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steve and yaser first met in their chemistry class at an american university. yaser was an inter-national student from jordan. he was excited to get to know an american. he wanted to learn more about american culture. yaser hoped that he and steve would become good friends. at first, steve seemed very friendly. he always greeted yaser warmly before class. sometimes he offered to study with yaser. he even invited yaser to eat lunch with him. but after the semester was over, steve seemed more distant. the two former classmates didn't see each other very much at school. one day yaser decided to call steve. steve didn't seem very interested in talking to him. yaser was hurt by steve's change of attitude. "steve said we were friends," yaser complained. "and i thought friends were friends forever." yaser is a little confused. he is an outsider to american culture. he doesn't understand the way americans view friendship. americans use the word friend in a very general way. they may call both casual acquaintances and close companions "friends". americans have school friends, work friends, sports friends and neighborhood friends. these friendships are based on common interests. when the shared activity ends, the friendship may fade. now steve and yaser are no longer classmates. their friendship has changed. in some cultures friendship means a strong life-long bond between two people. in these cultures friendships develop slowly, since they are built to last. american society is one of rapid change. studies show that one out of five american families moves every year. american friendships develop quickly, and they may change just as quickly. | 
