“I’ll be there for you”
I n t h e s p I r I t o f f r I e n d s h I p d ay o n a u g u s t 7, ua e r e s I d e n t s r e c a l l h e a r t wa r m I n g , u n u s ua l o r j u s t p l a I n wac k y I n c I d e n t s t h at c e m e n t e d t h e I r b o n d f o r e v e r
t’s hard to pinpoint the exact reason why you’re friends with someone. When Aristotle famously wrote, “Some define it as a matter of similarity; they say that we love those who are like ourselves,” few knew how right he was.
A 2013 study actually confirmed that we associate those people who are close to us, as ourselves. Through tests, researchers were able to identify that our reactions to being under threat and seeing a close friend under threat, was essentially the same. “Our self comes to include the people we feel close to,” explained James Coan, the psychology professor leading the study.
Which just goes to show you that friendship is more profound than we think it is. Deep down, you know that you can be yourself with your friends because they accept and understand you for who you really are. With Friendship Day around the corner, some UAE residents celebrate their friendships by recalling incidents when their buddies came through for them. Sweet or wacky, these memories have marked the beginning of some pretty beautiful friendships. Read on and be amazed.
Alex Judd and I met when we were both in university in Nottingham in 2005. After a few years, we both decided it was time to do a world trip together. So in 2009, we packed up and began our trip in Thailand. About a week into our six- month trip, I decided ( against everyone’s advice) to play with a friendly- looking monkey. Turned out the monkey was not so friendly after all and it bit me.
After we all had a laugh about the fact that I had just been bitten by a monkey, we realised that I should probably go to the hospital, so Alex took me to one. For the next six weeks of our world trip, I had to frequently check in to hospitals for various injections and keep the fridge in our campervan stocked with medicines. Alex made sure I took everything on time and made it to every appointment ( although he did once remove my medicine from the fridge because his Fanta was getting warm… turns out friends are good, but you can’t beat a chilled Fanta).
So, I would say the fact that we both managed to get around the world alive and undamaged sums up how friends can pull you through. Friends come through for you at all the most important times. Whether it is taking you to the hospital in Thailand to sort out a bite from a rabid monkey, rescuing your passport from a bush 20 minutes before a flight in New Zealand, putting up with your love of 90s’ boy bands, or providing you with a room to stay in when your house contract expires two months before your big move to Dubai — they will be there for you.
Time, place and situation don’t matter when it comes to good friends — the best ones will always find a way to help. Living abroad definitely makes you appreciate your closest friends even more. However, as soon as you get back home and see them, it’s like you’ve never been away ( except that you have a way better tan)… that’s the sign of true friendship.