A Place of Friendship

There are a few places in a person’s life that makes a profound impact that, for some, defines their character, while for others determines the course of their entire future. Writer Lawrence Durell says that “we are the children of our landscape; it dictates behavior and even thought in the measure to which we are responsive to it” (pt. 1). The memory of a place resides in the heart and mind of a person that it becomes a part of his being. This short essay is a reflection on one such kind of place.

I am pertaining to my old high school campus wherein I, as a budding teenager, discovered the world of friendship. What makes the place memorable for me is foremost the beautiful surroundings which enabled me to enjoy my stay in high school. Nestled in the middle of tree-laden property, we were surrounded by luscious greenery. Every morning, when I get to school early, I smell the fresh greens and they refresh my senses and invigorate me for school. Over-arching trees line up the street leading to the main building, and during fall, that street is covered with all kinds of orange-tinted leaves.

When I was in high school, fall was my favorite season because the colors bring warm feelings in me and whenever I walk back home, I get some time to reflect. My friends and I have a favorite spot in our old high school campus where we spend our free times together. Behind the school premises, there is an artificial lagoon surrounded by untrimmed and wild trees. A stone path leads to the lagoon and it winds around the whole area. I remember playing childish games running through the course of the stone path.

We play ridiculous games, but we enjoyed ourselves most of the time because it is really the company of each other which gives us the best time of our lives. Within the confines of our school and of nature we forged friendships and lasting relationships. Perhaps we were unaware of how important the school premises were to our friendship because we didn’t pay too much attention. Now that I look back, I realize that it had huge impact in our relationship because the environment allowed us to roam around and spend valuable time with each other.

When I try to bring back memories of my friendship with high school friends, the good ones that remain are always inextricably tied to the vivid places in my old high school campus. Every nook of our school campus becomes a part of my memory with friends. In every room inside the building, we left memories of the good, bad and wacky times. The cafeteria facing the school’s open field was not only a place we go to for lunch, but was more of a hang out place were we shared stories and rumors about our classmates and teachers.

The classrooms where we spent our tedious classes as we wait impatiently for break time bring back memory of passing notes and paper games we did to kill time. Even the uninviting and most ordinary spot in the school campus teem with memories of my adolescent friendships. The empty lot right beside the school building where they keep all the used chemical bottles from the chemistry lab reminds me of times of notoriety when I first learned of things that teenagers hide from their parents. It was also a place where secrets were shared, amidst the acrid smell of chemicals, and drama unfolded.

Beneath the shadow of an imposing school building, we learned to grieve over what we thought then to be the tragedy of our lives. It was in my high school campus where I found most of my long time friends and whenever we relish stories of the past, we always remember the place where it all happened. The memory of my high school campus shaped me in some way because through the friendship I have formed in that place, I have gained something that can never be taken away from me. Work Cited Durell, Lawrence. Justine. NY: John Wiley and Sons, 1999. pt. 1

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