Some people keep their valuables under their mattresses. Some people keep their valuables in a locked box. I prefer to keep mine under the floor tiles.
Finding friends can be tough, especially if you are ushered into a room with silent wandering eyes (of those in the same situation as you), unsure if their personality will strike a chord with you or not. However, the litmus test for this is surely to find a commonality, whether that be Origami, League of Legends, or competitive waffle eating (because you never know what you will encounter). It is found by making the first step – literally and figuratively – and introducing oneself to others. Some examples include:
“Hi, I’m ____. What’s your name?”
“My mom made me take this class too. How many weeks of this class are there?”
“Bro. Crocs and socks? That’s some litty litty fashion right there.”
Questions (and answers, I’m sure) may vary.
Once contact is made, often there is one spark leading to others, much like a row of dominoes lined up next to each other, whose decision to lay down (no doubt for a nap because they are tired of standing) influences others around them. Something – it can be anything – becomes the crux of that new blossoming friendship: ugly crocs, frisbees, obsessions with pug accounts on Instagram, collecting Pokémon cards.
Class ends, and you walk out talking to your new acquaintance. Perhaps you grab lunch, perhaps you part ways. Perhaps you battle your Pokémon in an intense need to assert dominance in a virtual pixelated world. Perhaps a friend is made.
TIC is only 6 short weeks long! But, friendships made in one small moment can last a lifetime. That crux that you found earlier? Keep it, like a treasure. Put it where you keep those other valuables. And as for me?
Sweet potatoes and paper airplanes under the floorboards.