National Best Friends Day

June 10th

National Best Friend Day was on June 8th.
I can't say that I only have one best friend.

For example, I have two childhood best friends who I grew up with in the Philippines. We don't talk much anymore because we're a whole Pacific Ocean away, but we update each other now and then. The friends you grow up with tend to not forget you, and they'll always be there for you.

when I visited in 2013

When I moved to California in 2007, it was difficult for me to make friends in elementary. I could barely speak English, and most of the kids who bothered to start a conversation with me only did so out of kindness. Fortunately enough, I did met a couple girls who I ended up staying with all through middle school. 

Once high school started, the same group of girls got broken up. At first it was because of me going to a different high school, but then high school drama got in between us, too. Can anyone else relate? Thankfully, in that same group of girls, two of us survived the hurricane of crazy female drama. Gwen and I continued to talk, hang out, support each other, and stick together despite what everyone else said. 

It's been eight years, and I cannot describe how important she has been in my life. She's the main squeeze. Whenever someone asks me who my best friend is, I always say it's her, even though I actually have five of them.

Back in eight grade, there was also a seventh grader who tried so hard to become friends with my group. Bryan was in Science Olympiad with us, and we would ignore him because he was a scrub, which is what we called all the seventh graders. He once brought a rock to our practice, went to one of my friends and me, and tried to convince us that the rock knew how to talk. Then he would pretend that the rock was talking and he would say, "See, Annika. The rock said to be my friend. Seriously. The rock thinks I'm cool." 

Eventually, he stopped being desperate and my girl friends and I found him to be entertaining and nice enough to be a part of our group. He was our honorary scrub. He hung out with us all the time, and even got mingled in the drama that happened in high school. Thankfully, he chose to stay with Gwen and me, instead of the other ones. Bryan completes us in a way I cannot explain. He reaches out to us the most, especially when the two of us get busy, and he fills in the times where Gwen cannot understand one of my situations and vice versa. I do still give him a hard time about the talking rock, though.

Now, after eight years with her, and five years with him, the three of us are still going strong. We all text and call each other often, but since we're all busy and our schedules tend to overlap, we only get to see each other about once a month. That's good enough for us, though. Once a month and our friendship still stands as strong as an oak tree. 

Me, Bryan, Gwen in 8th grade

Last night, we were all actually able to go out for some Korean BBQ to celebrate Gwen's graduation. It was a nice way to catch up and talk about our summer plans. The two of them are going to Mexico (at different times), which I find quite unfair. I want to go, too! But it might be bad because I don't remember anything from Spanish class other than "Hola, me llamo Annika. Me gusta comida."  Can you believe I took three years of Spanish? 

Rose Water Macaroon

She really wanted those macaroons

KBBQ

Snow Station

Apart from Gwen and Bryan, I have three other best friends from high school. I talked about them on my first post about Disneyland. We call ourselves OG. 

Salma is the very first one I met from our group. We had Spanish 2 class together in freshman year (obviously this class didn't help me much). We did not become good friends until she quit band in sophomore year, and she decided to stay with me and the group of really dorky guys who I sat with at lunch (don't judge me). Ever since then, Salma dealt with my craziness and absolute hyperness and constant bipolarness in high school. She has been super patient with me (and sometimes violent) these past four years. We've been together through heartaches and failed exams and late night talks in the parking lot and all nighters.  

In junior year, I decided to migrate groups because of a guy. I decided to go to a Math classroom, where I knew two of my friends tend to stay at during lunch. I eventually took Salma with me as well, and that is ultimately how our group started.  

The main reason I went to the math classroom was because my friend Jacob was there. I met Jacob in sophomore year, and we did not become friends right away either. We had two classes together, but I did not know that until he approached me during break while we were standing in front of a kiosk. He was standing right behind me, tapped my shoulder, and said, "Hi, I'm Jacob. Annika, right? We have English and Chemistry together." I gave him a fake smile, and tried to ignore him until I finally got to buy my food. I thought that he was really creepy because he looked painfully awkward and uptight. We eventually became friends, though, after we watched Pitch Perfect together in Chemistry class towards the end of the year. To this day, he still gives me a hard time for being snobby the first time we met because it's actually very difficult for him to randomly approach anybody. I'm really thankful that he decided to man up on that one random day and suck up the awkwardness. Now, Jacob is actually the closest one I am to in our group.  

My other friend that was with Jacob in that math classroom was Adam. He's the last piece to OG. The two boys left their old group, just like Salma and me. Neither of us girls were close to him yet because 1) Salma has never even met him until I brought her to the group, and 2) I thought that Adam hated me up until sophomore year. There's no actual story to tell how Adam and I suddenly became friends. We met in freshman year, but we didn't start talking until I met Jacob. I don't even know how we became close friends, to be honest. He seems to just always be there. And man, am I grateful for that. He always lends me a shoulder to lean on whenever I'm down, and he keeps me sane whenever I go crazy.  

On the last day of our first semester of junior year, the four of us (and another guy who we brought along because I felt bad for him, but he's irrelevant) decided to go to Panera. That was our official day of becoming "OG." It's kind of cute because we call it our anniversary. 

Ever since then, these three have been my best friends. All of my favorite memories in high school were with them. I cannot tell you how many times I cried during our last two weeks of high school because I was so worried of losing them in college. I hung onto Salma so many times because she was the first to leave out of all of us. There was a point where all of them got fed up with my crying, but what can I say? I'm always hydrated. 

Now, I don't know where OG's future holds, but if I was able to last long with Gwen and Bryan, and I still keep in touch with my childhood best friends, then OG should be okay. We still are, so what can possibly break us? 

Jacob, me, Adam, Salma

Growing up, I thought that having one best friend is the most important thing. However, I eventually learned that it is absolutely okay to have multiple ones. Everyone has different personalities and interests, and there will always be more than just one person who will understand a certain part of you.

It's like FRIENDS. There are six of them, and they are all best friends. Sometimes Monica can't understand Rachel, so Rachel goes to Phoebe. Or Ross goes to Chandler instead of Joey. <I hope you have all watched the show... if not, then please do>.  

The most important thing is to surround yourself with people who love you, support you, understand you, and will stick with you through all your ups and downs. Of course it is also important to make sure that you can do the same for them! After all, isn't that how it is to have and be a best friend? 

Enjoy your summer, and create amazing memories with your friends! 

Much sun, 

Annika.