Elephants and lions

(waiting outside a door with another student for OH)

Prof: Wait outside for a minute. Talk to each other!

(some time later)

Prof: Come in! Do you know each other yet?

Me: Well, I know their name.

Prof: ah, you are also from the East!

A little moment from freshman spring that I think about every now and then.

People have differing notions of closeness and friendship, that's for sure. And generally those notions differ in a somewhat predictable way from society to society.

So what does it mean if you're friends with someone for a year, and yet you know nothing about them, and them nothing about you? Nothing, in the sense that you don't know anything which wasn't immediately obvious from their behavior. Can you really say that you know each other?

On the other extreme, you can know someone only for weeks, temporally - but it might feel like you've known them your entire life, and they probably know enough of you to play the part.

I never did get around to writing a note to that prof. More summer goals.

final stretch!