new friends?

With this post, I will have surpassed my previous blog in terms of volume of content. In honor of achieving such a feat, I am going to write about something of great significance.

Just kidding.

As I was sitting around a table with my friends, “studying,” a horrible realization hit me out of nowhere.

These sorts of realizations smack me in the fact quite often. When lying in bed during a typical sleepless night, I’ll suddenly bolt upright with wide eyes, thinking, “I’m mortal. That means I’m going to die.” Luckily I’ve gotten fairly good at calming myself down with all these years of practice. But as a little kid I would end up panicking myself to sleep.

But back to the story. So I was sitting there laughing and chugging caffeine when it occurred to me that, next semester, I’m going to have to make new friends.

The reason I need new friends is that we are all, save for a small minority, going to be abroad next semester. Also, two of my friends will be studying at the same institution, so they don’t technically need to make new friends. Needless to say, I am ridiculously jealous.

The problem isn’t with the act of making friends. As shocking as it may seem, I can pretend to be normal long enough to ensnare someone in my trap of friendship. Besides, no one is actually normal, so it’s really just a matter of time before the other person cracks too.

The problem is with learning a new language.

With friendship comes a slew of vocabulary that makes sense to only us. There are certain phrases tied to events or inside jokes. These things become so ingrained in our collective lexicon that we draw upon them without thinking twice. It is only in talking to other people that we realize just how pervasive our language is.

And the thought of having to learn a new one is terrifying.





*Of course, I’ll miss my friends too. That goes without saying.