If you do not have a single friend then you have some serious issues! When I was younger, my parents would warn me about thinking everyone was a friend. They explained the difference between a friend and an acquaintance, but in school, you either liked or hated someone, and personally, if I liked you, you fell into the friend zone.At the university, it’s somewhat different. You get to meet many more people from all over the country (and even the world); especially those bilingual universities I attended in the country I was living in at the time. I met people who shared the same interests and dreams as me. There was always time to hang out and catch up, talk about the latest movie, check out the newest places etc... Oh yes, and study! You can see the change in friendship from the larger groups in high school to the more tight-knit groups in university. However, things change. I don’t want to scare you but this is real. My parents were spot on! In university, I had a close group of friends, most of them guys. We were pretty close and hung out every day after class. The changes started when individuals started getting into committed relationships. Obviously this was a good thing because I had seen enough girls do the walk of shame (solo all the time) or be the one to give advice to my ‘homies’ on how to ditch a girl politely. Truth be told, sometimes these awkward situations provided serious entertainment for me). ‘My boys’ changed because they had started dating. They no longer needed me to cook for them, watch undermining videos with them or shout until our voices cried for mercy when watching soccer among other things. I had been their ‘It Girl’ for a long time and had now been replaced. I loved the change because they deserved the best but I missed the times we teased and played board games or cooked lots of food like we were a real family. I made other friends as I grew up but somehow, these old friends were not as gracious about the move as I had been when they dropped me like a bad habit! But I had moved on and had relationships ranging from intimate ones, work related, gym buddies and others.It’s all about respecting the relationships you are in and appreciating and loving every individual because they have been a joy to have around.
