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(4) RYAN COOKE, My best friend ever



Everyone who knows me in the England definitely knows that I have a friend called Ryan Cooke, and if my life has any difference from other people, it is also because of him.

It was in the late September of last year I met Ryan in front of the library.
He told me that when I introduced myself in the class, he already decided to make friends with me because instead of explaining why I study at this programme, I said that Taiwanese army sucks and like to drink whisky.

Ok, fair enough. As for me, before we had our first coffee in the Opposite, my impression of him was that he is a tall guy, like to listen to Jazz, dresses like a band player and can drink a lot.
I think that we do exchange our numbers, but for a new comer in the UK like me, it is almost impossible to understand what a native speaker is talking about on the phone at beginning, anyway, thanks god, we can use text.

However, the first coffee with him was not through the phone or text but the coincidence (if there is no destiny).

I was going to the gym and saw a tall guy with a big black coat in front of the library, and I said hi to him then he asked if I want to have a coffee.

Surely I wanted to, not only because I could practice my English but also he seemed like an interesting dude.

The truth is that the first coffee with him was a little bit awkward.
Two men sit on two small chairs (for him it was smaller) and drank coffee with brownie in the afternoon and talked about Buddhism, music and travelling experience.

I could tell that he was trying hard to understand my English and of course, I also used my imagination to complete and understand every sentence he talked to me.

Then the body language was essential. Thanks God again, we are both good at it.

After few texts and conversations in the class, we went for a drink in the town one night instead of coffee and ever since then, we started our drinking session and it is still going on now.

We drank when went down to London together, when I went to his gig, when having a cheap but delicious pizza, when we are in the park, in the pub, in the club, after watching movie, after class, during camping in the morning or in the night and even when we feel hangover. Incredible, but feels good.

It seems that the beer plays an important role in our life, but the beers won’t be so tasty without him.

So we went to many places together, we are a team.

Once we hit a stranger’s house party and turned out to be very popular in the house.
When I passed out in several house parties, he carried me home, or somewhere safer, and I have never seen him pass out yet, although he did get drunk many times.

Apart from being party animals, we went to see the concert, museums and explored the country side as well and went to gym together once...or maybe twice.

He also went to London to watch me to play basketball tournament where he was the only British, awesome! But most of time, we quite enjoyed spending time in the pub to chill out with few pints of beer and talking.

We talked about everything of life at present, past and even future when we drank beer, coffee or tea. From girls, expensive bus tickets to the future, every little thing in my life has switched into the English mode almost 24-7.

It was so cool for me to have a western friend at the beginning of my life in the Britain, kind of fancy stuff for Asian guys, isn't? But then I realized what is really fantastic is not because he can’t speak Chinese (now he can speak my name in Chinese at least), but we can communicate with each other even my English is only capable. With finding similar mind and bridging our spirits together, our friendship is behind any visible boundary. This wouldn’t happen if I didn’t go abroad or, he didn’t ask me for a cup of coffee a year ago.

To be a friend with him also let me understand what is a good friend is that he can do shit things and be crazy with you and help each other on everything when you need him. But the most important thing is that 1 plus 1 can make two people’s life better, more fun and stronger.

Anyway I was going to write something funnier but not an essay-like article, it seems impossible to achieve and maybe I still need him to proofread it for me as usual.

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