One Year: a Tangent on Friendship

One year ago today I left for London.
Uncertain of how I would handle being away, I cried quite pathetically all the way to Chicago. Got that out of the way and spent my flight to Heathrow becoming more and more excited.
I was scared of the unknown that awaited me. I was scared I would hate it. More than that, I was scared that it would be a waste, or that I would learn nothing. Scared that I wouldn't make friends.
Here I sit, one year later, a smile on my face matching the smile in my soul, having a perfect certainty that the last year was not a waste. (Nor did I hate it.)

As for the friends part, well, that goes with out saying, doesn't it?

The first half of WinterSchool was full up with every form of teaching (lectures, OT reading, friends) pointing me to a better understanding of Jesus as my friend. All others aside, this closeness, this new found friend was worth going all the way to an isolated sheep field in the North of England for. Then of course every person I met along the way aided in raising my view of friendship - from the sweet, South African girl I met my first day in London who helped me when I was lost, to the outgoing lonely people in hostels, to my beautiful roommates and 'family', to the wonderful boy from South Carolina whom I love, to the folk on staff and sitting in the lecture hall with me day in and day out.
In a method of self-defense I had decided before going that it didn't matter if I didn't make amazing friends. And you know, I had fun by myself when I first arrived - that week a whole year ago. It was all exciting and fun and new (old, I guess, actually) and different... but none of it would have actually changed my life in the way it did with out the people. I remember Andy Vanderlaan on our first saturday trip (to the Lake District) walking along side me and telling me how much more he got out of his conversations and friends at Bible school than from the teaching. (And then trying to back track and explain the importance of attending lectures - what with being the RA and all.) Smart guy, Andy. I did learn so much in lectures, but it's also good to be told by a staff person that it's okay to come to Bible school and socialize.

So here I am, one year later, looking forward to secular university, trying to remind myself that it's okay to socialize in an intellectual setting, and that the people I meet deserve as wonderful of friendships as I've experienced this year.