12 Apr 2017

You’re heading overseas soon. I know because you tell me, because I see the countdown on your phone, I read the Instagram updates and because I am one of your best friends. You’ve been packing for months, you’ve been dreaming for years. It’s finally happening, and I’m so damn proud of you.

You’ve saved as much money as you can, and maybe you’ve had help from your parents too. Either way you’re in an amazing position to jump on a plane and fly halfway across to world to somewhere entirely unfamiliar. It’s something I can’t fathom, something I can’t envisage in my own life for a fair while… but I’m glad it’s happening to you.

When you’re over there, forget about the stresses of home for a while, but don’t forget the people that populate home. We’re here for a Skype or a call. We want to hear from you, but we’re wary of getting in the way of your trip too. Either way, we’ll support you. We’ll double tap every update and every epiphany. Oh, you’re starting a travel blog? I’ll read that too.

You’ll come back with boundless stories to share, and while I’ll be sitting here eager to listen and glad to have you back, I won’t be able to relate to your stories. There will be a slight barrier between us because I wasn’t there and I can’t picture the sights and sounds and people you’re talking about. The photos won’t connect with me on a deep, emotional level like they do you. I think you might struggle with that barrier sometimes as well.

The people you’ll meet in hostels will no doubt change your life. They’ll change the way you see the world. Maybe they’ll give you some kind of direction about what to do next year and for the rest of your life. They’ll be subverting all the norms and messages we were told in school. They’ll be preaching a lifestyle you’ve probably never heard people preach before! What a liberating and experimental time.

But please don’t forget those us of who have seen you at your best and your worst, not just when you’re the fun, free-spirited traveller. We’ve stuck with you through high school, good grades and bad grades, the performances, the boyfriends and girlfriends. We’ve stuck through the family upsets, the friendship break downs and the personal triumphs. We were friends with you back when your Instagrams were boring, when all you had to share was the odd party outfit and the banger breakfast, like the rest of us. We know you inside out, and we’ve been beside you for years and years.

I’m already counting down the days until you land, and you haven’t even left yet. Please be safe–I’m scared/excited/nervous/ecstatic for you.

xoxo