Friendsgiving

I read somewhere that, when you are abroad, friends become family. I can assure you that this statement is true, but I would change it to “when you are away” – I think this is a little more appropriate. It does not matter what your background is, nor why you left, or how long you are away for, we all need people whom we can count on. Also, when you are in a new place, it is natural to sometimes get homesick or to miss those who are not around even though leaving was your choice in the first place. Being an international student myself and, thus, having my family five or six time zones ahead, it is expected that I would eventually miss them. However, I have friends whose families are literally a couple hours away (they could just drive there every other weekend if they wanted to!) yet they report longing their loved ones. Regardless, when these sentiments arouse, we can only count on each other.

I said in another post that I love American holidays, and it is still true. But the problem with Thanksgivings is that you know everyone else is eating turkey with their families, so you want to do the same. This is one of these moments when you need to rely on your friends, and trust that they will take care of you. At least that is what I did. Some friends and I gathered together and had this amazing dinner. It was our little Friendsgiving.

For this feast, we all cooked, so we had food and drinks from all over the world! We could try a little bit of the culture of Japan, Brazil, Sweden, Syria, the United States… Needless to say it was delicious, and I believe we all had a great time. Again, it is good to know that I can rely on people, and that they will take me

If I was to leave you with one piece of advice, it would be this: find people who you enjoy being around and who you can count on. Whether you are coming from across the globe or across the state, your friends will make being away a little easier.