Meeting Online Friends for the First Time: The Thrills and Excitement

Hello everyone, have you tried meeting up with your online friends? How was the feeling to meeting them in person? Do you feel thrilled or excited seeing them?

Due to the pandemic in our country, everything changes. Unlike before when we have our face-to-face teaching with students, this time it was different. And no exemption for that. May a teacher or student needs to adapt to the changes brought about by the pandemic.

When I plan to enroll, to continue my Master's degree at one of the universities here in Cebu, it was a little bit difficult. Because of the pandemic, I need to enroll online and teachers will give me presentations virtually, meet my classmates virtually, and share my ideas virtually with the use of the different apps for presentations. I was a little bit nervous during that time because I am not into technology.

But eventually, I learned through time. With the advent of the changes brought by the pandemic, I have to cope with the changes, or else I could no longer proceed with my Master's Degree and it was just a waste of time and money.

After one semester, one of my classmates told the group to have meet-ups to see the faces of one another. At first, I am in doubt to join the meet-up. Aside from the fact that I came from far away countryside, and some of them are only living in the city and I don't know the different whereabouts of the place, I might get lost. Or maybe, I don't belong to the group though we exchange thoughts and ideas during classes it's different than seeing them personally.

Even if meeting my online classmates for the first time gives me thrills and doubts, I am also excited to see them so that if we will bump into malls and corners by chance, we will recognize each other. So, I commit and said yes to them.

It was last June 11, 2022, when we decided to meet my online classmates who turns out to be online friends as the days passed. We meet at SM Seaside in Cebu City. One of our teachers in the Master's Degree is also joining us for the first time.

While on the escalator, I am thrilled to meet them up. I told myself to run away instead of going to the place suggested. But, I am in the said place so why not give them "hi" instead of running away so that I will recognize them?

_{The Sumptuous Meal we Order and Share}
We meet around lunchtime so we look for a place where we can eat our lunch. Our teacher suggested "Seafood Island", I guess everyone agreed and wanted to try the food for the first time.

_{Taking photos before eating the meal served}
After making an order, everyone was talking about schools and some personal life. Then everyone was exchanging talks. Some are asking about the subject they want to enroll in the next semester to come and wanted to be classmates again so that we have friends during classes.

_{The Happy faces of my online classmates sharing talks and exchanging smiles with each other}
After eating, we then give a little token to our teacher who is also present during the meet-up. She is very happy and glad that even though we are in the pandemic, still students are making ways to meet their teachers and recognize their valuable effort.

Afterward, we then go in separate ways for some have errands to attend to and some will go for groceries. But before separating ways, we make a little pose outside the restaurant and into the inner part of the mall.

Indeed, it was a beautiful experience meeting my online friends for the first time. Though thrilled because of the negative thinking about them and afraid as well to see them personally, it turns out that I am wrong.

Glad to see them in person rather than seeing and hearing them online.

What advice would you give to someone who is considering meeting their online friends for the first time?

We are hesitant and in doubt during the first meeting up with online friends for all of us have different likes and dislikes but respect is the key to it. Agree if you like and say something if you don't, have a better camaraderie in the group and probably with that, the meet up will be successful

As they say, you cannot please everyone, meeting them personally doesn't mean you have the right to downgrade others as you wish, it's up to you how will you show respect to one another.

Have a nice day!

Thank you so much for reading this far and for a little support to my blog. That's all for today Hive friends. Keep safe everyone. See you on my next blog!

_{Lead images edited through Canva}
_{All photos were grabbed from our GC during the meet-ups.}