At Michigan State University, "study abroad" is a term with which we have grown very familiar. Questions like, "When do you plan on studying abroad?" or, "Where are you going for your study abroad?" and of course, "How was your study abroad?" are questions we are all very used to hearing. We know that most of our friends plan to do their own studies abroad, as we do our own, but very few of us think about what it will be like to have an entire semester without our best friend next to us, that is, until it actually happens. 

I have been hearing about my best friend's study abroad trip since I first met her. I knew exactly when and where she planned on going and for how long. I knew for how long she would be gone from MSU and exactly what she would be studying. What I didn't know, however, was just how much I would miss her once she was gone. 

Now, I don't mean this to be terribly dramatic or borderline love story, but us girls take our best friendships very seriously. If you don't believe me, just look online. You will be able to find a plethora of articles about knowing when a girl has found her "person," what it is like when a girl hasn't seen her best friend in a while or ten signs a girl has found her college soulmate. The list goes on and on. Basically, don't mess with a girl's best friend.  

Though I am over-the-top ecstatic for my best friend and her Australian adventures, living through an entire semester of college without her right around the corner, I must admit, although selfishly, is much harder than I thought it was going to be. Everything that happens I have to tell her rather than her living it with me and vice versa, the heart to hearts, while always helpful, don't have quite the same effect, and basically every night out just isn't the same. But, as I have said, I am so excited and overjoyed that she is having such an amazing time. A girl just misses her best friend. Ya know? It's the ultimate inner turmoil. 

Now, for those of you who are expecting a best friend to study abroad in the near future, leaving you back in East Lansing feeling best friend-less, here is what you should expect:

First, you will feel crazy excited for your best friend, as you should. She is about to travel to foreign lands and bring back stories that will make every one of your stories from the semester seem like a night spent at bingo. Send her off happily and joyfully and in no way diminish her excitement. If a tear or two falls then that is okay, too. You aren't a robot after all. 

After a while, you will begin to feel her absence. Things won't quite be the same and you will find yourself texting her Whatsapp possibly more often than you should. At first it will be with the thousands of questions you have, then it will be just so the two of you don't stop talking for an entire two months while she is gone, then it will be with whatever thought comes into your mind that you want to share with her. As long as you understand that she won't always be able to respond right away or as often as you text it, then you're fine. Also, remember to take into account the timezone difference. 

Finally, though you know she is gone for the semester, you will grow to accept this fact and cope with it. A semester in college without your best friend will be different, but it is worth it to know that she is actually experiencing life. You'll still text her Whatsapp with your random thoughts and to check in on her and what she is up to, obviously. She is your best friend, after all. It just won't be as crazy often. You'll get wrapped up in your own life and before you know it, your best friend will be returning to you and the emptiness will be gone.