Distance to Toronto, Canada: 481 miles
Distance to Edinburgh, Scotland: 3,459 miles
Distance to Maastricht, Netherlands: 3,914 miles

For me, "hanging out" with my best friends means trying to plan out a time where we can FaceTime, only for our internet to be so bad that it is just impossible to talk to each other. "Spilling the tea" is voice memos that are 15 minutes long explaining drama about people that the other has never met. "Meeting up" consists of usually one to two flights, visas, luggage and let us not forget, tons of money.

Obviously, having long distance friends isn't something that is easy, but I definitely know that it is something that is worth it. They have been there for me and all of my problems, regardless of how removed they are from the ongoings of my life. For us, it isn't about those days where we can just hang out and not talk, but rather it is about those random conversations and phone calls. It is about snap chatting all day and tagging each other in funny memes. It is about saving up money and planning vacations to see each other.

I've come to realize that real friends, the ones that actually last a lifetime, can survive any distance or any difference in time zones. They are there for you regardless of the fact that they might only see you once a year. All their friends know about you. They still turn to you when they need help, even though they do have other people they could've gone to. It isn't necessarily about knowing every detail of your day to day life, but rather being there for whatever you need.

Now do not get me wrong, it is not easy. There are days when you are so busy you completely forget to look at your phone or other days when you just want to go to sleep rather than stay up to talk to your friend. Other times you ask yourself if all the time and money is really worth it if you are never going to live in the same place again. But, at the end of the day, the love and loyalty I have for those people remind me about all the reasons I keep them as friends and put in the work.

So to any of my friends that are a bit further away, thank you for everything that you do for me and for working towards keeping this relationship going. I think we can both agree that it's not ideal nor is it easy, but it is something that we would never give up. You guys have been there for me during everything, and I hope I have been there for you as well. I love you guys so much, and I can't wait to see you guys soon!