When I left Guatemala and moved to the USA leaving my family behind was hard, but I have to admit that sometimes leaving my friends seemed even harder. I no longer had that support system; I had no shoulder to cry on, no one to go to when I was feeling down, and no one to share my accomplishments with. I have a very small group of friends but they are my extended family. My friends were there to celebrate when I graduated high school, they were there to pick up the pieces when my parents got divorced and when I was a single mom they accompanied me to childbirth classes and even held my hand during labor.
Although technology helps us keep in touch not being able to share special moments and accomplishments, not being able to have our kids grow up together and attend each other’s birthday parties and just share simple everyday moments is really tough. Being there for each other is harder when you are far away. Every time I go back home to my country, I cherish the time with my friends. We plan road trips, spend weekends together, and make sure the kids get plenty of time to bond. Those moments mean so much to me.
Sometimes, while exploring a new place, walking long distances can take away from the experience. Recently, I found this folding electric scooter, and I love that I can take it anywhere. Having the right gear for travel, like folding electric scooters, can make exploring new places more fun and convenient, letting us enjoy the adventure without worrying about the distance.
Here are some reasons why traveling strengthens relationships with you friends:
- Travel gives you the opportunity to make great memories together.
- Strengthens the bond you have with your friends.
- Spending so much time with each other brings you closer together and helps fill in the gaps of all that time you cannot be there for each other.
- Travel sometimes puts you in situations that are out of your comfort zone giving you opportunities to support each other, which might not happen if you are just going out for a few hours to have a good time with your friends.
Making time to spend with friend creating special memories when I travel back home keeps those friendships alive and strong. I want to travel back home and celebrate my amazing friends by doing something epic together, something we will never forget giving us an opportunity to make new memories and I’m pretty sure that an awesome adventure like climbing the Pacaya volcano, this is an active volcano, and sharing this awesome experience and such a great accomplishment would make for some fantastic new memories, keep our friendship strong and bring us together!
Paula studied architecture and now makes a living as a freelance writer,traveler and amateur photographer.She started her writing & publishing career as the editor of Bebé y Mamá, the first parenting magazine in Guatemala.She is the founder of www.GrowingUpBilingual.com and www.365thingsswfl.com and writes articles in Spanish and English for both magazines and the web on travel,food and bicultural and bilingual parenting .
When she is not on a plane or road trip she likes to create recipes inspired in the flavors of her native Guatemala.
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