Travel and Friendship

When you're 'away' people constantly ask you what you miss from home. Well, I don't miss things or places, I miss people (and food, but that's for another blog post). April marks my eighth month in Uruguay. It doesn't feel like eight months at all, it actually feels like a lot less. I was blessed in March to have my Mom visiting for a whole month! If anything can ward off homesickness while you're abroad, it's a visit from your Mommy. Plus, I recently confirmed that I get to go home quickly in June to visit family and friends in Toronto. I'm so excited for hugs and time with loved ones! 

When I think about my quick visit in June, a big part of that excitement comes from being able to see my friends! I've been especially thinking about them lately, the amazing people I get to call friends, how important those relationships are, and the positive energy and support that we give each other, even from thousands of miles away! 

Jennifer and I make each other laugh with breathy voice recordings,
as we hustle through our days in Toronto and Montevideo!  

Since I moved to Uruguay I've had so much BIG and good news flooding in from my friends back home. I've had two really close girlfriends also move abroad, one to Belgium and the other to Tanzania. We all studied development and graduated in 2007, so it’s a beautifully fulfilled plan for us to all be living abroad right now. It's just like we had imagined in our 20's! I have another friend that went back to school at 28 and is just about to graduate from his four year degree program and start his dream career in urban planning. Another close girlfriend recently told me she is expecting baby number two this summer. And another good girlfriend just took the plunge and moved into a brand new duplex near her work. Plus, I have two girlfriends planning to visit me here in 2015, could there be a better thing to look forward to!? And those are just a few examples! 

They say that when you go abroad and then come home you'll find things haven't changed much. I would have to disagree this time around. When I was in Toronto a large portion of my friends were single, we had been career focused for years, without homes or children, we were holding out for the 'next step', but maybe not entirely sure what that was. Now,  I see my friends making big moves, big decisions, and I am really excited for them! I feel surrounded by intelligent, strong minded, and determined people that I am lucky to call friends. Despite the distance, they support and inspire me consistently. 

Simply put, I've been feeling really happy for my friends lately. It makes me happy to see them living out their dreams and loving their decisions. I miss them like crazy and the distance only reminds me of how irreplaceable they are. The hour long skype sessions, random facebook messages, real mail, and whats app voice recordings, all help to maintain the connection, but I know the connection would still be there with or without those things. These are friendships where you could be anywhere in the world and you will always be important to each other and you will always support each other. It doesn't get more real than that!

To be fair, you meet a lot of very cool people when you're travelling and Uruguay has been no exception. I am constantly making new friends and getting to know new people. They support me in other ways, we explore together, we look out for each other, we help with bouts of loneliness or heartbreak. I think this blog post may need a Travel and Friendship Part Two, dedicated to the relationships you build while abroad as they are also unique.

Veneise made her home my home as I transitioned out of Toronto!
#forevergrateful

To my friends at home and in other parts of the world, I love and miss you guys and will always be grateful for how you listened and encouraged me in the year leading up to my moving abroad. If I had different friends, I may not have made it here. I was a crazy person with big dreams for most of 2014 and you put up with me and all of my worries. Who are we kidding, I am generally always crazy about something and you always put up with me! That’s love! 

See you in June amigos!