rarely engage them in meaningful conversation.  If I could change anything about Austin, I would give it a little more international flavor.  For instance, by adding Ruth full time.  Ruth, mi sofa es su sofa.