Joining a Community

I believe that joining communities is simply a common and expected practice in which all people have to experience.  Whenever someone begins something new, or tries something they have never done before, they are usually joining a community that appreciates or focuses on the same thing.  Joining a new community, in my opinion, is fun because you are exposed to the unknown, and you learn a lot about yourself and others.  At the same time, joining new communities can be somewhat scary, due to the fact that you might be the odd one out for a short amount of time. I have joined many different communities throughout my lifetime.  One of the most special communities that I have joined is my community of coworkers at the restaurant I work at.  I have been working at Outback Steakhouse for two and a half years now, and the friendships and fun times I have had there have been irreplaceable.  I first got my job there about a week before I turned 16.  I remember when I first began there I felt so excited to be doing something so responsible and on my own, but I remember feeling a little bit lost at the very beginning, because I had to learn all of the ropes and how to do everything correctly (and I am a perfectionist), and most of the people were a few years older than me.  Throughout my entire life, I have always gotten along well with people who are older than me, I don't know exactly what it is, but I have always enjoyed being around them.  Some of my closest friends that I work with are 2 or 3 years older than me and I have some of the most fun memories with them.  Something special about my community at my job, is that I look to a lot of my older friends as the sisters or brothers that I never had-I am an only child.  In all honesty, Outback is a special community in my life, and I feel grateful to be able to say that I always look forward to going to work, because it just feels like I'm hanging out with friends.  Through my job and learning within my community at Outback, I feel like a more interesting person, and I have learned a lot about myself and society.