Over spring break, I flew 11 hours overseas to end up in Florence, Italy. Why, you ask yourself, would this crazy person with hip problems make herself suffer through an 11-hour flight in a small airline seat where she can’t get up and move around? Well, my lovely readers, I subjected myself to that because I hadn’t seen one of my friends in person in over a year.
Let’s bring it back – I lived with Rachael my first semester of sophomore year, until she transferred to a school in New York to find a major that she loved. We met freshman year when we both joined the same sorority. I hated my freshman year roommate and wanted to move in with someone who was at least not a messy, loud-chewing sociopath, so we chose each other. As if by chance, we found out that we had way too much in common…like a weird amount of stuff in common. After suffering through another semester of a major she hated, she decided that she was going to transfer to a school closer to home. Her last night in Miami, we made pasta in the microwave and toasted with the maneschweitz that I won her in white elephant earlier that week.
Even though she moved back to New York, we kept in touch. We text each other stupid stuff that reminds us of each other, mostly memes. We watch T.V. shows together on FaceTime when we are 500 miles away from each other. She’s the only FaceTime I’ll pick up that isn’t my best friend of 15 years or my little sister. We sing duets of Wicked and binge The Office. She texts me at weird hours of the day and I respond at weird hours of the day – that’s just our dynamic. She took away the ladder on my lofted bed because I was mean, and then we made up by going to see a movie together.
We have experienced so much together. Rachael has witnessed the only two times in my adult life where I have thrown up. She introduced me to one of my favorite bands and we jammed out in her car on the way to the mall. We explored my favorite city together over break and I got to share my family history with her. She witnessed me watch the finale of both Parks and Recreation and The Office, which are two of my favorite shows that have ever aired. We share a love of mozzarella sticks, watching the sunset on Piazzale Michelangelo and drinking cappuccinos in train stations.
Rachael is one of the best things that has ever happened to me – she is my shining star, my Raphael. Sure, my sorority brought me to her, but her personality made me stay. Make sure you have someone that you would cross an ocean for; they are the best type of friends. Tag your friends in the comments below if they’d cross an ocean to come visit you.
Header image from http://cdn.quotesgram.com/img/73/22/1074294619-153809.jpg and all other images are mine.