Joanna always knew she wanted to study abroad, so when an opportunity to apply for a semester in Paris came up in 2015, she jumped at the chance. “I was at Manchester university studying politics and international relations,” she says. “Paris looked really good. I could go to an English-speaking university and the city seemed fun. It would be a totally different experience.”
Her application was successful and, just before Christmas, she met up with six other students who would also be travelling to France. Among them was Sarah, who was studying the same course. “I’d never planned to study abroad, but I thought it sounded exciting,” says Sarah, who adds that she clicked instantly with Joanna. “I’d seen her around before, but we’d never spoken. She had a similar vibe to me. We decided we’d take the risk of living together in Paris, even though we didn’t know each other.”
Before they moved to France in January, Joanna attended Sarah’s birthday party: “That’s when I realised how fun she was. And her friends were mad, like all of mine.” Accommodation in Paris proved hard to find, so they rented a “disgusting” place on Airbnb. “There were pigeons nesting in the windows and there was no central heating. We moved to another temporary Airbnb with no oven and we were frying bits of bread to eat,” remembers Sarah. “We looked at so many places before we finally found somewhere, in February, for the rest of the semester.”
Although it could have been stressful, the experience helped them to bond. “We went straight into sharing a bed and a bathroom that had no door,” laughs Joanna. “We didn’t have any arguments, though, and just meshed really well.” Sarah says her friend always stayed positive. “We laughed about stuff and looked on the bright side. Other people might have been negative about the situation, but we work well together and still enjoyed exploring the city.”
They stayed close after returning home to the UK that summer. In 2017, after they had completed their degrees, Sarah moved back to Paris to work as a nanny while saving up to go travelling, while Joanna went to China to teach English. “Sarah came to China at the end of the year and we travelled together to Thailand and the Philippines.”
When they came home, Joanna returned to Manchester to complete a master’s in social statistics and later found a job as a data analyst for the UK Sports Institute. Sarah moved to London to start working in renewable energy finance. “We visited each other all the time,” says Joanna. “And we went back to Paris together for a holiday.”
Early this year, Joanna was itching for a change. “I have a fully remote role, so I decided to move to London and live with Sarah,” she says. Soon after she arrived, they took another holiday together, this time to India.
Joanna says they have supported each other through lots of breakups and bad dates. “We’ve also navigated family bereavements, like losing our grandparents. If I’m feeling sad, Sarah always asks what she can do,” says Joanna. “She’ll listen to me if I want to talk, but also distract me with days out. She always shows up for me.”
Sarah describes her friend as a “glass half full” person. “She’s very driven, always getting up early to do new sports and activities. She also has a great sense of humour and strong opinions, which I love. It’s important to have interesting stuff to say.”
When Joanna won an award for women in data in 2023, she cited Sarah as her inspiration during one of her interviews. “She’s so good at her job, so competent and confident,” she says. “I also love how she’s very adaptable in all friendship groups, whether that’s meeting my parents, who are quite religious, or being with my other friends. As you get older, you realise how good you’ve got it with friendships. That cheesy line about how soulmates don’t have to be romantic is definitely true.”
