“If you haven’t learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven’t learned anything.” The tricky part about friendship is timing. Timing is everything. Friends will come and go from your life; some will stay for what seems like forever and others for a few years or maybe even a few months. But one thing that’s for sure is that every one that comes in will teach you something. Not in the direct, “Let me teach you this,” way, but in an indirect and subtle way. One that isn’t purposefully taught but rather one that is learned all the same.
Flashback to second grade: I met a girl named Molly* and we instantly became best friends. Our parents were already close and it was almost as if we were destined to become friends. We were in the same class all the way up until 6th grade. We played on the same soccer teams, liked the same things, had the same group of friends, were at each other’s houses almost every weekend, and slowly but surely we just became comfortable with each other—we were best friends. But then I moved—halfway across the globe (or so it seemed). The first few years the distance didn’t affect us that much. We saw each other at every chance we got, and when we did it was like nothing had changed. But then came the inevitable growing apart stage in our friendship. Our lives weren’t in sync anymore. We grew up. From the younger versions of ourselves that we both knew, to older, more mature young adults, who weren’t as familiar with each other, who didn’t know what the other’s favorite TV show was or what their love life was like. The hardest part about this drifting was just the sheer fact that we had grown used to each other—and even though deep inside I think we both knew that this was bound to happen—we didn’t want to let go. But, it was inevitable. This friendship taught me the importance of having to move on but to never forget. There were no hard feelings; on the contrary there were only feelings of appreciation and love. For the girl who was my childhood best friend, who I made so many incredible memories with, and who I still care about more than anything, but whose life I just wasn’t apart of anymore.
Flash forward to middle school years. When I moved thousands of miles away from home during middle I learned that the quality of a friendship doesn’t depend on how long you’ve known each other, but instead on the quality of the experiences you have. When I was in 7th grade I met some of the most wonderful people I’ve ever known. Most of these friends I met through soccer, but there were other who I met in class and in student council. These girls taught me how important it is to be accepting. I was the new girl, and on top of that, the American new girl. But despite both of these facts, I never felt more apart of something in my life. In no time we had hundreds of inside jokes and had exchanged so many smiles. Because of them, I learned the value of letting people in, of giving people a chance in hopes that they’ll surprise you and leave an impact on your life, like these girls left on mine.
Then I met Ellie*. Ellie and I had been friends for about a year before we realized that what we had was something more. I don’t mean that in a corny romantic way, but what I mean is that there came a point in our friendship when I knew we would be best friend. Better yet, that we both knew it, and would be best friends for life. It started off with common interests, being each other’s partners for class projects and it evolved into talking for long periods of time, Facebooking all summer with her in Korea and me in the US, and eventually spending almost every waking moment of the day together—if we couldn’t be in the same place we’d talk through the internet and on the phone. Ellie knew my deepest, darkest secrets, helped me through some of the worst and tremulous times in my life. She raised me up and made me laugh when I thought I couldn’t and held my hand when I needed to cry. To this day I literally have no idea what I’d do without her. Ellie got me past boys and breakup, bad grades and stressful finals, past things I knew I couldn’t have conquered on my own. From her, I learned the importance of forgiveness, the power of laughing, and about how you always fight for the ones you love. I would do anything for her and I know she’d do the same for me.
Then came the era of “Nuestra Mara.” It’s every girls' dream to have a group of friends. You see it in the movies all the time—a group in which everyone is so different, with their own quirks and personalities, but who come together to form this indescribable, dynamic friendship. That’s what happened to me. I’m not really sure how it happened exactly, but it happened in such a way, at such a crucial and needing time in my life, that I almost feel like it was meant to be. Now, we’re inseparable and I can’t begin to describe how nice it feels to live a life knowing that they’ve got my back—always. They taught me that it’s okay to depend on someone else once in awhile and that laughter is the best medicine of all.
I have no doubt that over the next few years I’ll meet even more friends who will change me and mold me into the ever evolving person I am, people who will make me a better friend and who will continue to teach me the value of true, unwavering friendship.
*Names have been changed for the purpose of this article.
Flashback to second grade: I met a girl named Molly* and we instantly became best friends. Our parents were already close and it was almost as if we were destined to become friends. We were in the same class all the way up until 6th grade. We played on the same soccer teams, liked the same things, had the same group of friends, were at each other’s houses almost every weekend, and slowly but surely we just became comfortable with each other—we were best friends. But then I moved—halfway across the globe (or so it seemed). The first few years the distance didn’t affect us that much. We saw each other at every chance we got, and when we did it was like nothing had changed. But then came the inevitable growing apart stage in our friendship. Our lives weren’t in sync anymore. We grew up. From the younger versions of ourselves that we both knew, to older, more mature young adults, who weren’t as familiar with each other, who didn’t know what the other’s favorite TV show was or what their love life was like. The hardest part about this drifting was just the sheer fact that we had grown used to each other—and even though deep inside I think we both knew that this was bound to happen—we didn’t want to let go. But, it was inevitable. This friendship taught me the importance of having to move on but to never forget. There were no hard feelings; on the contrary there were only feelings of appreciation and love. For the girl who was my childhood best friend, who I made so many incredible memories with, and who I still care about more than anything, but whose life I just wasn’t apart of anymore.
Flash forward to middle school years. When I moved thousands of miles away from home during middle I learned that the quality of a friendship doesn’t depend on how long you’ve known each other, but instead on the quality of the experiences you have. When I was in 7th grade I met some of the most wonderful people I’ve ever known. Most of these friends I met through soccer, but there were other who I met in class and in student council. These girls taught me how important it is to be accepting. I was the new girl, and on top of that, the American new girl. But despite both of these facts, I never felt more apart of something in my life. In no time we had hundreds of inside jokes and had exchanged so many smiles. Because of them, I learned the value of letting people in, of giving people a chance in hopes that they’ll surprise you and leave an impact on your life, like these girls left on mine.
Then I met Ellie*. Ellie and I had been friends for about a year before we realized that what we had was something more. I don’t mean that in a corny romantic way, but what I mean is that there came a point in our friendship when I knew we would be best friend. Better yet, that we both knew it, and would be best friends for life. It started off with common interests, being each other’s partners for class projects and it evolved into talking for long periods of time, Facebooking all summer with her in Korea and me in the US, and eventually spending almost every waking moment of the day together—if we couldn’t be in the same place we’d talk through the internet and on the phone. Ellie knew my deepest, darkest secrets, helped me through some of the worst and tremulous times in my life. She raised me up and made me laugh when I thought I couldn’t and held my hand when I needed to cry. To this day I literally have no idea what I’d do without her. Ellie got me past boys and breakup, bad grades and stressful finals, past things I knew I couldn’t have conquered on my own. From her, I learned the importance of forgiveness, the power of laughing, and about how you always fight for the ones you love. I would do anything for her and I know she’d do the same for me.
Then came the era of “Nuestra Mara.” It’s every girls' dream to have a group of friends. You see it in the movies all the time—a group in which everyone is so different, with their own quirks and personalities, but who come together to form this indescribable, dynamic friendship. That’s what happened to me. I’m not really sure how it happened exactly, but it happened in such a way, at such a crucial and needing time in my life, that I almost feel like it was meant to be. Now, we’re inseparable and I can’t begin to describe how nice it feels to live a life knowing that they’ve got my back—always. They taught me that it’s okay to depend on someone else once in awhile and that laughter is the best medicine of all.
I have no doubt that over the next few years I’ll meet even more friends who will change me and mold me into the ever evolving person I am, people who will make me a better friend and who will continue to teach me the value of true, unwavering friendship.
*Names have been changed for the purpose of this article.