The Power of Friendship
10/29/2019
The Power of Friendship
1 bus. 6 friends. 11 hours.
“There’s not a word yet for old friends you’ve just met.”
- Jim Henson
Shared experience is the foundation of friendship. On an eleven-hour bus ride with 40 of my classmates, my friends and I had just that. This March on the 7th grade Washington, DC trip, four or five of my friends and I all sat together, backpacks filled with snacks and Office episodes, ready to sit back and melt the boring hours before we could arrive in the capital. That ended up being emphatically not the case. Fast forward to 6:30 PM in northern Maryland, and we’re stir crazy, filled with sugar, and are... well, 13 year old boys with nothing to do. I don’t remember how it started or many of the specifics, but what I do have are photos and sensory overload. My friends and I would scream into each others’ ears, go on long sugar-fueled rants about everything and everything, and shine phone flashlights at unassuming classmates. Max Merhige had brought a bag of oranges, which he proceeded to hurl at us, Will Simon sang a nonsensical song about who knows what, and Eli made inappropriate jokes. This exultation of immaturity has a much more important message than what you would be forgiven for assuming. Our DC trip, especially the bus ride, truly melded my friends and I together, leaving us closer than ever. Those dumb jokes, those teenage antics, changed us from people we’re friendly with to true, long-lasting, friends.
I hate you
Posted by: Max Merhige (the one in the pic) | 10/29/2019 at 05:57 AM
This was very well written, and I could practically hear your fiends rambunctiously passing the time on the bus, as If I were still there. You also used your vocabulary to your advantage, which added greatly to the piece.
Posted by: Nick Brady | 11/04/2019 at 06:40 PM
This was a very well written piece Max. Although I was on the other bus, with less of my friends, it was still a very relatable read. You used some great vocab and your story really flowed, overall a very good piece, great job!
Posted by: Max | 11/05/2019 at 04:56 AM
I think showed dudes being dudes, being immature, hilarious, (in your mind) which made the story really fun.
Posted by: Colin Soukup | 11/05/2019 at 08:07 AM
we had very different experiences with this this ride felt like an eternity with my friends. we must have been on different busses because my bus practically silent.
Posted by: Rory Kennealy | 11/05/2019 at 09:02 AM
This is a great piece of writing, Max. It is crazy how in the short span of nine hours, five guys can turn into five true, long lasting friends. I liked how you used the rule of three when describing what you did on the bus. If you were to list the events one by one, it would’ve been very repetitive, and I would’ve gotten bored immediately. Great job, Max.
Posted by: Oliver Ali | 11/05/2019 at 04:10 PM
Too bad I was on the other bus! That sounds like an awesome time. The vagueness you added while talking about what each of you were doing almost made the story better in a sense. Great job! (I also really like the image)
Posted by: Sean Leahy | 11/05/2019 at 04:18 PM
I feel attacked; however, this piece was very vivid in imagery! I’m no sure if it was simply because I was there, but the detailing you did really let me visualize the story.
Posted by: Will | 11/05/2019 at 05:29 PM
Your bus sounded like it was a ton of fun! I also can remember all of the memories I made on the bus ride. It is amazing how many memories can be made on a nine hour bus ride. Great job!
Posted by: Jamie Book | 11/05/2019 at 06:23 PM
I really like your use of vagueness, because it made us guess on what you guys did on that trip. I also like your details, and your perfect comma skills. Good Job
Posted by: Dylan | 11/05/2019 at 06:24 PM
I loved how relatable this was, because it came as a surprise for most of us, that the bus ride was actually one of the highlights of the trip, and how our friends made something like that enjoyable.
Posted by: William O'Malley | 11/05/2019 at 07:22 PM
I still have nightmares from that bus ride.
The paragraph was very well written, with descriptive adjectives, while also keeping the story vague. Good job.
Posted by: Max Merhige | 11/05/2019 at 07:38 PM
Bus 2 gang! I plead the 5th
Seriously, great writing. This is a good compilation of the entire trip. On long ride to no destination.
Posted by: Eli Zahavi | 11/05/2019 at 07:41 PM
That bus ride was extremely fun even if I wasn’t on you bus, I think the fun that we all shared in the DC trip was mutual, Nice Work.
Posted by: Yoni Ghansah | 11/06/2019 at 02:29 AM
Yes
Posted by: Max | 02/24/2021 at 07:08 PM