One of my concerns coming down here - unstated - was in making friends and forming relationships with people (adults) down here. I have a few strikes against me: 1.) I'm going to be here only for a year, and I'm up front about that, which means that any friends I make, I'll be separated from in a year, 2.) I'm mathematically and scientifically minded...which means I say random scientific things from time to time, which sometimes make people look at me sideways, and I sometimes find it difficult to take people who are (to my mind) totally illogical seriously, and 3.) I'm extremely sarcastic, and until you know me well, you can't always tell when I'm serious and when I'm sarcastic. Couple those with the fact that pretty much all the good friendships I have right now took at least months if not years to start...and I wasn't encouraged by my chances of forming good friendships here. I don't trust easily...I can be friendly, but that doesn't mean I'm going to share things with you...and without sharing, true friends can't form. So I pretty much figured I was going to be subsisting this year on good acquaintances...and hoped there would be a few of those so I didn't feel alone. It's part of my personality that I accepted a while ago...good, bad or indifferent.
I've been here less than a month at this point...a little over three weeks. I realized this morning that I have two friends here already...people who I actually count as friends and not just good acquaintances with whom I can comfortably spend time. I can talk with them easily, I can tell them really anything, and they reciprocate in kind. They encourage me and they support me when I need it. I've been incredibly blessed in coming here. Honestly, it's more than I would have felt comfortable hoping for two months ago. It's not that I'm not friendly...because I can usually get along with just about anyone...emphasis on the "just about". I can at least be civil to everyone. But the trust factor usually takes time for me to build. The number of people in my life that I trust is growing, which is good. But usually that's after a long period of knowing them. And the fact that I'm saying this and thinking this after a mere three and a half week of living here surprises me. It's a good type of surprise. And to all my friends back home, don't worry, I still definitely love you all, and I miss you! I have been blessed in so many ways by so many friends!
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