Fortunately and unfortunately I met all my best friends 2 years ago while studying abroad in Italy. Of my six best friends I met on the trip, five graduated this Spring. A and I just happen to be the babies of the group so we’re still finishing up our undergrad degrees. I’ve never been one to make friends easily, I never run with a large cohesive group of friends, and I never liked the idea of a massive friend group. As an accounting major, I found it ridiculous and statistically impossible to have a massive group of friends where everyone was genuine and actually liked each other. I’m also not one to like being alone for too long.
I’m a very lazy person and love to chill and binge watch YouTube in my room for hours on end, but mentally, I really struggle to be happy when I’m not around people for at least a short period of time during the day. Basically, I have really great friends that make me really happy, but most of them are out of state now. It also doesn’t help that A commutes to campus for class, while I live on campus, so I don’t see her much. It should be noted that I’m writing this in my tax class right now and getting choked up. I miss my friends. So here are the very cool things my friends have been doing since they graduated:
K is working full-time as a recruiter at a college in PA. Lucky for me, K is traveling around my area in Cleveland to visit high schools so she stops by every couple weeks. K is the cheeriest of all of my friends. 100% happy go lucky at all times and an absolute master at fake crying when she gets bored and starts acting for no reason. K was one of my roommates in Rome along with A and S.
S is currently completing a year of service in Chicago. I see S as the mother of the group. Very nurturing and caring with a strong head on her shoulders so her year of service with at-risk kids in Chicago is a perfect fit for her. S is originally from Pittsburgh and was one of my three roommates in Rome. Lucky for me, I’m from the suburbs of Chicago and get to see S whenever I go home.
M leaving is one that hasn’t quite sunk in yet. It’s also the most permanent separation. M is currently starting her Ph.D. program in Latin, Greek, and Classical Studies in Philly. She’ll be there for the next six years which is almost an incomprehensible amount of time.
E and G moved to Northern Italy a couple of weeks ago for the next eight months to teach in high schools. This one is probably the most difficult. It helps knowing that they’re together and having the time of their lives, but I miss them.
At this point, I’m not really sure what the moral of the story is. Friendship stretches across borders and time, but it’s like super lame that you don’t just graduate college and move into a mansion with your best friends like the sleepover scene from Princess Diaries 2.