Dear Friends That Will Go Abroad,

You know who you are. And you know how much I love you. You're about to embark on a journey that I'm envious of - if you play your cards correctly, you'll learn a new language and a new culture, and get to know points of view that you'd never thought of before. You'll learn that there are so many more than two sides to every story, and you will learn to listen more than you thought you could. If your time abroad is anything like mine was, you will accumulate enough knowledge and stories to last a life time. There will be events that you will forget, and in three years you will suddenly remember when you happen to see someone whose nose crinkles just the way your little host brothers' did, or when you smell that unique mixture of city street and rosemary smoke that so reminds you of your favorite hangout.

You will spend nights where you are so incredibly sad. You will miss home, and you will be frightened, because you don't quite know what you're doing now, nor is it likely that you will know afterwards. You will have days where you're afraid to leave the front door because you've fulfilled your quota of newness. You'll want something familiar, and it's never guaranteed you'll find it. Know now that you will find familiarity and comfort in the weirdest of places - maybe you'll come home to a message from me, where I'm asking you how your day is going. Or maybe you'll find that you actually love drawing in your sketchbook in the nearby coffee shop, or that your neighbor actually has the same sense of humor that your mother has.

Everything is up in the air in this moment, and it is so incredibly... thrilling. That's the best word I can think of at this exact moment. Right now you're at the top of King Da Ka, waiting for the fall. Your stomach is squeezing in ways you didn't know it could, and your smile is so wide that your cheeks hurt. Your hands are clenching the bar in front in the unlikely event that you should fall out and flail in ways you never want to find out. You are setting out for perhaps the greatest adventure of your life. You are Hercules right before he leaves to find Zues, you are a pinpoint on the universe seeking out to explore, you have the world in your hands, and you better take advantage of that.

And I will miss you. So much. I will miss seeing your smile, I will miss your sarcasm telling me that I need to calm down when I'm flipping out over some boy, I will miss your endless laughter at my terrible jokes and blank stares at me when I'm being ridiculous. I will miss you presence - after all, I suppose we're long distance friends now. We may not always keep in contact - and that's okay. You'll live your life while you're abroad. I'll live my life at home. But I swear, when you get back, we're going to Sonic together, and you won't leave out a single detail of the greatest adventure - and I will enjoy my triple chocolate milkshake.

Love Always,

Your new long distance friend <3