Today is the birthday of one of my middle school friends Lu. Right in the midterm week.

I have to admit, if there was no reminder, I would have totally forget about it. Not that the date is not important, but being occupied by and being under so much stress because of all the school work, I could not really think of anything else. Even at the end of the last conversation I had with my parents, I told them not to call until this Friday - because my midterms last till then.

I messaged my friend Lu via a Chinese social media app and wished him happy birthday. He turns 23 this year and faces his college graduation in the summer. I just cannot believe that seven years have passed since our middle school graduation. The time flies too fast.

We became classmates 10 years ago, and we were only 14 or 15 at the time we left for high school. Being in different schools means less common communicating subjects, but luckily, for the old good times, many of our middle school friends would get back together once or twice a year to check on each other.

But I have not seen my old friends for nearly three years now.

It is a good thing to study abroad since it is beneficial for personal values, but I am still a bit sad that I could not see them as often. Between me and them, there are time zone differences, holiday conflicts, and so many other things – when I am on winter break, they are in their final weeks of the fall semester, and when my spring semester begins, their winter breaks begin; we even have different summer break periods.

Not to mention that many of them would have internships in other cities, so when I go back home, the geographical distance still divides us. Though better than separated internationally, it is still a long way.

Other than geographical difficulties in front of us, the cultural influence also serves an important part. We are under different school systems and social influences, we are all heading multiple ways to the future, and it is possible that those external differences would result in inner changes, then maybe we would have less and less to talk about.

Overall, it is just hard for us to sit down in a nice afternoon and talk. I am so scared that because of all the differences we have, the old friends would not be friends in the future due to the long distance and different thoughts we now have. And I am truthfully unsatisfied with the situation. I just want to go meet them.

But after all, despite all the difficulties and fears, I think I will just go and meet them when there is a single opportunity. One of the most beautiful things is that, no matter how old we get and no matter how far away are we separated, we still have the opportunity and willingness to see each other. We are just lucky enough to meet the people we have met. It is not hard to have friends, but it is hard to maintain friends with certain people. And I have them.

I am planning on seeing them this summer, no matter what obstacles lay ahead. And if there is someone you really want to see, go see him/her. And don't wait till everything is too late.