This is Emilie. She has been one of my closest friends since I can remember. When I think about her millions of memories come to mind... when we played softball together, all the sleepovers over the years, different church events, countless parties and holidays spent together, and vacation after vacation with our friend group. She was and still is one of my best friends. So what are the odds that she would be in London the same time that I was? A short 40 minutes tube ride away from my hotel. I'm not great at math so I'm not actually going to tell you the chances of that happening, but I'm sure it’s something crazy. But that’s what happened. I got to see one of my best friends in her new home.
Just seeing a familiar face that wasn’t someone I came on the trip with, was so refreshing. As I was sitting on the small red couch in the hotel lobby, anxiously waiting for my friend to arrive, I thought about the things I had done and the people I had crossed paths with on my trip so far. When I saw Emilie through the large window of the hotel, and she walked through the sliding glass doors, a smile overcame my face. I couldn’t help but shriek with joy like a little girl, giddy and ecstatic to see her friend. I ran up to her, wrapped my arms around her, and in that moment could not have been happier. As the initial wave of excitement wore off another emotion began to sink in. Up until that point I did not feel like I was far from home, definitely not over 3,000 miles away. But the act of being with Emilie, although happy to see her, I felt a million miles away. It was as if bringing something familiar into the mix made me realize just how different it was there. How many things were foreign to me and that nothing at all was what I was used to. This feeling that overcame me did not change my mood towards the trip, just made me more aware of what I was experiencing.
The last night in London stands out in my mind. There was nothing planned with my class so Emilie and I went to a pub by her apartment, where we met some of her friends. I got to meet the girls she had become close with over the last three months living in London. We ate, we talked, we reminisced, and we just had a great time enjoying each other’s company. It was during those conversations, sitting outside on a chilly Friday night under the glow of the red neon light of the pub, that I realized this is her home now. I realized that we were adults. The group of us sitting there in the black metal grated chairs talking about jobs and school and life, it just hit me. Emilie and I were not the 10 year old little girls playing catchers at the park or walking to the harbor on a Saturday afternoon. We are both 22 year-old women growing through our experiences, getting an education, and making our way in this big big world. I took this moment in, watching Emilie laugh at something one of the girls said. I did not want to get all sappy on her. But it was something I couldn’t get off my mind, and still can’t.