Now that finals are FINALLY over, it’s time to enjoy a well-deserved break. It’s also time to bid farewell to all the new friends we’ve made this semester. For some, this goodbye will only last three weeks until the spring semester starts up. For others, however, this semester is their last at FIU and now it’s time to pack up their things and exchange emotional goodbyes with their friends. Living on campus gives you the ability to form close bonds with those around you. Being away from their families makes people crave companionship. You grow close to your roommates and/or other on-campus residents. You find people to eat dinner with, to study with, or to just hang out with. Before you know it, you’ve got yourself a new little family who you spend most of the semester with. That makes it even more painful when it’s time to go your separate ways.
Brandon Sana, a 23 year-old senior at Western Oregon University majoring in Psychology, was here for one semester as part of the National Student Exchange program (think Study Abroad, without the abroad part). When asked what he would miss about FIU, Brandon responded with, “The strong bonds that I’ve created with individuals from a variety of places,” as well as, “The movie nights that led to little to no sleep before class the next day.” Shayla Waiki, a 21 year-old junior at the University of Hawaii at Hilo majoring in Marine Science, was also here for a semester as part of NSE and stated that she would miss her friends, the school spirit and all the diversity.
Saying good bye is never easy. Especially when someone lives so far away from you. You find yourself wondering if you’re ever going to see them again. Regardless of whether you see them again or not, you’ll always have the memories of all your adventures together. Miriam Adeney once said, “You will never be completely at home again, because part of your heart will always be elsewhere. That is the price you pay for the richness of loving and knowing people in more than one place.”
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