Friendships are hard. They require effort from each person, and there can be ups and downs — but in the end, friends are what keep us going. Friends are there for us at our lowest times, but also during our happiest times.
Imagine having all these experiences with someone who you can’t even see every day. My best friend lives in Argentina, about 5,300 miles away.
We met through being randomly paired up together in a high school exchange program where she stayed with my family for a month, and I went to Argentina a few months later to spend a month with her family.
This random pairing changed our lives forever.
Since then, she has visited me (by surprise), and I have gone back to visit her as well.
Even before we met in person, we knew we would be close friends because of our similar loves for movies, family, and dogs, but we ended up becoming sisters. Each visit is filled with tears when we have to go our separate ways, but the memories we make when we are together are enough to hold us over until the next time we visit the other person.
I have learned so much from my best friend.
She is one of the smartest, wisest, and most creative people I know, and I always go to her when I need advice for any situation. I can always count on her to give me an unbiased opinion on how to solve any problem that comes my way.
She has helped me with anything and everything, from boy problems to learning about her culture, I know she will always have something impactful to tell me.
Of course, I have best friends that are in the same country as me, and I cherish all of them, but having a best friend that lives in a completely different country has really taught me a lot about friendships.
It could have been easy for us to lose contact and just text each other on holidays, but we have both put in an effort to talk almost every day as if we aren’t thousands of miles apart.
We are constantly planning visits and updating each other on major life changes, so it sometimes feels like we are just regular best friends. We are like "normal" best friends, we just have to put in a little more work and love.
Besides the fact that we don’t get to see each other in person that much, the void in my life when we aren't together never seems overwhelming. The support, love, and appreciation we have for each other is always there, whether or not we are in the same country.
I am so blessed to have gained a sister through the exchange program that brought us together, and I can’t imagine it any other way. I am grateful for our families that we are so close to, who support us and let us visit each other.
Most of all, I am grateful to have a sister with whom I share endless memories and future goals, and I can’t wait until we see each other again.
