As the summer draws to a close and after that first alarm goes off on the first day of class, life in the fall semester has begun! There are many harsh realities of the new semester (grades, deadlines, getting used to new professors), but one sweet note to balance out all of the stresses is being reunited with friends you have dearly missed over the summer. You might have seen some over the few months that we were away, but there's always that one or two that are from halfway across the country and left them miles and miles from you. Friends are one of the most important aspects of going off to college and seeing friends after a long summer is a special time. The best aspects about being reunited with friends are:
1. The Hugs
This of course happens as soon as you see each other, giddy with anticipation of all of the fun, wonderful times that you'll have with each other over the course of the semester. The hug is an important determinant of the measure of missing someone (unless you hate hugs for some reason). It's a start of a new chapter in your friendship and it's exciting! Jumping into arms and squeezing tightly is to be expected (unless you think you're a manly man, above affectionate hugs with your friends...)
2. The Catching-Up
I always find it so entertaining to hear all about what a friend has been up to all summer, the failed/successful relationships, and the awkward moments. We want to know about all of the fun our friends have had without us and want to tell our friends about our lives, as well. A lot can happen in one summer and there is probably a lot to talk about. Some of us could spend hours with our best friend reliving moments experienced during the summer, looking through pictures, stalking people on Facebook and Instagram and analyzing texts. However, I think we can all agree that we should ban the question "so how was your summer?"
3. The Changes
Speaking of everything that happened over the summer, your friend has probably changed. Maybe a lot, maybe a little, but in some way your friend is different. Maybe she changed her hair or he decided to transfer to another school. Some changes, like a drastic new hair cut can take a while to get used to and it's not like you didn't change either. It just might not be apparent to you without sitting down and thinking about it. Not living with someone that you lived with last year can be strange at first, but you know what they say, sometimes change can be for the better (even if it doesn't seem that way at first).
