Tough Time Right Now

[bobert16]

Hi everyone, this is my first time posting in "Zoo Confessionals," and I feel I really need to discuss the situation I'm going through right now.

I've just finished high school, and this has been one of the greatest years of my life. I live in Canada, and this year my school was host to a group of 10 foreign exchange students from Germany. Me and my friends have really gotten to know these Germans, and I cannot believe how attached to them I've become. We are the greatest group of friends ever, I've never known people I care so much about. We do things together nearly every day, and we (for example) just returned from a 3-day camping trip.

The problem is, my German friends will all be leaving in the next 2 weeks - most will be gone by Wednesday. Whenever I think of them leaving, tears come to my eyes and I begin to feel sick. I love these people so much, and it breaks my heart to think I'll never see them again.

Our Prom is on Monday, and I'll be taking one of the German girls. She's so great and so beautiful - I care for her so much (she knows I do too). On Wednesday she'll be leaving Canada, and we're all going to spend our last day together. It's crushing me when I think of how I am never going to see these incredible people again, and how we're going to inevitably lose touch over the coming months and years.

I'm just requesting some special thoughts for me and my friends - this is going to be a tough time for all of us. If anyone has gone through this kind of experience before, I would really appreciate some advice about it. How can you deal with this kind of a situation?

I'm also thinking about what I can do for my friends before they leave. I would love to get/do something special for them, and I'm wondering if you have any ideas. We live in Quebec City, Canada, and - as I already said - the exchange students all come from Germany.

I would appreciate you ideas and advice. Thanks for listening.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

Well I've never been through anything quite like that, but I have lost friends who moved far away- even to other countries. I know it's not the same but at least you have the internet to keep in touch with them. Who knows, you might see some of them again some day.

Maybe you could get them something that most personally represents Canada/Quebec City to you and explain to them why. I'm sure that would be meaningful to them.

I just wanted to say that's a lovely post you made, that girl is lucky to be going to the prom with someone like you

 

[BonosBaby12]

Im sorry that your friends are leaving Know exactly just how tough it is to say goodbye. Will hurt at first but the pain does became easier to deal with Hopefully the strong bond that all of you possess together now will continue on throughout the years.

Btw have you thought of maybe throwing your friends a going away party? Could be a big bash or if you wanted something more private you could do it that way. Find some of the best times I have had with my friends are just sitting around reminiscing about our times together. Or perhaps there is a special place in Quebec that you would like to show them before their departure.

 

[bono_man2002]

The problem is, my German friends will all be leaving in the next 2 weeks - most will be gone by Wednesday. Whenever I think of them leaving, tears come to my eyes and I begin to feel sick. I love these people so much, and it breaks my heart to think I'll never see them again.

You can always try save up enough money to go visit them?, Thats what i'm doing in August, well i'm not going to visit your friends , But i'm going to visit my friend who moved to Scotland for year in August....well Hopefully anyway.

I'm also thinking about what I can do for my friends before they leave. I would love to get/do something special for them, and I'm wondering if you have any ideas. We live in Quebec City, Canada, and - as I already said - the exchange students all come from Germany.

Prehaps you could get a resonably big card and have everyone sign it with a little gift of somesorts.

 

[digsy]

i've had a lot of friends leave - when i was in South Africa many came over to England, and now that i'm in England friends I've made here seem to be leaving! its tough, it sucks but in this day and age with internet and email there really is no reason not to keep in touch with people.
i've recently remade contact with 2 people i havent spoken to in 5-8 years!! and next week i'll be seeing one of my best friends for the first time in almost 4 years.

a lot of the time we don't keep in regular contact but enough to know we're all still out there. granted, i've lost contact with a lot of people over the years and some i wish i hadn't but the people closest to me are all still around, in mails and phone calls and text messages.

i also think of the friends i made on the Vertigo tour, particularly my Flagship buddies - i keep in contact with all of them on a semi-regular basis and while i know there are a few i won't see again for a few years maybe, that doesn't mean jack - when i do see them it'll be great and the time will have made no difference at all.
there have got to be loads of people on here with stories of U2 tour friends they've made and hope to see again one day....

my point is, theres no reason to lose contact completely, i don't doubt that contact will fade out slightly over months and won't be nearly as intense as it will be initally after they've left but that doesn't mean anything... just keep in touch regularly and start saving for a holiday to germany!
its a great place and i guarantee that, if you're as close to these people as you say you are, when you do eventually see them again in 1 year or 5 you'll pick up right where you left off like you never spent time apart

anyway,enjoy your prom and the last days you have with you friends, i hope things work out for you guys in the long run!

 

[AtomicBono]

my point is, theres no reason to lose contact completely, i don't doubt that contact will fade out slightly over months and won't be nearly as intense as it will be initally after they've left but that doesn't mean anything... just keep in touch regularly and start saving for a holiday to germany!
its a great place and i guarantee that, if you're as close to these people as you say you are, when you do eventually see them again in 1 year or 5 you'll pick up right where you left off like you never spent time apart

anyway,enjoy your prom and the last days you have with you friends, i hope things work out for you guys in the long run!

there's the internet, there's phones, there's even regular ol' snail mail. you shouldn't have to lose contact. and it may be awhile before you see them again, but I'm sure you'll have the chance eventually.

I'm sorry your friends are leaving though, a bunch of my friends graduated a year ago and that was extremely hard for me, and none of them even moved away! So I can imagine it's pretty tough to have some of your best friends go off to another country. at least you've got your other friends to go through this with.

Good luck, I hope you and your friends have an awesome time together

 

[redkat]

You don't have to lose contact. That's not inevitable. With the internet you can so easily keep those connections.

I'd recommend a cd mix as a going away. You can all listen to the same songs and remember your friendships. That's still my favorite gift to receive from anyone.

 

[greeneyedgirl]

Redkat, that is an excellent idea

Bobert, I hope you can find a way to stay in contact with your friends.

 

[bobert16]

Thanks for your advice and comments everyone; it's nice to know there are people out there who will listen and help out.

Well all I can say is that the last couple of weeks have been pretty emotional, and that all my German friends have now gone. It was a great time, we spent nearly every waking moment of the last 2 weeks together. We've had a lot of fun, and it was really sad for it all to end.

I took some of your ideas too! I wrote a good-bye letter to each of my 4 closest friends, and I also made a CD for one girl (we share a lot of musical tastes together). It was a great time, and I did some other special things for each of them.

Now that I have had a couple of days to relax on my own and think about this, I realize that this isn't necessarily the complete end for us. I moved away from my hometown in Ontario a couple of years ago, and I still have close friends there (even though I only see them 1-2 times a year). Even though my German friends and I will be so far apart, we still have e-mail to keep in touch, and - like some posts said above - I believe our friendships can still continue, even if we see each other just once every few years.

So thanks for your words everyone. It was a tough, emotional, but fun couple of weeks, and I'm just thankful that I had the opportunity to meet these people and become such good friends with them.

 

[hiphop]

give them a call when Germany gets kicked out of the soccer world cup


no, seriously, if you like your German friends so much, why don´t you just exchange adresses and then next year you can make a trip to Germany? It´s far off, ok, but not the end of the world.