To my people,
I am writing this letter as a partial thank you letter, a partial goodbye, and mostly just to gush over you all (as you know I love to do). Throughout middle school and high school, I never really had a typical “clique” of girls, and I was okay with that. I floated among friend groups and got along with most people, but I was always missing that go-to support system that I saw all around me in movies, TV shows, and the cafeteria every day. For me, it was difficult to reach out to girls because, even if I was friends with them, I wasn’t “in” with them. I kind of just went to whatever I was invited to and didn’t want to face the stress of stepping out of my comfort zone to initiate plans. By the time I got to college, I decided that the clique mentality just wasn’t for me and I accepted the fact that I would probably float to and from whatever cliques formed throughout the next 4 years. Second semester that all changed, and I met my go-to girls.
At first it was hard. My clique-free mentality made me nervous to develop close bonds with people in a group setting. I was always worried that I would be “dropped” from the group, and even became paranoid to the point that I was positive there was another group chat without me (sometimes I get a bit crazy—sorry you guys). To my surprise, these girls were far from cutthroat or vicious or superficial. Instead, I gained the most supportive, loving friendship I had ever experienced, and I was definitely scared to lose it.
In all honesty, I was extremely lucky. My best friends consist of my freshman year floor (shout-out Wall 4), and we still live on the same floor together now as sophomores. The common room is essentially our living room. Over the past year and a half, we have truly become a “clique”- something I never thought I would be a part of and had spent years hating the idea of. The thing about college is that, regardless of cliques or friend groups or whatever you want to call them, it is so much easier to have other friends outside of your central group. I am so lucky to have met people from all around the country through different classes, clubs, and other random campus events that brought us together. I have so many people I can count on who I know will be there when I need them. In general, I’m an open book and I have no problem sharing anything, and I mean anything, with anyone, and I mean anyone. But there’s something different about a girl group. They don’t just listen, but they think about what I have to say and they talk it out with me. We truly have each other’s best interests at heart, which is something I can’t say about many friendships I’ve held in the past. Waking up in the morning and knowing that my best friends are just steps away is an amazing feeling. Our closets (and snack stashes) have essentially merged into one. We know when we all need a rom-com marathon to just have a good cry, and we always make sure to have a Saturday morning catch-up session after those particularly rowdy Friday nights out. We have become a family and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
The best part, arguably, is how different we all are. I imagine us kind of like a quilt, made from an array of vastly different fabrics, woven together to create a beautiful mess of comfort, warmth, and security. That’s the beauty of college– my friends come from completely different avenues of life that have fostered widely different points of view. I have never met a more passionate, intelligent, kind group of people in my entire life. You all have encouraged me to challenge my own beliefs and attitudes, while constantly supporting me and loving me unconditionally. You have opened my mind to a whole new world of perspectives, and that is something I will always treasure.
The upcoming semesters will be a bit tough for us. We’ll be scattered throughout the world embarking on new adventures, making new friends, and gathering new stories to tell. It’ll be hard to separate from the girls that have been my idea of home for a while now, but I am so incredibly excited to see what the world has in store for you. The Tulane bubble is definitely a safe and comfortable environment to be in, and I really don’t know what I’ll do when I’m feeling alone and can’t walk into the common room to see all my favorite faces. I’ll need constant updates from you all, and I’m sure I’ll have some interesting stories to tell myself. I’m ending this letter with something really cheesy, and I’m honestly not sorry about it: This isn’t goodbye, it’s see you later.
I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU!!!!!! Thank you for being the best always.
XOXO,
Jana