Chingoos
   Chingoos means friends in my mother tongue Korean. Chingoos are part of everyone's lives no matter who you are. You can be the biggest nerd but you'll always have another friend to accompany you. There is always someone you can relate to and be yourself with. But friends come with many packages that you didn't expect such as emotions, competition, and highs and lows.
   Friends bring on many emotions such as happiness, sadness, frustration, anger and just about every other emotion a person can experience. They bring you on a roller coaster of feelings that is so hectic that you don't know what to expect. This characteristic reminds me of one of my friends in high school who was the moodiest person I had ever met. He was so moody that if he wasn't one of my closer friends, I would have flat out hit him everytime he gave me an attitude. When I first met him he was nice and considerate to me, but as the years went by, he projected this attitude that just hovered around him. He made smart remarks, disgusted sighs, and used every other unsubtle way to show some kind of annoyance. Through all this though, I managed to control my temper and accept him for the person he was. This also helped me mature as a person. I've realized that there are people out in this world whom I just won't believe. It's all up to me to take them for who they are and move on.
   Not only do friends take you on an emotional roller coaster, but they give you some competition. I, personally, feel that my friends are better than me whether it's in sports, music, academics, or even video games. I think that way because I think highly of my friends. I admire many of them for their talents. No matter how fat, short, ugly, or mean a friend may be, they usually have one admirable talent. A friend of mine has really good study habits which is something that I really admire. My attention span is too short to be a good study buddy. What she studies in thirty minutes would take me about an hour. This is one talent that I wish I could possess. By thinking highly of your friends, you exchange respect, and with that you build a stronger relationship. Not only that, but their good study habits also made me a better person in a way. I took advantage of their studying and tried to do just as good as them which improved my performance.
   The bad thing about friends is the fact that they won't always be with you by your side. After high school, my family moved to a different state which parted me from my high school friends. It was quite depressing to think that I wouldn't be able to see my friends whenever I wanted to. But where there's a loss there's always a gain. I've met many new people afterwards, some of whom I feel like I've known my entire life. It's kind of funny how life has its way of working things out. Friends come and go but are never forgotten. They make good stories to tell my grandchildren when I get old and gray.
   Chingoos, amigos, and friends are all something everyone has in common. Everyone has a friend (hopefully), to depend on or share with. Not all friendships last, but many go forever.