It was in a fine fall season, according to the measurement adopted by countries with four seasons, that she and I first became what you might call friends. The beginning of a college year. I was excited for my first class, as I always was in every fresh start. I remember perfectly what class it was: Conversation Class. As a student of English Studies program in a country where English is a foreign language, the importance of acquiring nearly native-tongue is emphasized. Expected. Sometimes all that people expect from English program graduates is fluency, mastering of English language, whereas we actually spend a great deal of time studying other things.
Anyway, usually I was the earliest to come on my first class, but not that day. It seemed everybody was eager for our first class, so when I got there, the class was already cramped with teenagers-turn-young-adults making friends. The only seats left were the front row, which was not unnatural around here. I decided to sit next to the girl I thought seemed friendliest. Yep, it was her.
"Hi, are you in this class, too?" she asked. Rhetorical question, I thought, but I nodded. "What's your name?"
"Aruna," I told her. She told me hers. We didn't exchange 'nice to meet you' like they do in the West or in Japan, but we both seemed to be the chatty type so the conversation kept going. I didn't give much thought over my questions and responses. By the time I realized, I have known many things about her ranging from where she came from to what kind of music she preferred.
Conversations had never felt so easy. I figured out that many things from her, but it also felt like I gave away many truths about me. It was almost like she encouraged me to keep talking with her cheery nods and sparkly curious eyes. In no time, I felt at ease around her.
[M]
