Friends in a Distant Land

European friends and fun adventures

There are definitely all kinds of friends.  There are the instant friends- where you connect right away and just get along.  There are the dosage friends- where you are friends but you can only take so much of each other.  There are the friends that you have been friends with forever- not sure what first caused you to be friends- but you know that you are in it for the long haul.  There are the friends that you don’t have to talk to all the time but when you do, you know that it will go right back to the way it was- the way it has always been between the two of you- Easy and relaxed.  There are the friends that were only in your life for a short period of time, but that they taught you something during that time and then you both moved on. 

I have learned a lot about friendship over the past two years- good and bad.  I actually would have said, before moving here, that I knew a lot about friendship.  I pride myself on being a really good friend- one that I would want to have in my life.  I also thought that I had gotten past the stage in my life when I would still have drama with my friends.  But I have learned that lessons come in the form of people throughout your life J

While being here there have definitely been some highs and some lows, and some good times and some bad.  But I have realized that everyone here has contributed to making this experience an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and for that I am grateful.

As any real friendship will do, I have also learned a lot about me.  I usually proceed into things with caution.  In college, I actually didn’t say a single word to the swim team for six months because I wanted to “feel things out.”  I was fine with that and only made one friend, Anne Warner, and sat back and took everyone else in.  I really did NOT talk or interact at all. The entire swim team was shocked when I opened my mouth and actually said something funny and my swim coach was relieved because he had already informed the seniors that he had suspicions that I was suicidal.  Hard to believe someone would think this, if you know me.  Easy to see if you saw how withdrawn I was those first months in a new setting.

Coming here was different.  I have always said that I can be really outgoing and social if I have one person that I am comfortable with.  I guess I use them as my safety net.  Anne Warner was my swim team safety net.  She allowed me to have someone to be friends with and be comfortable while figuring out everyone else before I made my move.  Here my safety net came with the move because it was the reason that I moved here… It was obviously in the form of my sister, Gretchen.  So I bypassed the six months of silence and just jumped right in.  Ready to have a good time and make some new friends.

There was good and bad that came from this.  One of the good things is that it took me out of my comfort zone.  One of the bad things is that it took me out of my comfort zone. 

I became friends with people and the friendships here are more like an extended family.  You let people in and you let people in to your life that you usually don’t. I think you instantly think that people get you and you instantly want to get them.  But you soon realize that nothing can substitute time and really getting to know someone.  This place also throws a crazy curveball because it is a different setting unlike any other and I think it brings out different sides of people.  

So what has happened is that I have had some of the best times of my life and some not so great times.  I have laughed really loud and truthfully cried more as an adult than I thought possible.  I have lost some friends along the way and that does sadden me.  But I realized that I do truly believe that some people only come into your life for short periods of time and give you gifts or lessons and then go their separate ways.  I do think it is important though to focus on the good times and not the bad (even though it is much easier to dwell on the negative).

I wanted to make a video of all the good times that I have had here with friends.  This video really is for me (but I think a few of you might enjoy it too).  I want to be able to watch it and be appreciative of the great people and good times that Baumholder has allowed me to meet and the people that I got to enjoy this crazy journey with.  Everyone in this video has been a big part of my Baumholder days and for that I am very appreciative for each and every one of them.  

(Link to the video is on top of this post)