‘Virtual friendship’ becomes virtual reality for Southmoreland student
After three and a half years of Facebook messages and Skype calls, a friendship finally became more than just “virtual reality” for Southmoreland sophomore Dylan Opalinski.
The person behind the computer screen came to life when John Dodson traveled almost 900 miles from Jacksonville, Arkansas to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to meet Opalinski.
“Seeing him at the airport was really weird,” said Opalinski. “I couldn’t bring myself to look right at him for at least t10minutes because it wasn’t my phone or on snapchat.”
When playing the online video game “Garry’s Mod,” Opalinksi saw a username that was related to a TV show he had interest in, so he added the user, and the duo “went from there.”
“His trip was relatively short notice,” said Opalinski. “We maybe had a month to plan everything. A few of our friends always joked about him coming to Pennsylvania for a visit, but I never thought it would go any further than that.”
But as their friendship grew stronger, Dodson and Opalinski became “regulars” in the virtual world of video games which evolved into Skype calls as their form of communication.
“When I first started talking to him, I thought he was strange but in a good kind of way,” said Dodson. “Dylan and I quickly grew fond of each other thanks to our similar sense of humor and hobbies.”
One of the first things Dodson did upon his arrival was travel to Southmoreland High School after the weekly marching band practice to meet his other out-of-state friends that he made through contact with Opalinksi.
“I was so overjoyed that I cried because I was so excited to see him,” said junior Jamie Cochran.
After first being added to a Skype call with Dodson, Cochran thought it was a “one time thing” and she would never talk to him again. But little did she know that one Skype call would lead to years of friendship.
“I never would’ve expected we would become friends, but I’m for sure thankful that’s how it turned out,” said Dodson.
Over Dodson’s stay in Pennsylvania he was able to tour “the great city of Pittsburgh” and go to a concert with some of his closest friends.
“I thought it was neat how everyone around here is friends with John through Dylan,” said Opalinski’s mother, Ms. Sarah Opalinski.
In today’s generation, contact with unfamiliar people on the Internet can often be a great concern for parents. And in Ms. Opalinski’s case, it was no different.
“I asked the normal parent questions like, ‘How do you know this kid really is who he says he is?’” said Ms. Opalinski. “As a parent, you totally worry about that stuff.”
While her son was at school or marching band practice, Dodson spent a lot of time in the Opalinski household without his friend by his side. Although Ms. Opalinski’s job as a substitute teacher at Southmoreland High School makes her “used to kids always talking,” nothing could have prepared her for an experience quite like this one.
“Of course I had to talk to him and his parents on Skype before he left to come here,” said Ms. Opalinski. “It was weird because John’s a very quite person, and Dylan and I are not.”
After the long awaited trip to meet his virtual friends, the Opalinski’s and Dodson left Scottdale around to make Dodson’s flight back to Arkansas.
“Right before he left I thanked him for being such a good friend throughout these few years,” said junior Shelby Bryan. “Seeing him in person was one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever had.”
Although this experience seems like a once in a lifetime event, the friend group hopes this trip will be able to happen again in the future.
“It was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had, and not many moments can compare to something like this,” said Opalinski.
Bailey Geehring
"Be a rainbow in someone else's cloud"- Maya Angelou
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