6th November 2023
Listen
Listen
In June, my friends and I took the long awaited, two-week trip to visit our friend Asier who moved to Valencia in 2024. This was definitely the highlight of my summer and I would even go as far to say it was the highlight of my year.
If you who have a friend that has moved to a different country, whether it be permanently or just for a year abroad, you will understand the bag of mixed emotions you experience.
Or perhaps you are the one starting the new academic year in an unfamiliar country.
If that’s the case, I hope that this article gives you some encouragement and a reminder of the friendships that are cheering you on from home.
Although Asier did return home for a short stint in December 2024, his visit consisted of a series of illnesses and a New Year’s Eve well-spent in a dingy pub. After which we all collectively decided, our next reunion would not be in England.
As we came to the end of a difficult exam period for all of us, months of anticipation and excitement, we were all grateful for June to roll around and even more delighted to be met by (a very-tanned) Asier at the airport, who was holding a glittery “Welcome to Valencia” sign.
We thought it was only right to break up the trip up and visit Barcelona for a few nights as we were about to spend two and half weeks at his family home, to make the most of our visit (and for the sake of his family)!
Having stayed in hostels when we went travelling as a group in 2023 , we didn’t give it a second thought and booked an eight bed mixed dorm, which we later realised was probably not the best idea.
Despite this, we made the most of our quick pit stop and visited all the tourist hotspots- the Basílica de la Sagrada Família, Park Güell and Casa Batlló.
But of course, no visit to a European city would be complete without the mandatory visit to Brandy Melville and Vestopazzo- a right of passage to us by now.
Don’t get me wrong, we did love Barcelona, but after a few awkward hostel interactions, we were most definitely ready to return back to Valencia.
From that point, we spent the next two weeks lying horizontally, occasionally rolling off the lounger into the pool like a seal.
We did try and see all what Valencia had to offer, but it mostly consisted of a shameful amount of trips to Burger King (which by the way- is exceptional in Valencia) and an immersive tour-guide around the city’s clubs and bars.
We were also introduced to all the amazing friends he had made, who we were very excited to meet. It was reassuring to know that he had met such amazing people, but that was always going to be a given when you consider his character.
After the most amazing time of doing nothing but eating, drinking, sleeping and swimming, the realisation that it would all be over felt as worse as the day that he left.
But there was another element to it, which was admiration. Being able to uproot your life, comforts and your friends to go and live, permanently in another country is something that I will always commend.
So if you’re reading this and you have a friend that lives abroad, you will know that there is no amount of face times, texts or calls that can make up for their abscence. But if you’re anything like me, who is bursting with pride every time I receive a life update, missing them begins to feel a bit selfish.
Or if you’re the one reading this from a new room, surrounded by new people in a new and exciting country, just know we are super proud of you and we can’t wait to see what you achieve!
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