In my childhood I met a very good person, the person who became my true friend, the one who had a big impact on the values of my life.

When I was 13 years old, my parents and I moved to another city. Everything was new for me, especially the school. I came to the class where kids had been together since the 1st grade. My new classmates were cold to me. They showed me that they didn't like strangers. After a couple of days one of my classmates came to me and said that I should not answer teachers' questions even if I know the correct answer. She said that if I want to be the smartest in the class I could get in trouble. I was surprised and disappointed. But I was not going to change myself. I did not care what they thought about me. I started to feel lonely in that school.

One day, we went to the gym and one girl injured her knee, doing exercise. I helped her to get to the doctor. Next day she has got her knee surgery. She could not walk for a couple of weeks, I came every day to check her after school. We did our homework together, talked about school, books, friendship, parents; we talked about everything. We understood each other from one word, one sight, one thought.

When she got well, we became best friends. We went skating, watched movies, took dance lessons, went camping together. We celebrated our birthday parties and holidays. I liked to spend time with my new friend. Oksana was a kind, intelligent, and friendly person. She learned so quickly. She read a lot of interesting books, and she shared her knowledge with me. Her attitude toward the study stimulated me to be a good student. She never lost her patience explaining to me the complicated subjects like chemistry or math. I learned from her how to study hard and enjoy it.

I respect Oksana for her purpose. Her strong wish to be a doctor came true after attempting to enroll into the Medical school for 3 consecutive years. She did not have money to pay her tuition, but Oksana finally won a scholarship.

I adore her workaholic qualities. She was the best student at the high school and college who completed both programs with the gold medal. Now Oksana works as a therapist at the hospital in Ukraine. She does not work for money. Her salary is only $100 a month. My friend likes to help people. She is reliable person. She often stays over time when patients need her help.

I like her values. She has a good family relationship, she honors her parents, loves her husband, dreams to have children. When one of her friends gets sick, she is there to help; she even brings medicine and takes care of you till you get well.

Growing up we continue to be close friends. We did not have time to meet very often, but we kept in touch. Today, she is in Ukraine and I am in USA. We write letters to each other and miss our relationship. I think that for the real friends this distance is not a problem. I believe we will meet some day and our friendship would last forever. I miss her so much and I am proud to have her as my friend.