by Emily Comedis

Created on: December 12, 2008

My sweetest memories involve time spent in good fellowship. The magic of friendship goes even further than friendship itself. My life has recently been changed and even blessed by the presence of new friends.

When I arrived in Okinawa for my studies, I knew I needed to find some friends because I am practically alone. I was surprised when I learned that there were only two Filipinos in the entire university where I am enrolled; and one of them was me! And the other person went back home to Philippines just three months after we met.

I didn't have time to feel lonely isolation for the first six months. There were too many things to pick up just to be able to survive in this new land. I had to learn and review enough of the language for interaction and find my way around. However, my first summer in Okinawa brought loneliness. I desperately wished for a friend I can talk to.

About that time I received an unexpected e-mail from someone who had asked me to take a teaching position; an offer I declined. His e-mail was not specific but I suspect that he must be asking the same favor. My suspicion was wrong however because this time he was asking me to help him with his research. I accepted not out of interest in the proposal but because I was hoping the paperwork would fill the void by keeping me busy. But more than that, I found a friend (and a funny big brother) in him.

In the following months, I discovered Helium and this was terrific. From Helium community, I met good advisors and one good friend. The Helium community provided me with an avenue to explore myself while improving my writing skills at the same time.

It is a community where I am able to examine myself without fear of committing mistakes. Topics run from mundane issues to taboos to scientific issues. While I searched for articles concerning racism, I read an article that talk a lot about racism in Philippines. The writer of that article became my friend and later a mentor. He not only advises me on my English - English is my second language as you might have guessed - but also on the topics I usually choose.

More than that, he gives me a lot of insights on personal development. Aside from becoming my friend, I often referred him then as my teacher and a personal coach. Without his advice being solicited, he also acts like an older mature sibling whose only desire is to make sure his sibling is never left out.

Good friendship is truly a treasure in times of isolation. It allows you to see yourself as more than who you think you are. The friends who come in times of need are probably the sweetest friends of all. The number of friends is not that important sometimes; it is the quality of friendship that each friend shares that often times count most.

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