Reuniting with Friends

I often talk about how much studying abroad in Verona changed my life, and even though I got to see so many beautiful places and have tons of invaluable experiences, I sometimes forget how much the amazing experience was about the people.

Study abroad is responsible for bringing me together with my best friend, Natalie, for setting the stage for a beautiful romance, and for introducing me to students from my own university I may never have met or become so close with otherwise.

Clair, Me, Ayo, Natalie, Joy & Cheryl in Chianti

One friend, Alyse, whom I got to know a bit in Italy but became even closer with when we got back to the States moved back to Italy to live with her boyfriend for the past year. We took dance class together and would often chat about life on our walks to class two days a week. When she moved to Italy, I knew I would miss her but was also really excited for her. A year had passed since I last saw her, but she and her boyfriend just moved back to the States for six months, and I couldn’t wait to see her at the lunch she organized for a bunch of Verona people in Chicago on Friday.

Ayo, Me, Joy & Alyse on our last night in Italy

I took the afternoon off to make sure I wouldn’t feel rushed during lunch, which was a good decision since all of us ended up chatting for two hours at Chipotle. It wasn’t one of our fancy dinners we would organize last year on campus to catch up, but it was equally wonderful to be around my study abroad friends and reminisce about all of our crazy experiences. We’ve all told, heard, and actually lived the stories and yet they don’t seem to lose their fun and excitement.

After one of the many reunion dinners back on campus

Verona girls out for Natalie's birthday

For those two hours, we were no longer in the Chipotle in downtown Chicago, but instead swimming in and out memories of our apartments in Verona, our first and last days there, and all of the cities we visited in between.

All of us enjoying Lago di Garda

It was so refreshing to remember that beautiful time in my life and that it’s not always about where you are, but rather who you’re there with that really matters.