Before Peru, I thought the program would be about the places I saw. The views, the hikes, the food, the pictures and all of it was amazing. What I didn’t expect was how special the people would be. Going into it, most of us didn’t really know each other. We were just a group thrown together, all a little nervous, all very tired, and all very far from home. All of a sudden, these were the people you were spending hours of your day with, going to the market together every night, eating snacks, going back to the same Italian restaurant four times because it really was that good and long bus rides filled with story times from our internship sites that day.

It was the early mornings, the long days, the random laughs and the moments where we were all just exhausted together. It’s the kind of bonding that happens when you’re navigating something new side by side. Some of my favorite memories aren’t even the big, obvious ones. They’re the little things like sitting together after long days, walking around Cusco with no plan, laughing over nothing, helping each other through the hard parts like altitude, nerves and missing home. These are the kinds of friendships that form when everything feels unfamiliar and you lean on each other without even realizing it. No pressure, just comfort. Peru gave me experiences I’ll never forget, but more than that, it gave me a group of girls that I will be friends with for life.

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Learn more about this blogger’s study abroad program: Global Service and Health Science Internship in Peru