Everyone was shocked when I announced I would be gone from January 2 until June 1. Out of every abroad program at Pitt, I just so happened to choose the longest one possible. At the beginning, I was a little nervous being away from all the people I know and love. Especially because I did not know anyone. I was completely mentally prepared to take on this journey alone and I said goodbye to all my friends and family assuming I would go months without seeing them.
However, that was not the case. To my surprise, so many amazing people visited me during my time abroad.
The first visitor was my dad. My dad, being a political science major, was thrilled to come and see Belfast, and I think more excited about the history than actually seeing me. Additionally, this was only his second time going abroad, so he was generally super excited. My dad came right before Saint Patrick’s Day, so the city was buzzing with excitement. At this point, I was just starting to miss home a little bit, so he came at the right time. Showing him around the university and discussing my classes was a lot of fun. At the time in my Irish history class, we had just finished our unit on the Troubles. So naturally, my dad and I went on our own self-guided tour of West Belfast. I was able to actually teach him something for once. Overall, while his trip was short, it was needed to remind me of home a little bit. My dad loved Belfast, and he made me feel better about my choice here. He told me that “abroad is what you make of it,” and he could tell I was having the best time in Belfast and getting the most out of my classes. Hearing that from him meant a lot because it made me realize that the happiness and growth I was feeling abroad were visible to the people who knew me best.
My next visitors were my wonderful roommates- Cora, Sophia, and Georgie. The four of us have been roommates since freshman year and are best friends. I must admit, going abroad, I was scared of all the FOMO not being home with my friends. Of course, we stayed updated through texts and Snapchat, but it’s just not the same as watching TV in the kitchen every night or taking walks through Schenley. All four of them came together the first week of May- another perfect timing. I had just finished my finals, and everything was winding down. At this point, it had been around five months being apart, and I was starting to get a little homesick, but seeing them made everything better. The four of us stayed up late in my room, catching up on the first night, and it was like nothing had ever changed. The next day, I took them on a typical day in the life of Abby in Belfast. We stopped at my favorite coffee spot, lay in the park, hung out in the SU, and they met all of my amazing friends here. The highlight of our trip might have been going to Giant’s Causeway. Everyone says Giant’s Causeway is the one thing you MUST see while in Northern Ireland, and I had not gone yet. So all four of us got to experience it for the first time. We ate fish and chips and, of course, tried a Guinness! It makes me so happy that I have such amazing friends who are willing to travel to see you.
My last visitor was my childhood best friend, Macy. Macy has known me since I was seven years old, meaning she has seen every version of me growing up. Because of that, it was really special being able to show her this completely different, more independent side of my life abroad. Like everyone else, her timing was impeccable. She came at the very end of my program. Around this time, almost all of my roommates were gone, and I was starting to get lonely, but then she visited! Having one of my oldest friends there during those final days made leaving feel a little less overwhelming and reminded me that even though I had changed a lot while abroad, I still had people at home who knew me completely. Not only that, but Macy and I went on many adventures while she was here. We took a three-day trip to Galway, a day trip to Dublin, and a trip to Derry. This was her first time going abroad, so I wanted her to get the most experiences and places out of this trip.
It makes my heart so full knowing there are people in my life who were willing and able to come and visit me while abroad. Having people I love take the time, spend the money, and travel across the world just to experience a small part of my life in Belfast meant more to me than I can fully explain, and I’ll forever be incredibly grateful for it. Each person who visited brought a different kind of comfort with them. They reminded me of home while also getting to see how much I had grown during my time abroad. I also loved getting to experience these places through their eyes. By the time they visited, Belfast no longer felt unfamiliar to me. I had favorite coffee shops, routes I walked every day, and little routines that had become normal. Being able to show those things to people I care about made me realize how much the city had started to feel like home
During my time at Queens, I have realized that I want to try to pursue higher education abroad, probably somewhere in the UK. I think I have always known that, but it has been difficult for me to grasp. Fully committing to being away from everything I always knew was foreign, and I wouldn’t know how my family would react or if my friends would just forget about it. After this semester in Belfast, I can confidently say that it is not the answer. One of the biggest things studying abroad taught me is that distance does not weaken the relationships that truly matter. If someone genuinely cares about you, they will continue to love and support you no matter how far away you are. In many ways, being abroad actually made me feel closer to the people in my life. Whether it was friends checking in on me, family calling to hear about my travels, or loved ones flying across the world just to visit me, I was constantly reminded of how supported I really am.
Actually living abroad no longer feels foreign or impossible to me. Instead, it feels exciting. Belfast showed me that there is so much value in stepping outside of what is familiar and building a life somewhere new. As scary as that can be, it also feels like the beginning of something bigger.
Best,
Abby