Sarah Carrade

My fellow wanderlust, Devon.

In the past few months, I have often turned to Devon's blog to remember my dear friend and it has brought me great comfort to see how she touched our lives. In each of the entries, my friendship with Devon was reflected in others' stories. She touched my life in many of the same ways that she touched others.

In Devon, I had friend who shared the same passion for travel and interest in the world. When I first met Devon in Santa Barbara, we were immediately connected by our attempt to learn Spanish (she succeeded!) and our desire to travel. Two girls from the Central Valley, ready to conquer the world! We joked that we were both racing to get European Union passports so we could "live the European life". When she told me she was engaged to Noureddin, I joked with her that she must have been sleeping in our Global Studies classes at UCSB because Morocco wasn't in the European Union! And later, when I emailed her to say I was marrying a Scotsman, her reply was "You won!!".

Over the years and despite thousands of miles in between us, we remained good friends, sharing stories or silly pieces of information. Countless times over the past few months, while adjusting to my new life in Russia, I've stopped to think "Devon would find this hilarious!"

As we begin a new year and Devon's birthday approaches, we can all remember the passion and light Devon brought to our lives. What she taught us about true friendship and living life to the fullest, is something I will never forget about my fellow wanderlust.