HAGS
I have always been a firm believer that people are either gifted with amazing hometown friends or amazing university friends. At least, that’s what I told myself back in high school where I can confidently say I did not peak. This theory does not mean that hometown heroes do not make new friends or that their university counterparts burned every bridge, but is more so about the makeup of their close friends holistically. I still make a point to meet up with my high school best friend over the holidays and one of my best friends at university is someone I met at summer camp a decade ago.
The majority of my good friends are people that I’ve met in the last three years. I love my roommates so much that I have our student house number tattooed on my arm and I am lucky enough to have best friends from my program, extracurricular clubs, and other university experiences. As an only child, I have always been quick to equate friends with family, and my university friends are the siblings that I have always longed for. I believe that my best friends are my soulmates, my twin flames, the loves of my life. It just so happens that most of them are people at my university. I cannot say enough good things about these people and I wouldn’t trade our friendships for the world.
But if I could change just one thing about them,I would respectfully ask that they not live in a different place than me for one third of the year. From September to April, my best friends live within a five minute walk of me, if not sharing a bedroom wall with me. I see them everyday at home, in class, at the library, or at our usual table at our favourite bar. But once the thrill of completing exams is over and I pack up my room, I begin to miss the constancy of the friends that I’ve grown so accustomed to. This feeling is always hard, but I always have the knowledge that I’ll be coming back for another golden year. But this summer is the last one that I’ll be able to fall back on the joy of fall semester.
As I enter my final year of university, I’m faced with a stark reality; I will no longer have the privilege of seeing my best friends every single day. If summers have been a taste of what’s to come, I know that it’s an acquired one.
The best and hardest thing I’ve learned growing up can be summed up in three words: everything will change. At times, I find solace in this knowledge. I know that I won’t always feel awkward and I know that I won’t always have to define my worth through grades; I know I will not have to scrape by on a student budget and I won’t always live in a house that is frequented by mice. But I also know that I won’t always live with my best friends and I will not always have the giggle-filled coffee runs between classes; I know that I won’t be able to expect a hug from my best friend right when I need one and I will not always be the most important thing in their lives. My best friends will move to different cities and achieve everything they’re capable of: they’ll meet partners who see how wonderful they are and will travel to the places that they’ve always dreamed of. I will do the same, but it does not mean I’ll miss them any less.
Illustration: Maddy Baird
