One of my favorite movies is Pearl Harbor. The best scene is when Evelyn and Rafe write each other letters, their love uniting them across an ocean.
Evelyn and Rafe didn’t have a lot of options for contact, which might have lead to her sleeping with his best friend. Luckily for us, we live in an age inundated by technology. You and your long-distance sweetie can bridge the distance more easily.
Having friends or loved ones abroad isn’t easy. Besides horrendous time changes, there are many other obstacles to making it work. There will be those phone conversations when you realize that your lives are in two different places, and your best friend in France may not seem to care that your professor canceled class. Do NOT get discouraged by this. It is just time to mix up the daily grind.
Suddenly texting isn’t an option, and you’re at a loss? I present to you:
Pen Pals 2.0.
Skype: obviously, it is a staple for replacing daily interaction. The benefits of Skype include face-time, instant response and convenience. The disadvantages are glitches and being tethered to your computer constantly.  Too much Skype and you suddenly become the girl sitting alone in her room in sweatpants waiting for your computer to unfreeze…
Activities: Watch a movie on the same day and talk about it later. The movie Going the Distance has some humorous ideas of this. Watch the big game together. Read the same book, attend a lecture, or virtually visit the country they are in. There are lots of things to make sure your conversations don’t die out. If your sweetie is in Thailand, ask them what food they’re eating there and find it here! Get creative–you may find you like this better than watching them play video games all date night anyway.
Online Games: Things like Words with Friends allow some loving competition into the relationship. They are great because the time change doesn’t get in the way. Sophomore Bethany Wilkes is dating New Zealand native Kent Donnel. She describes their nightly Words with Friends as “It’s like having game night, and we’re in a normal relationship.” As long as you don’t become like Alec Baldwin, you should be fine.
Letters: Nothing is as nice as getting a handwritten note from someone you care about. It is a physical part of home for them, and you can easily make the sacrifice to sit down and scribe out a note. Buy some cute stationary to make this more fun! The Student Stores has post cards too. And then you can save the reply.
Other: for more ideas on fun things to mail, check out what is under 13 ounces. Or read about other long distance relationships.
Long distance relationships aren’t easy. What are your tried-and-true methods for keeping close with those far away?
Sources:
Pearl Harbor (photo): http://www.culturedeluxe.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/pearl-harbor-letters.jpg
Words With Friends Icon (photo): Zynga. http://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/zynga-launching-words-with-friends-o…