From the moment I met Bijan Fazeli, I knew he would be an interesting character BECAUSE HE WAS CRIPPLED AT THE TIME. In the summer of 2010, we met at NACURH 2010, which, as random as it was, was probably one of the best conferences I have ever been to in my life. Despite him being crippled at the time, the experiences we shared as friends were so surreal and everlasting that it has carried onto the present day. This included of course random late night conversations, where he didn’t actually end up saying much (the convos were mostly dominated by Lauren and I).
Our friendship grew my Junior year in the same manner it grew with Amul – namely, through planning random events in the Inter-College Resident’s Association, dealing with the drama that was ICRA, and having fun doing random things with the ICRA clique. This included of course:
- Phil’s BBQ Trips
- Food Runs
- Tofu House Runs (including Bijan’s epic car accident on the day I had the stomach flu)
- Study Sessions
- Boardgame Nights
- Random Hangouts
- Dumb Conferences (PACURH 2010)
- Hosting a portion of the Rezzies
- Stupid Team Building Activities (stacking cups with strings)
- Res-Council Dinners hosted by Bijan, which were hilarious.
I thought our friendship would mostly wither away as we all left the club that was ICRA. A true test of friendship is if it remains long the convenience of distance and a reason for hanging out dissipates. Little did I know, we would continue to interact my Senior year of college with our subsequent involvements in the Ron Paul Club as well as Tzu Ching. There was a specific instance where I knew I had made a friend for life, when, after the loss of my ex-girlfriend from ICRA, Bijan attempted to console me as I cried outside a Tzu Ching Orientation meeting. It was very awkward, but I knew in that moment that Bijan was trying his best to make me feel better (despite it not really working).
Long after my graduation, I have maintained contact with Bijan in a plethora of different ways, which involves interactions with mostly Amul, and a few other should I say “unique” individuals. This includes random trips for food, to Universal Studios, and of course Museums such as the La Brea Tar Pits and the California Science Center.
Though our activity has significantly died down together since he has gotten a girlfriend, I know I have made a true friend for life. And I’ll see him definitely this summer as we volunteer together at Anime Expo.
Thanks for the laughs, the awkwardness, and the company all these years, Bijan. #26reasonswhy
