Goodbyes are so hard.
For me, this entire past week has consisted of alternating between fermenting in the library to prepare for exams and exchanging farewells.
The hard part is that— even with the fellow Americans I’ve befriended— it is uncertain as to when we’ll get the chance to meet again, if at all. So many of the people I’ve met here live in places like Spain and Germany, far from Chicago. Distance aside, it’s also difficult to reconcile the fact that I’ve been seeing these now familiar faces every week for the past two and a half months and the fact that I’ll never see them from now on aside from the occasional video call.
However, the ephemerality of the whole experience has just made it more beautiful. As a friend of mine has said, the study abroad experience is romanticised— much like our goodbyes full of hope and promises to stay in touch for years to come— however, that doesn’t make it any less real. The time limit on this program has made every relationship more precious, every meeting more meaningful, and I’m honestly so grateful for every person that I’ve befriended here.
I’m not really one for fate and all that jazz. However, I feel incredibly lucky to have been at the same place at the same time as the people who I’ve met these past few months. Whether it be the numerous UChicago students I’ve come to know in London of all places or the girl I met up with every week after suffering through library wifi failure together, every person has been such a gift. This post really can’t get anymore sappy or cliche, but I suppose that’s what parting with people I’ve come to love and understand does.
This post is a thank you to the people who have broadened my horizons, taught me so many new things, made me laugh, made me love life in the moment, and now make it so hard to leave UCL and London.
Thank you for making goodbyes so hard.
My second to last Friday morning in Ramsay Hall, the dorm where I met many of the aforementioned lovely people.