Reunited and It Feels So Good
Long-lost College Roommates Reconnect in an Unlikely Place
It’s a small world, after all. This was the case last February for Meg Jermain, EHD06, when she ran into a long lost college roommate in an unexpected corner of the world.
As a sophomore, Jermain lived in the Harrington A residence hall with a student named Carolina Sandoval, AS06. They came from different worlds—Jermain from Long Island and Sandoval from Honduras—but the students developed a friendship. After graduation, they lost touch.
In early 2023, while on sabbatical from teaching in Pennsylvania, Jermain visited a fellow alumni, Frank Sena, AS06, who’d been traveling around the world. In Antigua, Guatemala, the friends toured 16th-century Spanish architecture and stood in the shadow of Pacaya, a volcano continuously erupting with ash plumes and lava. On one of their last evenings together, while “enjoying the enchantment of the city,” the Blue Hens passed an alluring shop on a cobblestone street, filled with flowers and homemade, organic goods.
When she stepped inside, Jermain gasped, immediately recognizing the owner behind the desk as her sophomore-year roommate. Even after 18 years, Sandoval instantly recognized her friend as well, and the former East Campus residents embraced.
Turns out, just prior to the pandemic, Sandoval had once again been living in Honduras, where her family cultivates land for organic teas, herbs and cacao, products they sell in a prosperous shop. Sandoval left for a holiday in Antigua, only to discover she was pregnant and unable to leave the country due to COVID-19 restrictions. She and her husband decided to build a life in Antigua, where she gave birth to their son and opened the El Lugar del Te and Chocolate Antigua Shop (The Sugar, the Tea and Chocolate Shop).
“Besides her delicious, organic chocolate and treats, I was in complete awe of Carolina’s strength to manage a new family, while separated from hers, and create a booming business in Antigua,” Jermain says. “Carolina, Frank, and I were able to have a proper dinner together and chat about the last 18 years of our lives before I left, but the memory of this amazing twist of fate stays with me.”
On the one hand, the run-in was a shock. On the other hand, Blue Hen relationships will always transcend borders.
“Never in a million years did I ever imagine I could travel to Central America, and run into my University of Delaware roommate,” Jermain says. “I should have known, though. The love that I have for UD is always with me. I live in a constant state of gratitude that I became a Blue Hen, as it has shaped my life in a beautiful way.”
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