Submitted by Althea Suniga on the 2019 spring semester program in Rome, Italy…
Leaving your friends at home while you study abroad could be one of the hardest things you can do. For four months, you meet new people and make new friends on your own while the friends you already have do the same without you. Fortunately, I got to visit one of my best friends, Julia, in Paris, France during her own study abroad experience. After two months of communication only on screen with my close friend, nothing felt better than the moment we were hugging again in the airport arrivals.
We all make promises to the people we leave behind when we go abroad for four months. Promises like video chatting every week, sending post cards, and keeping our Snapchat streaks no matter the time difference. But one thing I have always been bad at is keeping in touch, so conversations are often short and shallow. How I know that a friendship I formed is a strong one though is when the moment I see that person again, we can talk like there was not a time we were apart. That is exactly what it felt like seeing my good friend Julia again.
The four days I spent in Paris felt too short of a time due to the stories we had to tell, from the hardships of our classes and the troubles of navigating our respective cities. But getting the chance to visit her city and getting to meet the new friends she has made created a more meaningful experience while visiting her. At the same time, in the time of our friendship all we knew of each other was what we were on campus and the occasional visits to each other’s towns during the summer. The opportunity to now travel together and visit each other in our cities adds a new experience in our friendship.
I have learned that while abroad, absence does indeed make the heart grow fonder. But once reunited, it feels like no time was lost at all.