I was that one kid who only had friends in the grade above me. When it came time for them to graduate and go their separate ways, I was devastated that all of them had decided to go to a different school. The summer flew by and before I knew it, I was about to start my senior year of high school (and sophomore year of college) alone. Unexpectedly, after my first quarter, I had accepted that they had all left and I realized that I was happy that they were all at different schools.
Having all of my friends that I’d known for six years leave meant I had to find new friends. While this was literally one of the worst times of my life as I struggled to make myself go to classes, ultimately some good came out of it. It forced me to actually come out of my introverted self to connect to other and find my “tribe”. I ended up joining an a capella group where I met eight amazing people who I traveled with to the International Championship of Collegiate A Capella (just like in "Pitch Perfect").
The worst blow to me was my best friend moving to Ohio to go to school. In my brain, that was two thousand miles too far away from me. After a while, I realized him leaving was actually great because Skype exists and so do airplanes. For my 18th birthday that October, I flew to Ohio to visit him. I had never flown by myself, let alone across the country to the Midwest. While I was there, I met even more amazing people and found the courage to start my application to a prestigious college in Cleveland. Because he chose to go to a school out of state, I got an experience I wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. I was ecstatic to be there and to have had the opportunity that I had.
Two of my other friends went to University of Washington and Washington State University. That meant I got to travel the span of Washington and see both campuses. I got to meet more people through my amazing friends, and I got to see what it was like to be in a sorority for a night. Despite my introversion, it was really fun to go out and see people just having a good time together. I had never been to a party before, so it was a new experience I don’t think I’ll be forgetting anytime soon. I got to see what dorms were like and was instantly grateful I had an apartment near campus back home. I got to see my friends interacting with new people, which reminded me how kind and friendly both of them were.
Besides being able to go have amazing experiences and making memories that I will cherish until my memory as a whole fades, I am happy that they all moved to different schools because they are all happy there. My friends have all found new “tribes” to be a part of and have put themselves out there. They’ve all grown as amazing and caring people, and I’m not sure if that would have happened if they stayed in this small town. Words cannot express the pride I feel writing about them. Even the small things are worth writing home about.
