Emily Gan Week 9: The Power of Friendship
“We can defeat anything with the power of friendship!” stated Twilight Sparkle after encountering a life-threatening situation. Although I am not sure that friendship can solve everything, having friends does help when times are tough.
When I was in elementary, my mom focused on getting my brother and I on the right track for the future. This included taking us to different classes every day, if it wasn’t a day of classes for me it was a day of classes for my brother. Naturally, this led to me having no time or no one to take me to play with friends outside of school. But I was content playing by myself while my older brother was grinding AMC or playing with my brother when he had the time to. When I got a cell phone, I basically didn’t have anyone’s numbers and even the ones I did have, there was no reason to contact them. I had no time to hang out with my class companions outside of school.
Then COVID hit. After a few months of boredom and loneliness, I had the contact of a guy I met in one of my classes, and for some reason, he messaged me about something. This led to me being invited to join his friend group online. That along with online friends I met through the niches I was interested in, were my rock during COVID. Eventually, however, I and my friend group had a falling out at the end of quarantine. Still, I appreciate what they have done for me since I have friends now who tell me about their depressing times during quarantine and I am glad and grateful that I only had mostly happy memories of such a traumatic experience for the entire world.
I walked into Freshman year of high school, with no friends and a decent amount of hope. After a while, I finessed my way into the “Warwick kids” friend group. We would hang out all day at school whenever we could: before school, brunch, flex, lunch, and after school. Later on when I got a boyfriend, that long story short did not work out, I would hang out with him and his friends whenever I could. Still, after getting dumped, my friends were there for me, even though I technically ditched them. However, I think one of them is still salty because whenever I hang out with them, he says “Look who decided to come back.”
2 years later, I don’t hang out with them much anymore since the whole group split off into their own smaller friend groups. Still, whenever I have an issue or they have an issue we always text each other about it. I find it interesting how despite not talking to each other every day anymore, we still have a bond just like before. I guess that is the “power of friendship” Twilight is talking about. It is a strong power that is above any other because being together is better than being alone.
Watch My Little Pony please.
Hey Emily! I love how you started off with a My Little Pony quote; it was nostalgic and perfectly encapsulated the topic of your blog. Including a contradictory statement at the beginning enhanced your writing allowing for more complexity. Evidently, the ideal way to talk about the power of friendship is to use personal experiences, and I appreciate how you did not only include positive instances. As I mentioned above, it increases the depth of your writing. I think we can all relate to the loneliness felt during the pandemic, especially due to the uncertainty and chaos of the period. But, I am glad you were able to counter your boredom with an online friend group! My favorite thing about your blog was the transparency, where it did not feel, as if I was reading a typical structured essay. Instead, you incorporated a sense of creativity in how you communicated your points to the audience. While being unique, you managed to connect all of your discussion points at the end of your blog in an eloquent manner. You also mentioned the "bond" you have with your old friends even if you do not get to talk as much anymore , which I strongly related with. Overall, I think you did an amazing job of writing about such an important topic, and presenting it in a uniquely beautiful way. I
ReplyDeleteHi Emily! Firstly, I LOVE how you incorporated My Little Pony into this because quite honestly, that show literally is the definition of friendship. Additionally, I think your blog topic is incredibly relatable and your writing style made me feel more connected to your idea while reading. You did a really good job at communicating how even though we might not meet some people everyday, they still hold a special place in your heart. These people still are a part of you whether you know it or not, and surprisingly sometimes they can be of help in the most unexpected of situations. I think going through the pandemic as teenagers has really helped us learn how to build and maintain strong connections without physically meeting frequently. Overall, I love your lighthearted topic but insightful writing style!
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