Introducing Your Friends - C2

Good afternoon, everyone. I'm Ali — a twenty-six-year-old primary school teacher who grew up in London and has lived in Manchester for the past two years. I have known my closest friend, Tom, since primary school, and, perhaps less obviously, I met most of my other friends through football. Beyond the immediately apparent, I try to meet up at least once a month even though we're all busy. At the same time, I value friends who are honest rather than just agreeable, if only because the alternative rarely serves anyone well. What I find myself returning to, more than anything else, is that I think distance has actually made some friendships stronger, not weaker. If nothing else, I hope this makes clear that what defines me is less any isolated fact than how the friendships that survive a house move are usually the ones worth keeping.