I have had many friends come and go, especially after my high school graduation. People I talked to every day or went to every birthday party for, are people I rarely talk to these days. We’ve grown older and grown apart and many of my old high school friends are hours away. Most people know what that feels like, especially when you enter college and move away from your hometown. That’s not the only reason the friendship changed, however, and not many understand that better than me.

My best friend for the last ten years was born and raised in England. Aside from a month spent in Europe (which was amazing and should be on your to-do list if you have never been), I have never really left the United States. My bestie and I may speak the language (sort of – this is often debatable), but there are many things unique about having a best friend from another country.

1. You argue about the meaning and pronunciation of different words.

We have this argument all. The. Time. It seems to be an on-going thing, because we’re constantly finding new words that are completely different in our countries. I’m beginning to think this is one disagreement that will never end.

The jumper vs. sweater thing is weird, but their definition for braces just doesn’t make any sense. Braces go on your teeth; they don’t hold your pants up! And that’s not to mention the first floor/second floor thing. That one is particularly confusing.

Americans, beware: if you go to England, the first floor is NOT the ground floor (like it should be). Their first floor is our second floor.

2. Speaking of words, their spelling is terrible.

Favour? Colour? Seriously, the English language is complicated enough. Why do they insist on adding all these extra and completely unnecessary letters?

3. They’re still bitter about the 4th of July

Guess who was one of the first recipients of a fireworks snapchat from me this year? #sorrynotsorry

4. They can rub their knowledge of new Doctor Who episodes in your face.

He knows everything before I do. He never spoils anything (probably because he knows that would be a declaration of war) but he can certainly rub it in that he gets to see it before I do. There is no justice on this one, and I will be forever bitter about it.

5. Political discussions never end.

American politics and British politics are VERY different. He seems to know way more about the American political system than I know about his. American media doesn’t talk about British politics very much, so I have to go to my friend for most of my information. What better way to understand what’s going on than to ask a local?

It’s also really enlightening to talk to someone who doesn’t live in America about American politics. If you’ve never done this, I would actually recommend it, because it is surprisingly beneficial. Sometimes I have to look stuff up in order to answer his questions. It also forces to me to develop my own opinions and look at other points of view in a way I probably wouldn’t otherwise. The area I live in is on the more conservative side, and I often hear the same opinions over and over. He’ll ask why, and I’ll have to actually think about why rather than regurgitating information.

In the end, the cultural differences don’t matter.

Think about your best friend. They aren’t your friend because of where they’re from, are they? No, they’re your best friend because of your common interests and how well you get along with them. You have fun with them and know they’ll be there for you if you need them. You don’t care where they’re from. It’s fun to give my best friend a hard time about our cultural differences, especially because he gives it right back to me, but he’s not my best friend because he’s from another country.

Having a best friend on the other side of the world can be tough (hello, time differences and distance) but it can be just as great as having a best friend who lives across the street. Experiences are different, but the friendship is the same.