Over winter break, I traveled to Arizona State University to visit my best friend. I woke up at 3 am to catch my 5:45 am flight out of Logan Airport in Boston. I groggily went through security and eventually got onto the plane. The flight was five hours but Arizona is two hours behind of MA, so I practically went back in time.
The last time I had seen her was in May when we went to prom together. As kids, we lived in the same town and our parents befriended each other. When she moved away in fourth grade, we stayed in contact because of our parents. But that changed, and I can honestly say that I do not know the type of person I would be without her friendship. She keeps me down to earth and has been there for me through all the ups and downs in my life. My best friend inspires me to be a better person, and always reminds me of what’s truly important.
Unfortunately, I visited during her first week of classes so she was busy. However, I would sleep in and explore campus while she was in class. The amount of times I went to the campus store is unbelievable. I felt like a proud parent shopping because I wanted to buy it all. In the end, I got a sweatshirt, shirt, scrunchie, and postcards. Since I was little, I have collected postcards everywhere I go. One of the postcards I got was of the auditorium building because that is where she had marching band practices during the fall semester. I wanted to commemorate that memory, which made me feel more like a proud parent.
All in all, I had a great time. I wish I could go back because I miss her a lot, but we’ll see each other soon. I did observe a lot in the four days and I wanted to comment on how different it was from Babson College. First of all, it’s a state school so it is huge. A far walk at Babson is at most ten minutes, but in Tempe, you could be walking for thirty minutes and still not be at your destination. Also, there is so much food! They have restaurants, cafes, and smoothie places all across their campus. The convenience was so surprising to me since Babson is not as close to a variety of food places. The downfall was that the more I experimented with food, the more my wallet died.
One thing is clear from this travel, Arizona State University may not be my home, but it certainly is hers. She is thriving and I could not be more proud of her. Her willingness to try new things inspires me and I could not be prouder to call her my best friend. I am jealous that Arizona is lucky enough to have her, but I know we will always stay in touch. To my best friend, who’s from the moon and a Sun Devil, I am so proud of you.