Asuma Kataoka / Vancouver based student

Q: What's new for you post-Summer? A: Being connected to someone on another level has been the big change over summer. This wasn't planned, but alhamdulillah, I got married to the person I'd been with for a long time. And our families have been super-supportive. The biggest change this has brought is the realization that what you do affects the other person. And you can see the changes that it brings in the other person. Q: What has this change taught you about yourself that you didn't know earlier? A: I realized that when you live with someone, your patience is tested on another scale. When you're single and a student, you still learn patience. But, connecting with people who have opposing opinions, you learn to reflect — "Okay I need to be patient with this person. Because I don't want to create drama, chaos or a fight." I also learnt that love has the power to change you, for the good or bad. Q: What's the one message you'd give to people hesitant to take the big leap in their relationships? A: I would say just know yourself. Filter out everything — societal expectations of relationships and all of that. Do what is right and what YOU need, not what you think that others want from you. What I was thinking my partner would be like is different from how it turned out to be. I had already painted how everything would look like. And I was expecting that to happen...but everything changed. So I would say — filter the noise and know what you want from your relationships.