Friends, my extended family

This post is probably going to be short, but I feel need to be posted. Then again I don't really plan out the posts on this blog like I do my papers. Often these posts are just thoughts and musings that come semi-spontaneously and randomly. I guess I have a need to be somewhat pretentious and write (type?) it for everyone to read. Of course, since only like 6 people read this blog, I'm really not being pretentious. Who am I kidding? there's probably more like 2 people reading this blog. Maybe I should dedicate a whole post about this matter. Yeah, think about it...

But anyhoo, I should really get on to the real subject matter of this blog... As you faithful :) readers may know, fairly recently I lost a good friend. As mentioned in the previous post, my friend Cole showed me that life was worth living. Furthermore, I also mentioned that he was not only a good friend but my brother. Essentially, I come to realize that my friends have essentially become a part of my family. I know sounds cliched but people say it but never really dealve into the matter.

People often say that you should be able to tell family anything and everything that goes on in your life. That's complete bupkis. well not really. I'll be one to admit that there are many things that I will not tell my family. I guess in a way it's a self-preservation technique, but in a way it's a way of protecting my family. I guess in a way I don't reveal some stuff to my family because I don't want them to see me as "weak" (maybe not weak, but let's use weak for lack of a better word - I will let myself be vulnerable with my family). However, some of the stuff I can't tell my family I will tell some of my friends (of course some level of trust needs to be met). And in turn I won't tell them some stuff, I'll tell my family for the same reasons. So if the whole idea of being able to tell your family anthing, I guess then my family will have to include some of my closest friends.

The problem with living abroad is that you have very minimal contact with your own family if any at all. Luckily, my brother is studying in the same country as I am. So I do get to see him every once in a while even though he can drive me nuts. So really, in a way I needed a kind of surrogate family - luckily I have found a group of friends that can help fulfill that role. So recently with the loss of a friend and brother, I have come to realize that I have gained more family members throughout my life. Now, I have come to realize that much of what I wrote here is contradictory and cliched. But isn't that what life supposed to be filled with them? Yeah, think about it...