Freshman Experience
Christopher VandenBerg: A One-Of-A-Kind Friendship
Posted November 8th, 2016
Someone I am surprised to be friends with is my friend Sajan. Sajan, if you don’t already know, is a really big guy, but don’t let his appearance make you think is a mean guy. He is one of the first people that I became friends with here at St. Augustine, and no, we didn’t meet each other at Freshman Orientation. Well, we met face to face at orientation, but how we met is a really strange story, and it wasn’t what you might expect. The friendship Sajan and I have is a really odd one, especially the roots of how it began.
It all started over the summer, in July. I was doing my summer reading assignments, and I realized I had a online book chat that night with my new English teacher, Mrs. Chapman. As the discussion came to a close and Mrs. Chapman signed off, a few people, including Sajan, remained online to chat. We all kept talking and soon realized how similar our interests were. That evening, I made my first friends at the Prep, and school hadn’t even started! I was ecstatic that I had friends and that night completely debunked my original theory that it would be hard to make new friends. When orientation came around, I was eager to finally meet this new friend of mine. I had no idea what he looked like, so it was hard to find him. Eventually, I did find him, and we hung out as much as we could.
From the start, I couldn’t help but notice how opposite we are in appearance. He is tall, large, and strong, and I am short, small, and weak. This is the most surprising aspect of our friendship: our physical differences. My past experiences made me think it was hard to be friends with someone who wasn’t my physical equal, but orientation proved that wrong on many levels.
In our friendship, we both have much to offer each other. I am there for whatever he needs, whether it be cookies or even homework help, I give it to my friend. He, in return, helps me with weightlifting and Biology (my worst subject by far). We go very well together, and that is something I have not experienced before. This is what makes our friendship different. Before, friendship for me was just hanging out and the occasional argument. Sajan has given me a different outlook on friendship. We can’t find anything to argue about, and that is really neat.
All in all, Sajan and I have a one-of-a-kind friendship. We are nowhere near physical equals, yet he is still my best friend. I am eager to spend four years with him here at the Prep and make awesome memories, all the while knowing that we’ll be friends when we are adults as well.