As the Wise Gentlemen of Whitesnake Once said, "Here I Go Again On My Own"

With just about two weeks left (16 days, but who’s counting…) before taking flight to what will seem like an entirely different world, I have had to say a lot of good byes. Most of the time, the emotions that come with good byes hit me immediately after I say them and stay with me for days; other times, these emotions come before the good bye even takes place. I’ve had to bid farewells before , but nothing has been this emotionally draining and saddening as this. And it’s like this for a number of reasons: I’ll be in a third world country, void of so many familiarities yet chock full of sensory overloads and challenging situations, and it will be much more difficult to stay in touch with loved ones at home. But I think the most substantial reason for such overpowering feelings of grief is that I’m leaving a lot of meaningful people—the most meaningful people I have ever had in my life. It’s just as much a sentiment of loss as it is a sentiment of sadness. I have felt in the past few weeks that I am sacrificing friendships and close relationships by making this move in my life. And it causes such dissonance, wanting to jump head first into this new adventure that awaits me while emotionally beating myself up over the thought of potentially losing those who are dearest to me now. Relationships have always been of utmost importance, and yet with every good bye I have to wonder whether it’s worth leaving behind. And it scares me. It scares me that I'm leaving something that I can never have with that person again.

After a lot of reflection and talks with close friends, I see now that—no matter where I ended up after college—similar thoughts and feelings would follow. I was so used to being surrounded by loved ones in the past four years, whether at home or at college, that I failed to realize we’re all going through some serious changes right now. I have friends all along the east coast, west coast, mid-west, Europe, Africa, Asia—and no matter where we end up we have no choice but to deal with feelings of separation and disconnectedness. That’s part of the real world; I guess I was a bit too naïve and oblivious to realize it until it whacked me upside the head.

And part of existing in the real world—for me at least—is to maintain connectedness in spite of such great distances. People change, jobs change, location changes, but relationships can still be embraced despite these changes.

We’re all walking along a “lonely street of dreams.” We just need a little wifi and some cell reception every now and then.