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Leaving a close friend, someone who has been in your life everyday for sometime can
be very difficult. Doing a semester abroad is a once in a life time experience and you
have to have confidence in the roommate and your friendship with her and be excited to
do your time abroad. Being in a long distance relationship is very difficult, but one that
may actually bring you and your roommate closer together. Make a pact with your
media outlets. I firmly believe that you and your roommate will be very close and
sharing your experiences with her might make her want to go on her own semester
abroad. I would compare your emotions in the situation to when you left you family to
attend Bryant University. There were a lot of short term emotions like sadness,
uncertainty in the future, missing home and all the comforts, but basically afraid to be
away from home in an unknown environment. Your family, I am sure if they were like
mine, had reservations about you going away to college, but knew it was a part of
growing up. You and your home were inseparable for 18 years of your life and you are
now on your own and it can be a really scary time. Doing a year abroad has a lot of the
same emotions, but you know it is the right thing to do. Being separated from your
roommate will be difficult, but you have to have faith in her and faith in your relationship.
Sometimes distance can actually make a relationship closer. I was reading a recent
article, even though it was about couples in a relationship, it showed how couples
actually can become closer through a long distance relationship. "Indeed, our culture,
emphasizes being together physically and frequent face-to-face contact for close
relationships, but long-distance relationships clearly stand against all these values.
People don't have to be so pessimistic about long-distance romance," said Jiang. "The
long-distance couples try harder than geographically close couples in communicating
affection and intimacy, and their efforts do pay back. Try to imagine all the new
experiences that you are going to go through and then imagine how excited your
roommate will be hearing about your experiences. It might actually make your friendship
stronger and show each of you that you can thrive in an environment without actually
having to be together. Even though you might not want to hear this now, but I bet once
you get comfortable in your new environment, you will be going out with new friends and
having a great time. Just like your time at Bryant has flown by, your time abroad will go
by just as quick if you allow yourself to work hard and have a GREAT time. By being in
a different country, learning a new culture, seeing the landscape will make you a more
intellectual person and give you a memory that you will always share. In another article I
read, it was about all the trials and tribulations of studying abroad and it was summed
up in the best way possible for you to understand that you are making the right decision.
American students for whom a semester or year of study abroad is possible have a
very special opportunity for intellectual and cultural growth. We should insist that they
take it, for it will be one of the wisest decisions of their lives. Finally, I would put
yourself in your roommates shoes and if the roles were reversed, you would want your
roommate to go and have the best time of her life and not to worry about me. Trust me,
if she is your best friend now, with a lot of communication and sharing when you are
Good luck!
Crystal Jiang, L. and Hancock, J. T. (2013), Absence Makes the Communication Grow
This article sets out to debunk the myth through research that having an long distance
relationship is too challenging. Through having two types of couples in relationships
(Long-Distance and couples who are geographically close) at a large university being
asked questions and keeping a diary, the study showed that through the advancements
of modern communication skills using technology being in a long distance relationship
can actually make you trust in your partner more and therefore have a closer
relationship.
Shannon, E. (1995). Reflections on the Meaning of Study Abroad. Frontiers: The
http://users.design.ucla.edu/~camanyag/150b/reflections.pdf
This article dealt with the how our life has prepared us for the moment when we have
the opportunity to study abroad. When traveling to a foreign land, we must use our life
experiences to help us understand how to get the most out the experience. We need to
learn how to be in a foreign country, maybe even where they speak a different
language, and be prepared to adapt to any situation. The article gives first hand
examples of situations that might arise and how to adapt to them The article concludes
that everyone who has the opportunity to do a year abroad should take full advantage of
it, because it will help shape you to become a more well rounded, complete individual.