Many people, when applying for a study abroad, are told of the amazing sights and academic ventures they will experience. However, what people never emphasize if the lifelong, unbreakable friendships you will create. In the photo, you see a group of tired and sweaty, but ecstatic, students. We started as virtual strangers but became close within days (it seemed like minutes). In the middle is our tour guide, Hugo, who filled the trip with laughter and endless pineapple facts. Sometime between May 8th and May 28th, I gained an endless amount of love and support from my fellow peers that quickly turned into my best friends. When you go onto a study abroad, you are all equally lost and scared. You bond over the adventures you all share together. You laugh when you all try a new food and someone finds it unpleasant. You comfort each other when the homesickness begins to settle. But most importantly, you carry all of those memories back to the United States, where despite separating for different summer plans, you keep in contact and share your new adventures. The most important souvenir of my study abroad were the new friends I was able to bring back with me.
