That time of our lives has come where anyone and everyone is jetting off to Canada, spending a few months in America’s finest kid’s camps or devoting a college year to a completely different university in an entirely different country. Everyone, even our own partners.
I won’t say that I was unlucky enough for it to happen to me because it’s one of the most amazing opportunities a person could receive at this age, I believe so anyway.
My own boyfriend gravitated towards ‘year abroad talks’ and looking into prospective colleges that he may or may not go to, much like an insect to a Venus flytrap. I could see that the more he looked into it, his chances of staying here were rapidly depleting. And I lost him almost immediately in this throng of newfound freedom and lofty endeavours that an EU Erasmus promises to students.
It’s hard to be happy about something that seems like it’s going to alter your life massively. And it isn’t until it really happens that you finally have to come to terms that you can’t do anything but be supportive.
It’s easy to be angry when someone so close to you finds it so easy to be away from you. Especially if you’re the one they’re leaving behind. It was like this for me, I spent days in my room feeling a mixture of sadness and anger and frustration.
However, thinking about it now, I understand that I was just predisposed to everything that happened because I felt like in any circumstance I was drawing the short straw, always.
This sensitivity made me realise how major this decision is for a couple. Whether you decide to separate or stay and brave it together, I applaud you. There are days where I get so angry and I just can’t understand why they would chose to do something that’s going to put a wedge between us.
Especially a wedge that is 1,500 km long. However, there are days where I’m filled with admiration. For a home bird like me, I can’t imagine leaving my family and forcing myself into a situation where I know nobody. I will admit though, I have a huge amount of respect for those that have the audacity to do it.
No matter the situation, always be supportive especially if it’s someone you love. A friend, a partner or otherwise. The best that you can do is to just be there.
I feel like there’s a stigma that comes with being so young and being so in love with someone that you want to spend all your time with them, which is why I don’t particularly like the phrase ‘you’re young, go live your life’.
Just because we’re young and somewhat compliant doesn’t mean that in order to make a decision this big, we have to drop everything else. If something is meant to be, it’ll prevail