One of the greatest fears I had during the summer I left for my first year of college was the effect going to Ohio State would have on the friends that I had made for the over the years. Just like my entry of high school, I was pretty much by myself in a sea of unrecognizable faces. But within four years, I managed to gain not only a multitude of buddies, acquaintances, and partners in crime, I also found a few very close friends. It was almost a shock to realize, as we neared the end of our senior year of high school, that we were going to different universities. That really didn't have me skipping for joy, let me tell you.

So, September 17th, 2006 I was in the same situation I had been years ago. After my mom and brother's more or less emotionless goodbye (giving hugs sometimes are as difficult as parallel parking with a blind fold--I don't drive but I've been told that it's pretty tough.), I was alone.

Alone!!! (Imagine Twilight Zone music, if you must).

Luckily, I'm not an overly shy person. Luckily, I realized that although I had to leave some fantabulous people to get to Ohio State, I was aware that I was in the presence of some equally cool people. All I had to do meet these people! Talk about a revelation! It saved me a couple of months of being very, very homesick. It saved me from missing out on meeting some very great people who would later become some of my greatest friends.

Saying goodbye to my new friends was just as hard as my departing from my old friends. I just met you guys! But then I realized that I would now have the chance to hang out with my old friends and swap crazy college stories that we weren't at liberty to discuss months before. Of course, I had fears of new identities and other fun effects of college do to unsuspecting freshmen have on old friendships. But then I realized something (I know, I can't help it!). It's only natural to be afraid that your old friends may shocked of the person you have become (and in as sense, continuing to evolve into). It's possible that they may not even like
this new person, if you've felt that you've changed at all. Yet the true test of friendship is accepting people for who they are and being there for them.

I knew as soon as I got home and had a long conversation with one of my friends that she was there for me.