When you begin college, contact with your best friends from home becomes harder and more distant. I have always made an effort to stay in touch with all my hometown friends and have remained close to many of them. Yes, we don't talk as much as we used to, but that doesn't mean we're not as close as we have been our entire lives. However, as we progress into our college years, we begin exploring our education options and that includes the opportunity to study abroad. Currently, two of my best friends from home are studying abroad and let me tell you, many aspects of your friendship will change.
Contact will become limited, but you'll appreciate every conversation you have with them.
I'm lucky that one of my best friends is in London and can still send iMessages so texting is possible, but only at random times when it's either the morning or late evening for either of us. I'll wake up to texts from her as she's working on homework in the late afternoon and after my day of classes, she'll be getting ready to go to bed. There's only a short window of time where we can fit in a conversation. My other best friend, however, is doing a semester at sea and can only communicate via email so our friendship has gone back to 2004. I'm able to communicate with her every week or two depending on if she's docked or at sea. Because of this limited conversation, nothing makes me happier when I see a text or email from them.
You'll want to post their pictures on Instagram just to brag about how cool your friends are.
Every time my friends upload pictures to Facebook, I have to hold back the urge to not take the cutest one and post it on Instagram just to show off how awesome they are. I'm a proud best friend who's watching them do cool things and see beautiful places. Also, I like to live vicariously through them and pretend I'm there with them, mainly because I'm jealous of their experiences.
Coincidentally, you'll be stalking their Facebooks and Instagrams ready to comment and like every picture they post.
Post a picture in a London telephone booth? You know I want to be the first one to pull out a "Parent Trap" quote. A picture in Greece?I've already started deciding between the three "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" quotes I want to comment and you best believe I will be spamming their Facebooks with notifications for liking all 300 pictures they have posted.
You're counting down the days till winter break when you'll finally be reunited.
It used to be Thanksgiving break that you would look forward to together so that you can reunite with your hometown friends. Now, I find myself counting down the days till Christmas when my whole friend group will be reunited. Home isn't the same without them and Thanksgiving will definitely be lonely without them to share college stories with.
You begin looking up your school's study abroad programs.
Now you want to join in on the fun and see the world just like they did!
It's only a few more months until the travelling students return home and until then, odd-time texts, emails, and Facebook stalking will have to suffice as we watch our friends have the time of their lives.
