International Friends
Posted on February 17, 2021 by Andie Gorowsky
Some of the most amazing friends in my life live in different countries: Morocco, Canada, Sweden, Thailand, Mexico -- you name it. In December 2019 and January 2020, I was able to visit two of them in Seoul, South Korea -- Emily and Seungyeop.
Seungyeop and I have been internet friends for about six years now. We experienced
the tumultuous awkwardness that is high school together from different sides of the
world. In February of 2019, he flew to South Carolina to see his girlfriend at the
time, so of course I had to take a road trip to meet him. It felt like a dream seeing
him in person for the first time. We had been best friends for so long that it felt
so surreal! His trip was short, so I did not get to spend much time with him, but
it was such a wonderful experience.
Emily and I have been best friends for about five years now. We met through a mutual friend in high school, and we instantly bonded over our love for international travel and learning about different cultures. In March of 2019, Emily moved to Seoul, South Korea to teach English. It was difficult getting used to my best friend being on the other side of the world instead of a ten minute drive away. We went from spending just about every day together for the past five years to only seeing each other over FaceTime late at night or early in the morning (time differences - UGH!). That’s when I decided it was about time I took my first trip abroad.
I had a difficult time preparing myself for this trip. Of course, I was absolutely ecstatic that I was taking my first trip abroad and I would be seeing my best friend for the first time in a long time, but my nerves were getting the best of me. After a flight filled with severe turbulence I endured when I was a freshman in high school, the idea of flying 19 hours to the other side of the world made me really uneasy. Thankfully, my love for Emily and Seungyeop outweighed that fear. I was too busy planning excursions for each day to worry about turbulence. I was quite nervous before boarding my first flight alone, but I knew that the journey ahead of me would change my life.
When I finally landed in South Korea, Emily was waiting for me at the airport. When
I saw her, I couldn’t help but instantly
bawl. We practically ran to each other with open arms, just like the movies. I can’t
even describe in words the joviality I felt in that moment. I had missed her so much.
We took a bus from the Incheon airport to her apartment in Seoul, and I unpacked my things. I called Seungyeop and let him know that I had arrived safely. He agreed to meet us at a popular restaurant near Emily’s apartment.
We ate tons of bibimbap and reminisced on how we all became friends. I was so grateful to see them both again. It felt like a dream. My first night in Seoul was filled with so much laughter and joy, and Seungyeop proved himself to be quite the wingman. There was a very handsome guy in the restaurant we were eating at, and later he approached me and asked where I was from. For a reason that I won’t ever be able to explain, I greeted him in Spanish. I corrected myself, but my face got so red with embarrassment. Seungyeop and Emily noticed and poked fun at me. When we left, Seungyeop ran back into the restaurant to get his number for me. The mission was a success. Seungyeop crafted up a flirty message in Korean, then we awaited a response. None of us even thought about the fact that I did not have an international phone plan, so the message never went through. I don’t think we realized that until I was back in the United States. We still laugh about it to this day.
The next two weeks would consist of karaoke rooms, cat cafes, a handful of tourist destinations, an absolutely sinful amount of bibimbap, several nights socializing at a bar in Gangnam named Thursday Party, constant trips to the convenience store down the street to retrieve a strawberry sandwich, and many more excursions.
The day before I would leave South Korea, Emily and I took a subway to a very popular
vegan restaurant in Itaewon called Plant. I was feeling extremely torn about leaving.
Seungyeop and Emily are here, I love the atmosphere and energy, I didn’t want to leave.
I wanted to extend my trip so bad, and I would have if the spring semester was not
starting two days after I returned to the States.
Emily had worked at Plant for some time, so when we walked in, we were welcomed warmly. We sat down at our usual table while her friend Rachel got us some drinks. We sat in silence for a second before tears started to brim my eyes. I felt so silly, I started to giggle at myself. Emily started laughing at me too, asking why I was crying and giggling at the same time. I broke down and told her how upset I was about leaving. It would probably be another year before I saw her again, and now with COVID-19, it could be even longer. I told her how much I loved her and how much she meant to me. Tears began to pour out of her eyes, too. She reciprocated my words. We sat there in the middle of Plant bawling, giggling, reminiscing on our times together, and in awe of how beautiful our friendship is until our food came out. It was one of the most beautiful, sentimental moments of my life. Words do not do it justice. When we miss each other, we always talk about that night. It reminds us how strong our friendship is, no matter the distance between us.
The day came for me to return home, and I dreaded it. Emily and I took the subway to the airport, and Seungyeop rode a bus for about two hours just to send me off -- what an amazing friend. The two walked with me through every stop until they weren’t allowed entry. When it was time, they both enveloped me in a very loving group hug. It was so hard for me not to start bawling right then and there in their arms.
As I began to walk away, I turned back and saw their smiling, teary-eyed faces. I
had to run back to them for another hug. In that moment, I knew that no matter where
we were in the world, our friendships were solid for life. Seven thousand miles did
nothing but bring us closer. 