This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Pace chapter.
- Thank you for taking care of me when I was homesick and actually sick. Getting sick abroad can be hard especially since you are thousands of miles away from your mother, but luckily your friends are there to help you.
- Thank you for traveling to new places with me. For most of us, studying abroad means having to travel alone. Luckily you don’t have to be completely alone, since you have new friends to travel with.
- Thank you for sharing your wardrobe with me. For four months we were forced to live with barely a fourth of our complete wardrobes. Fortunately, your new friends are willing to let you borrow their clothes as well as borrow yours.
- Thank you for pushing me to try new things. Whether these were experiences or eating ethnic foods, your friends always helped you get out of your comfort zone and try new things.
- Thank you for doing things with me that you weren’t necessarily interested in. Sometimes there are things you want to see or places you want to visit that no one else wants to, but your friends are always there to come along even if they aren’t as excited to go as you are.
- Thank you for staying in with me when I didn’t feel like going out. Some people treat studying abroad as an excuse to go out and party every night, but your friends will sacrifice their night out to stay in and hangout with you.
- Thank you for teaching me about your own culture and hometown. People in your study abroad program are from all over the country, if not the world. Not only do you learn about the culture where you are studying but also the culture of your new friends.
- Thank you for helping me out with my school work. Some of us forget that studying abroad actually requires work. Your friends are always willing to be in your video production video, or help edit your essay.
- Thank you for allowing me to become friends with your friends and vice versa. If you’re lucky enough, your hometown friends will come abroad to visit you. Your new study abroad friends and your old friends get to meet and become pals also.
- Thank you for being my friends. Studying abroad is a scary new experience that wouldn’t be the same without the friends you make.
I am so happy that the friends I made abroad will stay my friends for the rest of my life. In just 4 short months we went from being complete strangers from all over the world to great friends, I can’t thank you enough for making my study abroad experience the best ever.