Dowidzenia, my dear friend

Wrocław group at the airport
"FANTASTIC FOUR ONCE MORE"
Kocham Cie, Robson Veronese <3

Yesterday, I said goodbye to Robson Veronese- my best friend, my partner in crime, and one of the kindest people I have never known. I have had to do this twice now- the first teary goodbye came in January when my Australian friend Kaila Rocca got on a plane and flew to the land down under.

It is nine am and I still have not gotten used to the fact that I will no longer see Robson's smiling face, he will no longer be here to comfort me when I am immensely homesick, he will no longer be here to enjoy this daily day to day existence in our temporary home- Poland.

With that thought, I am filled with a sense of dread. It is hard to put into words the type of bonds that an exchange student forms with her friends. Goodbyes become much more painful when there is no guarantee you will meet again in the future.

I stood in the LOTNISKO (airport) with Lucy and sobbed. We literally sobbed at the idea of losing such an important part of our lives here. I clung to Robson, shaking him, hitting him, punching him for leaving me. Someone tapped me on the shoulder and whispered, "Julia, you are not at a funeral. No one died." At that moment, I felt just as bad as I had at any funeral I've ever attended. It felt like someone was being ripped away from me.

But, such is life. The reality is that in life we meet many people who establish a place in our hearts. These people come and go and change and move on, but in the end, they are always there, rooting for you, missing you, and hoping they will meet you again. This year, I have made friends that have become more than friends. These people truly are my family here in Poland- we've seen each other at our best and at our worst. In three months, it will be my turn to leave, and while it will be incredible to see everyone I left in small town Milford, NY again, I believe it will take some time to get used to living without these people.

So we let go. We let go, we reach out and form new relationships, but we never forget the people who left big marks in our lives.

I miss you so much Kaila Rocca, and I will miss you more than you will ever know, Robson Veronese.

I will always remember Robson's words as we hugged goodbye "It is always a storm with you, Julia, always a storm," because no one has ever been able to sum up my crazy, emotional, dysfunctional character in such a simple, beautiful way.

Its always a storm with me- but in this case, creating a storm was justified.