Remember back in the day when I was in Manchester trying to get home? The full story is here but the part I have failed to expand on since is this line:
I’d met a girl from Texas after I got off the phone with US Air so at least I had someone to talk to.
That’s all I put! But now it’s time to continue that story beyond one measly sentence. Why? Because, nameless girl in blog post #22 has actually turned into a great friend I can gush over England with.
I left a few things out of my Manchester airport story (mostly because I was super flustered and angry with life/the airlines). Julia and I caught the shuttle to the hotel together and ended up in rooms close to each other. We went to dinner and chatted about why we were both in England (her to visit her boyfriend and I because of SA). She gave me her Facebook info that was that. The story continues as previously detailed.
I didn’t actually find that paper again until Christmas Eve when I was going through some paperwork from England (which eventually all got tossed in the bottom drawer of my filing cabinet and still lives there…)
Friend request sent. Message sent.
Between Christmas Eve and now, almost 9.5 months later in total, I feel like I can legitimately call Julia my friend. In the time since our “you really should consider studying abroad!” back at the hotel dining room in December, she’s actually gone after her dream, and has moved abroad.
It’s weird…but felt like during her entire journey towards studying abroad, I was re-living my own experience. I remembered when I looked into Visas, had to decide what to pack, and those first jittery moments on the plane.
Today was her first day of class and I feel proud, honoured really, that I could play a part in someone’s amazing journey. I thought I’d mostly be jealous because I want to be abroad and I’m not, but all I really feel is honest happiness. I might not be able to have my time in England back. It’s done and over with. Moving on. But to be able to see someone else just on the start of the same path you were on…it’s simply….amazing.