With college starting soon, a lot of high school friendships are suddenly being tested for the first time. Here are five ways to keep in contact with friends who are suddenly hundreds (or thousands) of miles away.
1. Mail a journal back and forth.
Sending old fashioned, hand-written letters in the mail is a fantastic way to keep in touch. In this day and age of technology, taking the time to personally write and mail a letter adds an extra layer of meaning. Kick it up a notch by writing your letters in a journal and mailing it back and forth. As the journal fills up, you’ll be able to easily look back and see how much you’ve grown. (It’s like a diary but between two people!)
You may choose to set up guidelines for the journal with your friend of choice before beginning. My friend, Meg, and I dedicated the first page of the journal to our rules, some funny and some serious. For example, we must write and mail the journal back within a week of receiving it. Each letter must include a book recommendation. We're not allowed to write hungry. Fun pen colors are acceptable and encouraged, but don’t write in red pen -- it’s much too serious and teacher-like.
2. Watch a television show together.
Pick a show neither of you have seen and make sure you both have access to it. Set a number of episodes to watch each week. Take your busy schedules into account, but also consider the length of the show and how much you want to stretch it out. (My other friend, Gaia, and I chose three episodes a week for Torchwood and five for The X-Files.)
To add an extra level of nerdy-ness, take notes during the show to exchange at the end of the week. I always write down things that I would be texting Gaia if we were watching together. At the end of the week, exchange notes and discuss.
Alternatively, find a currently airing show that you both regularly watch. Make a plan to watch it together and text when it airs weekly. Last year my mom and I watched the Mindy Project and Brooklyn Nine-Nine together every Tuesday and Sunday.
Another option is to read a book together or choose a set time to watch a movie. Rabbit is a great site for watching movies together - you can set your Netflix or Hulu account up with it and invite your friend to watch with you. There's a chat bar as well as video chat and other options.
3. Start a blog together.
If you’re both on tumblr, set up a side blog and invite your friend to join it. When you’re scrolling, if you see a post that reminds you of your friend or that you just think they’d find funny, post it on your shared blog for them to find later.
My blog with Katie features funny vines, zodiac posts where each other's signs are scarily accurate, things that remind us of inside jokes, and posts about friendship.
4. Make mixes for each other.
With the sudden loss of car pooling and an aux cord between us, Katie and I didn’t have an easy way to show each other new music we found. Mixes always served a purpose in our friendship, but during our first semester of college, they became one of our main lines of communication.
If you're like me, you’ll suddenly become exposed to tons of new music between your roommate’s record collection and late night Youtube diving, and making mixes for your friend is a way to share your experience.
8tracks is a great website to upload mixes. You can even list mixes you upload as private so your friend is the only one who has access to it with a link.
5. Find a magical pair of pants that fits you both.
Mail them back and forth with letters of your adventures! Never wash them. Don’t pick your nose while wearing them. Remember, pants = love.
Whether this is your first time being apart from your best friend or a ritual you've gotten used to every new school year, don't lose contact with someone truly important to you.
