To pick up this story where I left off:

“Going to that BBQ set in motion a chain of events that leads me to today, many friends richer and a lot less lonely.”

At the BBQ, I can remember thinking that the people at this club were a little weird. They were all so happy, which was weird for me because to say that my emotions are a little understated would be an understatement. The club execs were friendly and welcoming which helped because this was the first time in a long time where I was surrounded by people I didn’t know and had to do things like making small talk.

Afterwards, C*, my roommate, and I discussed with each other how much we enjoyed the BBQ and the people. It’s hard to remember what happened next. I signed up for their mailing list and that’s how I heard about “Core”. Core groups are small groups (well, ours has like 18 people) led by senior students that meet weekly in every residence and do things like Bible study, praying and eating yummy snacks together. I put my name down for the appropriate Core. They happened to be meeting in my floor lounge.

Have you ever met someone and just know that you’d be great friends or maybe something more?

Well as soon as I sat down for that first Core meeting and the group (mostly first-years too) started introducing themselves, I just knew  that these women would become friends of mine. And that’s exactly what happened. Core for us has gone beyond just a weekly Bible-reading/snackage sesh. People from the UCM club at large often comment on how cool it is that our Core actually hangs out outside of events; we do stuff like getting waffles, exploring the beach and going to church together. And UCM has helped me meet even more people outside of Core.

Best of all, my faith has been transformed more in these two-ish months than the last 17 years of my life.

I am so glad I made the spontaneous choice to check out their both two months ago. One of those women actually became my Core leader which was an interesting twist. Everyone always says that to make new friends in a new place, you should just join. I totally agree. If you’re struggling to find your people, or even if you’ve already got a ton of friends, join! Join clubs, join stuff you’re interested in, join clubs doing things you’ve never heard of! I know it can be scary at first because you don’t know anyone, but somewhere along the way, you’ll look around and realize that actually you do know them. If you’re surrounded by people who are automatically interested in the same things you are, or even if they’re not, you guys have already got something to talk about.

So go for it.

*We’re gonna call her C from now on, k? Cuz I don’t feel like it’s very nice to use her full name on the very public Internets without her express permission.