Life is better with friends

A wonderful weekend

On Saturday Becky and I went to a nearby lake with some other international students and spent a few hours there reading and chatting. It was super pretty, and there was a little fake beach at the side of the lake that was perfect in the beautiful sunshine. I got to know some girls from Thursday better, and met another girl who had some very cool things to say and who told Becky about a live performance of Rocky Horror that night! So we got back and I had some Oreo ice cream from Yum Yums because it was that kind of day, then we studied, ate and slept until it was time to get ready and go. It was absolutely insane and we loved it! So that's one thing I can tick off my bucket list. We got back at 3am though.

Sunday was incredible. We got up early despite the late night and started the drive to Boone to see Ian and some beautiful mountain views! It was super exciting driving down and watching the landscape change as we got closer and closer to the mountains. I also saw a sign for a Volunteer Fire Department on the way which made me happy because of the Lemony Snicket books. When we arrived Ian showed us around his very cool, hippy dude style apartment, and it was so good to see him and really interesting to see where/how he lived. We headed down the road for lunch at a Mexican restaurant which was great because not only was the food delicious but we got served really quickly - ten times faster than in England! After dinner we visited the local town, which was super cute and full of diverse people (but mostly hippies). We saw a motorcycle gang drive down the main road with one member in a skeleton mask just seconds after walking past a group of barefoot hippies braiding some beautiful bracelets. We went into Mast General Store that sold a whole variety of things from sweets to hiking gear and I got myself a little handmade photo block that says 'You are Loved' because I wanted something special that reminded me of this trip without it being some corny souvenir. After that Ian took us to explore his University campus. So many statues! If I remember correctly they have three libraries, which as a book nerd I find fabulous, if I'm wrong then the one Ian took us to would make up for numbers in it's elegance. Their observatory was also pretty cool, with a whole rooftop of telescopes. After our tour and lots of catch up chat while we walked, it was time to head back and change ready for our hikes in the mountains!

This is the place where I will run out of words. Not because there isn't anything to say/describe, but because the entire experience was innately indescribable. Ian drove us all to the trail for Beacon Heights, and we began the short hike to the outlook. It was super cool to hike up paths that were more nature than human-made, but the whole thing was making me pine for my brother. I had a nice chat with Becky about brothers and exploring on the way up, but when we got to the outlook we just stopped because it was breathtaking. We emerged from the trees onto the stone and into the open air. We could see for miles across the gorgeous tree-covered mountains and I stood for a good few seconds in awe of what I was seeing. We got a group photo and sat down together to appreciate the view. Ian asked if we'd ever wished we could fly. Sitting above the trees gazing across the landscape certainly gave me a taste of how it would feel, but sitting there with my friends in that moment was enough of a dream come true for me. I think Becky and I had an overwhelming sense of gratefulness to our friends for making this possible, because she started to say thank you at the same second that I had been thinking how to say it.

After a long while enjoying that view, we walked the trail to the other side. As I stepped out of the trees onto the other outlook I turned to Ian to say that the view would never get old, and he told me 'It never does'. Some people think that once you've seen one mountain view you've seen them all, but that is certainly not the case. The views change continually as the visibility changes, so there's always something new to see. While up there we got talking to a super sweet, super interesting old couple who I could happily have talked to all day. It's rare to meet people who can sustain conversation so well, and it was an absolute privilege to hear what the lady had to say to Ian and I while her husband talked to Becky and Sarah. We talked about birds, landscape, books, the power of education, the fact that we hear more about evil than good and what effect that has on society, Cicero, the problems Ian faces becoming a teacher in today's society, the beauty of different landscapes in different countries, and so much more that I wish I could remember. She congratulated Ian and I on being 'awake', which is an incredible compliment because it is so important to me. After saying goodbye to the lovely couple we headed back to the car for another adventure.

Sarah was feeling tired and poorly so sadly felt it would be best for her to stay in the car while Ian, Becky and I hiked up to Rough Ridge. This hike was a little more strenuous because Becky and I have short legs and the 'steps' we had to take were a little further apart than was comfortable. Nevertheless, it was well worth the extra effort. It isn't often that the view you see with your own two eyes beats the professional photograph on the front of a postcard, but that was one moment it certainly did. Waking up this morning I felt like the entire day and everything I had the privilege of seeing could have all been a dream. We took our photographs to prove that it was all real and that we had really stood there, then sat down together on the edge of the rock and enjoyed watching the light change the landscape. As the light moved, new areas became visible as others lost clarity. Every second that we sat there we had something new to see. In that moment, sitting between two of my favourite people on the top of a mountain, I realised that I am content with my life. No, everything is not perfect and there have certainly been a lot of hiccups, but I wouldn't change a thing. I am content, and for that I am so so grateful. I just can't wait for my next adventure, and to meet all the wonderful people that I am going to continue to meet and love. So we sat up there feeling content and enjoying the view until the wind forced us to head back down to the car.

Before we left the mountains, Ian drove us through a wall of fog to Thunder Hill, where we stood at the edge of the road at watched the fog rising up out of trees across the mountains. It was so surreal to watch the fog rise in what looked like tufts from random spots on the mountains. The cold pushed as back into the car after a few minutes and we said goodbye to the mountains.

Sarah went to eat with her sister but Becky, Ian and I went to a place called Come Back Shack for dinner, a burger place where every ingredient is locally sourced and (I think) organic. I'd used up pretty much all the money I'd brought for the day on fuel, lunch and the souvenirs, but luckily I'd brought food with me so I ate that and just shared fries and chips with Becky at the restaurant. We talked about ISIS, governments, international laws and police, terrorism, rights, and time flying by. I was reminded again of how much I enjoy talking to Ian face to face, rather than by Facebook messaging where our conversation feels restrained to small talk. Ian talked about how much time had just flown for him, as he is in his final year and about to step out into the world. As he was talking about how fast it feels like we age, I was felt sad at the realisation that the next time I see him could be a decade away, when he will have lived through so much more and we will all have changed so much. But when we all headed back to the apartment and Sarah was ready to go home, saying goodbye wasn't as awful as it could have been. Although I miss Ian already, and will miss my other international friends when we say goodbye on Saturday, I will keep in mind what Sarah told me: If you have people in your life that you miss, just remember how blessed you are that you have people in your life who love and care about you and who you love and care about enough to miss. So that's what I am going to hold onto when I get on my plane home this Saturday. I'm going to remember that regardless how soon or distant our next meeting is, and however far the distance is between us, I have been blessed in my friends and nothing can change what they will always mean to me.

Things that I've learned this week:
Life is better with friends, and I am so lucky in mine.
The importance of kindness and kind people.
That I really need to get over my English reservedness and start actually talking to people the way my friends here do.
How important it is to explore and examine this life and our world. If we don't keep asking questions and learning then we can never grow.

I wrote a postcard to my sister today and I just really wanted to tell Imogen about the importance of friendship and kindness above everything else, because standing on top of those mountains yesterday is an opportunity that would not have been available to me without those things.

Apologies for getting all philosophical with you, but I don't know how anyone could see what I saw and not feel this way. It's no wonder almost everyone in Boone is a hippy if that's where they live.