Call me if you ever come to Poland!
My exchange program is slowly coming to an end. Some people, leaving to have the time of their lives traveling across Africa, have already said their definite goodbyes. The tear jerking hugs, sincere promises to stay in touch and loose plansfor future reunions, remind me of a drama at the end of every summer camp I went to in my early teens. The friendships made during two weeks holidays were naively promised to be kept forever. Now, a few years later, I honestly have a hardtime even recalling the names of my summer camp friends.Not only was writing update letters too timeconsuming but after some time it turned out that we didn’t have that much incommon. Are all short term friendships destined to fade overthe years?Perhaps exchange friendships will be saved from such a dramatic end. These days, Facebook makes it much easier to keep in touch, even if only superficially. Rather than scribblinga twopage letter every month to each friend, we have thecomfort of posting just one update that keeps all of your long and short term friends informed. Critics of socialnetworks say that internet gives you the illusion of keeping the relationship alive, but let’s face it – without it many people you met on your path would be long forgotten. Anexchange program is also very different from a two week summer language course with other thirteen year olds and abunch of overprotective teachers. It is a four month shared and intense experience of travelling through the Namibiandesert, splitting the cost of a broken rental car, bribing the Mozambiquan police and cooking budget meals on a provisional stove. These semiadult experiences bond students more tightly. Let’s just hope that my parents are right in saying that friendships made during your studies do last a lifetime.
Sonia Kolasinska is a third-year Liberal Arts student.
