If you had told me a year ago that I would be in a long-distance relationship, I never would have believed you. If you had told me that I would be in two of them—that involved two of my newest and dearest friends nomadically venturing halfway across the planet—that's likely where I would have drawn the line.
I think the strangest realization with these long-distance relationships, ones not romantic but still completely full of love, would have been realizing that the states, oceans, continents between us did not separate us, but made us closer.
The idea of studying abroad is a daunting concept that, for many, halts the process altogether. While going to college and beginning your life anew is scary, the reality of moving your life into the context of a new country, away from all of your customs and cultural norms—not to mention family and friends—can be terrifying. For many years, I assumed that this fear was only inherent in the act of moving yourself away; however, learning that my close friends were headed to Rome for an entire semester was a new apprehension altogether. I worried for all of the upcoming days before their departure whether we would lose touch and potentially drift away as easily and quickly as we had fallen together. I learned, at the semester-long notion of plane takeoffs, Facebook messages, Facetime calls and postcards, that I had nothing to fear.
The funny thing about moving away, even if for a mere semester, is that it does not stretch out the strings connecting you with your loved ones to the point that the break, unless you allow them too. For the most part, if you keep in touch, the strings stretching you to your friends abroad only tighten and increase the connectivity between you and them as the miles apart increase. The truest loves in this world are the type that can withstand the tests of time and distance; that can be pulled and released back together in unity, that can be felt warmly regardless of physical presence. The power of kind words and the impact of appreciation for a friend do not need to travel across oceans, for both of those entities are oceans, deep and constantly moving with energy in and of themselves.
While fear is present at any point of change, the reality of a friend moving away is that you will learn more about yourself than ever, just as they will likely change in their new context of another place in the world. While the world is large, the power of connectivity and friendship is so much larger. Self-exploration involves not only going out into the world but also diving inward. It is a beautiful opportunity to see the world in this period of distance, and oftentimes, seeing the world through the eyes of a friend is just as beautiful. While the days separating you from reuniting with the people you care about abroad are difficult, the reunion will be worth it. Just as love has the capacity to grow and change and roam over landscapes of unpredictability, the magnitude of learning more about friendship through the interwoven fabrics of adventure allows for a journey that transcends anything static.
"Abroad" is not simply a term to categorize the act of being in another part of the world. It can simply mean relearning your life without the physical presence of those that you care about. You may be abroad in yourself for a few months without these friends by your side, but I guarantee your adventures will be anything but boring. Traveling apart may, perhaps, be the very thing that brings you together. After all, what are passport stamps but experiences that mark stories to share? What are plane tickets but tangible artifacts of moments where time stopped and you could appreciate the people in your life? What are miles apart but reminders of all you have waiting for you when you, or the ones you love, return?
