I have always known ever since I was little that I wanted to study abroad. I’ve always loved traveling, and I fell in love with Paris the first time I went when I was around 8. While the idea of going abroad all year still scared me, it seemed like something I knew deep down I had to do.
So here I am, in the city of loooooove, and I have a boyfriend at home in the states. That part usually really gets people. You’re abroad for a WHOLE year with a BOYFRIEND? Really, is commitment so rare these days? Jonathan and I have been together on and off for the last three and a half years. We’ve never gone to the same university, and that has always been tough. However, I never doubted my decision to go abroad mostly because he never did. I knew deep down I needed to go, somehow he knew it too. It was pretty much unspoken, and he never held it against me. Even more, on days when I doubted myself, he always reassured me that I was in the right place.
I won’t deny that it’s difficult, being in the most romantic city with your boyfriend thousands of miles away. For the first week I cried into several Nutella crepes, and that still happens occasionally. However, I can’t imagine having it any other way. Choosing to go abroad while staying with my boyfriend at home was just like staying true to myself. I love being abroad and I love my boyfriend, so I never saw why I should have to choose. Of course there are challenges, but what worthwhile life decision comes with no strings attached? The fact that I have had to consciously think about my decisions and whether they would make another person happy has actually helped me to be my best self, everyday. It has definitely been more effort, especially being 4880 miles apart, but all it has required is more planning. Writing letters, planning Skype sessions, and talking on the phone, were all things I often overlooked at home. However, being so far apart they’re necessary to talk at all and have actually helped to strengthen our relationship.
What really irks me, is when people assume having a boyfriend means I’m no fun. No, I do not sit at home every night. Yes, I like to go out. It is possible to explore Paris while *gasp* being responsible. And my boyfriend doesn’t hold any of this against me. Relationships are never perfect, but I would certainly not write one off solely based on distance. I have learned that it is far more important to look at the quality of your interactions and emotions, rather than the number of miles between two people. Plus, during spring break I got to do all the romantic things I’d been envying all year, and that it made it all that more special.