Getting by with a little help from my friends

Shehryar Effendi/Contributing Writer

It was 1 a.m. when I called one of my friends back home in Karachi, Pakistan. Hearing his usual greeting—more of a curse word—put a smile across my face. It made me feel like I was home.

High school friends are a blessing in disguise. No matter what your high school experience was like, I am sure that there will be one moment that each one of us will always hold sacred and cherish forever, be it prom night, a never ending crush, senior year, eating habits, plays, dramas, or any other experience that we might have had. It is now that I realize that high school will always hold a very important part in my life. It was where I made friendships that will last forever.

The transition from high school to college has been hard on us all, in one way or the other. It brought us all together from different parts of the world and spheres of life and although only two months have progressed, I believe each of us has been able to settle in quite well. However, the past two months of friendship cannot be compared to the friends we all have back home because they know us better than anyone else. This friendship is something that cannot be broken no matter the distance or how long it takes to catch up.

Talking to a freshman, Grant Farrington, nutrition major, gave me an idea about how I wasn’t the only one who felt that high school friends had a way of uplifting our spirits. Just those familiar faces, the random conversations, the carefree attitude and the perpetual comfort with which we can talk to our high school friends is solid evidence of a bond that will take time to build with our new college friends.

It is quite encouraging to see how easily we all, as freshmen, have transitioned into our new lives. We greet each other, we talk and we try hard to be friendlier than we actually are, which has brought all of us closer together. However, we all have our moments of highs and lows and at times we feel we are alone. We don’t realize it, but it’s these moments that can bring us closer together because it’s something we all can relate to.

High school friends or friends back home (for those who are out-of state) are those that will always be there for you. They are the friends who know you inside out and accept you for who you are. They are the friends who can uplift your mood within seconds and they are the friends who can cure homesickness in the worst of times. And do you know the best part? They are now, thanks to technology, just a click away.

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