“I could never do a long-distance relationship.”

“Why would you ever do that?”

Yes, I am in a long-distance relationship and these are the top two questions I get asked. No, we didn’t expect to ever be long-distance, but it happened and we are making it work. My boyfriend and I grew up in a small town together. We met my junior year of high school and finally started dating my senior year. It was a month before our one-year when he got a job offer in Qatar (no, I had no clue where this was, as I later on searched “Guitar” in Google). He would be there about nine months of the year with breaks for Christmas and summer. It was a huge change for both of us, but we decided to make it work.

The First Week-Month is the Hardest Part

You will cry, a lot, especially unexpectedly. It’s normal, but it will get easier. That week always feels like the end of the world. So it’s finally the weekend and you get off work and think about how excited you are to go out with your boyfriend like you do every weekend. Oh, but wait…your heart sinks and you forget that your boyfriend is (in my case) 7,000 miles away. Eventually after a few weeks pass, you get on a routine and it becomes less heart-achy.

Skype Dates

Skype and technology become your best friend! You look forward to these times as you would normal weekend dates. My boyfriend and I Skype almost every day before he goes to bed, which is 3-4 p.m. my time. Sometimes we can’t because I am still working or he goes to bed earlier than normal, but we make it a priority at least a few times a week. Don’t start slacking on this part of the relationship or it won’t work out. Planning times each day or week will help the relationship!

The Distance Makes the Relationship Better

If it’s just a fling or you both just lust over each other, you’ll know it. It won’t last longer than a month if it is. Long-distance relationships are hard and only the strongest relationships endure it. If you can handle it, you just know how much you mean to each other. You will learn respect, communication, and appreciate every single moment together. Don’t get me wrong, my boyfriend and I still have arguments, but now we think, “Is this fight even important?”

Reuniting

YUP, better than Christmas, your birthday, and summer break. You have finally gotten through the time you needed to be apart and there are SO many emotions running through you right now. I can’t explain half of what I feel in that moment; you just have to experience it yourself. It is worth the distance, all the bad days, the lonely days, and the best days.

The Worst Dreadful Day

The day you have to leave each other again creeps up quickly. You’re enjoying the time together so much that it flies by. The last week is here and you start realizing that you’ll soon not be able to hear his voice in person, or squeeze his face whenever you feel like it. By now, I’ve been through two goodbyes. His family has probably gotten used to my ugly cry and my family is used to the emotional, moody week I have right after. After the goodbye, you go back to the worst first week and the countdown begins all over again.

Although I am super excited for the day when we no longer have to be apart, the long distance has shown us that we can basically get through anything. It has shown us that we are two individual people that both value our relationship as well as value our own interests in life.