In 2008, I moved from the countryside to the big city all by myself and without knowing anyone to begin my apprenticeship. The first few months were lonely – everything was new and it was hard to make friends – until I started vocational school and met my future best friend. We hit it off right away, and it wasn't long before we hardly did anything apart. Bike rides, snowball fights, long nights of partying… Once we met up by the Rhine to learn vocabulary together, and suddenly it started pouring with rain. People were running around us, looking for shelter. We looked at each other, opened our umbrellas, moved closer together, and carried on learning. It's been a few years since that whole thing, and I often think back to that moment when I experienced our friendship so intensely, and I'm still very grateful for the time we spent together. You don't meet friends for life often, but when they suddenly appear in front of you, you recognize them immediately. My best friend and I have left each other out in the cold a few times over the past few years, but we've always found our common umbrella.
