Studying abroad is an amazing opportunity to see the world, experience other cultures, and understand life in different countries. While in college, many students will take advantage of the chance to simultaneously travel and get an education; others cannot fit it into their schedule or simply can't imagine leaving their home country for that long. Whether or not you decide to go abroad, having one of your friends go abroad while you are still at school is almost unbearably difficult. It leaves a huge hole in your friend group, and even though you stay in contact with your distant pal, you are secretly counting down the days until you are reunited.
Goodbyes are always the hardest part.
When you send your friend off, you are fighting the selfish urge to beg him or her not to leave you. You know that they are going to have an amazing time, and you promise to keep in touch. It's hard to let them go, but they'll be back soon, right?
Well, maybe not harder than realizing that you are thousands of miles away from each other.
A couple of days go by, and it finally hits you. Your friend is in a different country, on a different continent, maybe even across an ocean. You didn't realize it at first, but now it is terrifying to think about how physically far away you are from each other.
Time zones. Forgot about that.
Many of us tend to forget that morning in New York is almost dinner time in Hungary. You are at school, doing all of the things that you used to do with your friend, meanwhile they are probably asleep. Plus, since the International Date Line (IDL) goes through the Pacific Ocean, roughly between Russia and Alaska (about 180º Longitude) it is possible that while you are talking to your friend today, they are already living in tomorrow.
You cherish the conversations you get to have with them.
If your friend that's abroad wants to FaceTime, it's time to leave class and get somewhere where you can hear each other. Seriously though, any chance that you get to catch up with them is a chance that you have to take, because they are busy with classes and sightseeing the same way that you are busy with procrastinating and watching Netflix.
They try to let you see what they see by sending you awesome pictures.
If your friend is traveling, your friend is taking pictures. They may have no idea what they are taking pictures of, but they are taking them.
It makes you happy to see that they are enjoying themselves.
Your friend may be abroad, but he or she is still the same person that you were once pulling all nighters with, beating in Kan Jam and just goofing off with… in other words, they're still crazy, just in a different country.
The longer they are abroad, the more you miss them.
It seems to get harder and harder every week. On the outside, you are happy and supportive of your friend as they have a priceless and life changing experience. On the inside, you are starting to break down.
You don't want to make your friend more homesick.
You avoid telling your friend how much you miss them because you are afraid that it will make them more homesick than they already are. It's an internal struggle: you want your friend to know how much you care about them, but you don't want them to know how much it is killing you to be apart for so long.
Seriously though, you miss them so much it hurts.
Your other friends aren't taking it so well, either.
Your friend group just isn't the same when someone is abroad. Some of you are taking it better than others.
In the end, you know that is for the best.
Every conversation that you have with your friend is proof that they made the right choice by going abroad. They have made so many new friends and had amazing experiences, it made all the hardship worthwhile. And besides, when they finally come back, it makes it even more special to be with them.
