It's the end of June, so the good news is I'm officially done with all academic commitments for the semester! I'm a senior! (wait… is this good news?!) The bad news is that my program is ending and I'm saying more goodbyes every day. I've moved around a lot, so saying goodbye is nothing new to me, but that never makes it any easier! I'm staying in Argentina for two more weeks to travel around a bit with a few friends, but nearly everyone else is heading home or dispersing to travel to other parts of South America. A few days ago my program had a farewell dinner – realistically, the last time ever we will all be together.
It's so strange to think that just four months ago I had never met any of these people. One thing I will definitely say about study abroad is that it really makes it easy to bond with people on your program. You're all in a foreign country, trying to figure things out, having a ton of fun, and generally having a very similar experience. Everyone is so open to new experiences and trying new things that it's super easy to make friends or find someone to go exploring with. I've gotten to know so many people from all over the US that I otherwise never would have met. We've done everything together, from traveling to cooking Sunday dinner to figuring out the public transport system to studying for exams. My friends here are some of the most amazing people I've ever met, and I will miss them all so much!
It's also almost time to say goodbye to my host family, and the apartment I've called home for so long. My friends and I are already talking about having a reunion somewhere in the US, but chances are that I will never see my host mom, host brother or their maid again. I can't imagine study abroad in the past, before the Internet; if I didn't have email I'd have no way to stay in touch! Living with an Argentine family has been an incredible experience, and a great way to experience the culture in daily life. They've helped me and my roommate so much, everything from teaching us new vocab to giving us recommendations of things to do. My first day here I was completely overwhelmed when my host mom answered the door and started excitedly speaking rapid Spanish, but now I feel completely at home.
I guess the moral of this blog post is that, in addition to everything else, study abroad is great because it's really easy to form great friendships. Even if it makes the goodbyes harder, I'm so glad I've gotten to know so many interesting and wonderful people. Luckily, a few of them go to Rochester so I'll see them in August, but I'm not sure when I'll see the rest. My friends here have added such an interesting dimension to my college experience, and I'm so thankful to have met them! If you're still not convinced that study abroad is one of the best decisions you could make, this should be your selling point – you'll make some of your best and most interesting friends!