If you're like me, you love meeting new people and making new friends, but at the same time it scares you. Because you're afraid of losing the relationships you've learned to hold close. Sometimes the best friendships we make are the ones that we least expect, or the ones that do scare us. This past spring I studied abroad in Santander, Spain for a semester and made friendships that I know will stand the test of time. Here are a few reasons why.
1. We lived in another country together for 3 months.
Sometimes it feels like a dream! Sure, I didn't know them when we all boarded the plane in the Charlotte Douglas Airport, but in a way they were the only piece of home I had with me when we touched down in Spain.
2. We experienced new things together.
Everything was brand new for all of us. The way I see it, experiencing new things with people creates a special type of bond that is hard to forget. Whether it was getting lost in a city trying to find our next Airbnb, shopping in the grocery store for the first time, or even trying to unlock European doors, every day was a new adventure.
3. They'll listen to the same Spanish songs with me over and over.
It probably took us close to the whole 3 months to even be able to sing along to the Spain Top 50 songs... but hey, we tried. And now they hold a special place in our hearts. Every time I hear those songs, they take me right back to Spain and the memories we made during our time there. Not to mention, they are incredibly fun to dance to!
4. And speaking of music, they hate the Justin Bieber remix of Despacito as much as I do.
Ayy Fonsi. I don't even want to talk about it.
5. Our inside jokes.
Like anyone, we have our share of inside jokes that we'll be laughing at for years to come. Most of them just happen to involve Spanish words and accents. ¡Que guay!
6. They live in North Carolina.
Luckily my friends aren't too far away. They might not go to the same school as me, but it's nice knowing I could show up to annoy them at any time without having to travel across the States to get there.
7. Our group snap.
Whether it's the Spanish flag on a bulletin board, or an Enrique song that randomly pops up on the radio, you better believe it will be documented and sent out immediately.
8. They have seen all sides of me.
Yes that's right. They have seen me standing in complete awe of lighthouses and snow capped mountains, but they've also seen me cry over strawberry ice cream. It was just that good.
9. We'll always consider Santander a home.
None of us had even heard of this place called Santander, but now there's no way any of us will ever be able to forget it.
10. Only they will ever understand what truly went down in Spain.
At the end of the day, they're the ones who were by my side for 3 months. We will always have Spain in common. And I doubt that we'll be able to forget the best semester of our lives any time soon. So here's to you Amelia, Blake, Hannah, Rachel, and Rachel, and here's to our friendship. I lahhhhhvvvv it.
