Urban Tribes

Growing up, I longed for a group of close friends like some of my classmates had. They went on trips together, celebrated each other’s birthdays, and went to parties as a group. Although I had different friend groups, I never had that close bond.

Although it sucked to miss out on those experiences and memories, it was also a blessing because I was free from the expectations of others which allowed me to grow. For example, I switched programs three times during University with each transfer came a change in friends and a change of identity.

When I caught up with my university friend who moved to New York with most of their circle of friends, they remarked on the difficulty of making new connections outside their group. They thought it was great that I knew people from all over.

On the other hand, life is beautiful because of our relationships and memories with others. And now that my life is less transient - I have a strong sense of who I am and I won’t be moving anytime soon - I’ll be cultivating my current communities and friendships for the long term.