We usually think that the people who get along each other well probably have similar personality so share many things in common. But that’s not always true. There are quite many unlikely harmonies around us. My friend Mi-jung and I have opposite personalities — introvert and extrovert — and our different personalities are especially shown in our ways of talking and hobbies. However in some ways these differences make us more needed to each other and through observing them, we can get chances to reflect ourselves and to challenge new things.

The first distinguish difference, by the influence of our opposite personalities, lies in our ways of talking. Mi-jung has quite introvert personality, so when she gets some chances to be with people she doesn’t know, she almost always wait until others approach her and say hello to her. And during the conversation with familiar people, she usually follows the conversation with cautious listening but speaks only when it is really needed. On the contrary, I have somewhat extrovert personality, so whenever I get some chances to get together with people I don’t know, I usually approach them and say hello to them before they do that. And when I participate in the conversation with familiar people, I often lead the conversation and keep on talking but rarely listening. In my point of view, these differences make us more harmonious in that if we had the same talking style, both of us would keep quiet or keep talking when we make conversation, so we can’t make it successfully. Actually, when we make conversation, she feels comfortable because she doesn’t need to talk much and I’m glad because she listens my words carefully. However during the conversation, we sometimes feel that the other’s talking style could be better than mine. She reflects herself whether she was too quiet and I reflect myself whether I was too talkative. So whenever that kind of thought strikes us, she tries to give me a chance to listen and I try to give her a chance to talk.

In addition to our different ways of talking, the other distinguishing difference lies in our hobbies. Because of her introvert personality, she doesn’t like to meet people that much, so she prefers spending time alone in her house. As a consequence, she has hobbies that are usually done indoors like reading books and listening to the music. Quite different from her, for the influence of my extrovert personality, I usually spend most of time with friends out side the home. So I have hobbies that are usually done outdoors like riding a bicycle and playing tennis. Because of these differences in our hobbies, we rarely meet together and spend time after school, however when we get chances to meet, we greet each other more than anyone else because that kind of time are rare so that’s more precious for us. And through our conversations about hobbies, we sometimes realize the charm of the other side’s hobbies and try to learn good things from them. Foe example, when she told me the charm of reading novels with a cup of tea, I was really eager to try that. And when I told her the delight of riding a bicycle in a brilliant day, she said she really wanted to learn how to ride a bicycle.

Mi-jung has introvert personality, so she doesn’t like talking much with people and enjoys hobbies that are done indoors. On the other hand, I have extrovert personality, So I love talking and enjoys hobbies that are done outdoors. Like above, we have almost nothing in common, however these differences make us more bonded to each other and inspire us challenge new things.

Han Su-yeon, 3rd year English major