Traveling while abroad has been one of the coolest and most rewarding experiences of my life, but most recently I have had the greatest opportunity to travel with one of my oldest friends.
Traveling with new friends is fun and exciting and it's a great way to get to know each other, but this most recent experience of traveling with one of my oldest best friends was incredibly different to any of my other trips since being abroad.
Up until this point in my study abroad experience, I had never really felt homesick. Sure, I missed people every now and again and wanted them to be abroad with me so we could experience such amazing sights and moments together, but for the most part, I had been doing fine.
However, once my friend came to visit, I was immediately struck by just how much I missed home. Seeing her and being around her reminded me so much of the familiarity of my hometown and knowing where everything is and being a part of something that was so natural. It was such a good feeling to have that bit of home with me but also a bit defying at times.
This small little piece of home that was now a part of my other home in Glasgow was such a surreal moment. It felt like two worlds colliding, knowing that I could show off my "new life" to someone that had only known me from my life back home.
It all sounds a bit dramatic but after not seeing anyone from home for over three months, it's wild to be in the presence of someone who knows you better than you know yourself half the time.
Traveling with my friend was such a familiar feeling even though we had never actually traveled anywhere further than a few cities over with one another. But, somehow we fell into our groove of traveling and knew how we each clicked with practically no conflicts.
Knowing that someone who had known me for so long was with me was comforting in a way. Don't get me wrong, my other trips with my friends have been unreal, amazing experiences that I will always love, but this one was a bit different.
This trip felt so new but also so reminiscent at the same time. I felt like we were elementary school kids once again, walking our way around the lower field during lunch time instead of walking next to Big Ben.
Nothing will ever compare to traveling with such an old friend and I will cherish the moments we have (and will continue to have) traveling together.
I have found a friend who makes any situation feel right at home, even when we're far away from our normal ones. That is something we should all look for.
I already miss her and my home even more but I know that soon we will be reunited and we will fall back into our usual friendship "groove", remaining the same no matter where we are at in our lives or in the world.
