On the Difficulty of Great Friends

Long story short...I really just want to be hug-sandwiched again.

My four years at CMU were filled with the BEST people imaginable   From my peers in the Honors program, to professors that challenged me, to my roommates, to friends from St. Mary's, to friends from different countries, to the College Republicans,  I couldn't have asked for more love and support from my university "family".

Freshman year reunion!

I knew I had great friends.
I knew that graduating from CMU was going to be difficult.
I knew moving to Poland would make it even harder.
I knew that I'd miss everything about CMU waaaay too much somedays.

However, only recently have I truly begun to grasp how precious the friendships I had at CMU were.  I've
made friends in Poland, but over the course of a few months, it's difficult to truly cultivate the honest and complete friendships I enjoy with my closest friends from CMU.

Guys' apartment...Tigers in World Series
I watched them on my own this year...

If I was bored, with nothing to do, a quick trip downstairs usually found one of six roommates watching tv or
"studying".  If that didn't work, there was always the guys apartment across the street and another apartment full of girls.  Whether it was for a serious talk about our faith or college football (yes, football is serious), or a crazy late night of Pirate dice and euchre, I always had someone to turn to and talk to.



Now, with a six hour time difference, it's nearly impossible to have regular conversations with everyone.  I
don't have a church lounge to drop into between classes.  And I miss it.  I miss it more than I ever imagined I would.  And I'm starting to realize that this is one reason those four years are the best years.  You have everyone you care about at the tip of your fingers.  A four am trip to Walmart in your pajamas for ice cream isn't strange, you're a college student.

Granted, I have friends here in Poland!  And I love them for putting up with the mood swings of a crazy
American.  My American friends would happily sympathize with you!  My mom said it's the difference between college and adult friendships.  Thankfully, I'll be a college student again in t-minus four months. I'm making friendships in my adult life a priority...must have friends that will do things like this:

Who wouldn't miss these weirdos?

Whenever I talk with high school students in Poland about American universities, I mention this family-making phenomena.  Unlike Polish students, *most* American students are away from their parents and brothers and sisters.  That means over the course of four years, we create a massive network of friendship through a number of different organizations.

Friends are truly a blessing in our lives and sometimes it's easy to take those precious moments together for granted.  While I've moved away, I haven't moved on.  And I still value the time my friends spend on Facebook Chat and Skype with me.  

If I had to do it all over again, I would still come to Poland.  While I've struggled with loneliness a lot this year, it has made me realize the true value of friendship.  Not only the value of friendship, but the intensity that we can love people with.  I'd come back to Europe in a heartbeat, but maybe I'd try to squeeze at least one friend in my suitcase next time!