I have always liked to think of myself as an adventurous person. I enjoy trying new things, exploring, and being on the edge of my comfort zone (most of the time). My “adventures” always seemed so big, but, in reality, they were small. Usually, I would do something either stupid or lame, but I didn't have any better experience to compare with.
Recently, my definition of an adventure has changed. I always imagined I would go off and see new, exciting things, but I never imagined going with my friends on an adventure. Friends make a trip or experience the best it can be: unforgettable.
This spring break, one of my friends invited me to go to Mexico with her family. I said sure, thinking it would be a fun experience. I didn’t realize just how much fun we would have. I’m a pretty bland person when it comes to the food I eat (cheeseburgers and mac and cheese are my staple foods), but, with my friend’s help, I tried at least a dozen new things. Surprisingly, I liked most of what I ate! We did stereotypical things that every person has either done, or wishes they had done, like playing guitar by a bonfire, playing guitar on the beach, and walking aimlessly on the beach for an hour and coming back with dozens of shells. We did things I had never even thought to do before, like go sea kayaking with sea lions. While I knew spring break would be fun, I never imagined how unforgettable it would be with my friend alongside me.
Over Easter break, another one of my friends invited three of us to her house in Michigan. I thought, “OK, Michigan will be nice," but I never imagined it to be as exciting and fun as it was. We went to a park where we had a total blast acting like five year olds, walking over rocks in a stream, playing on the merry-go-round, swinging, and trying to make the ducks our friends. We had an epic Easter egg hunt where, as the resident tall person, I made it almost downright impossible for some of the eggs to be found.
One of the best things we did was make a meal together. Granted, I struggled a bit in the kitchen since (a) I’m clumsy, (b) I don’t cook a lot, and (c) I usually make either biscuits, desserts, or sandwiches in my family. But regardless of that, it was a total blast--even though one of my friends mercilessly (and accidentally) gave me jalapeño-infused guacamole, thanks to the jalapeño residue left on her fingers. We also bought different necklaces for each other, then had a "presentation ceremony" in the town square of the downtown we were at, which was both precious and hilarious.
Even without going somewhere like Mexico or Michigan, every outing with my friends is an adventure. One time, we went to the mall spontaneously, just to get our ears pierced, and then we ended up just walking around and having a total blast. Another time, we set up a scavenger hunt for one of my friend’s birthdays where she had to find all of us at different spots around campus. When it first started snowing, we made a giant snowball bigger than most of my friends (around five feet, four inches), only to have our wonderful creation pushed into the street by some random guys. What I’ve learned this year from my friends is that is doesn't matter where you go or what you do, but who you do it with.
