When going off to college, you feel a ton of emotions. You're moving away from your friends, from your home, and possibly a significant other. When I left for school, I had just started dating my boyfriend. He asked me out the 9th of August and I was leaving for school on the 16th. I always think how inconvenient the timing is but how lucky I am. Not only was it hard to say goodbye to my friends but saying goodbye to my boyfriend made it even more difficult. Especially when you're in a new relationship. You want to spend every moment with them but college was calling and it was time to leave. Other couples I knew either chose to stay together and to try it out throughout the school year or, they decided to just call it quits. Before we became "official" part of me wasn't too sure if I should give it a shot. He was everything I wanted and more and I didn't want distance to be a factor. He was a great guy and I was willing to give it a shot. The University of Iowa is nearly 4.5 - 5 hours from my hometown of Eagan, Minnesota which is a suburb of the Twin Cities. I wasn't too keen on being so far away from home but, Iowa was my best option for all of the schools I had been accepted into. High School had been a blast for me. Especially senior year, that's when everything fell into place. For a long time I didn't even want to discuss college just because I didn't want high school to end. I am also a big home body so that made the transition hard as well.
Once at Iowa, I realized FaceTime was my best friend. I had photos of my boyfriend on my desk, I stole his sweatshirt and he even gave me a stuffed animal for those nights when I felt a little extra homesick. We might have just made it "official" a few weeks prior but we had been talking since May so he meant much more to me than just a new boyfriend that I was just getting to know. Within the first two weeks of school, he was able to make it down to Iowa to visit me. We had promised to see each other at least once a month. Through various weekend visits and school breaks I was able to see him. During those periods where I couldn't see him it sucked and it was extremely difficult. But the thing is, even though your loved one is far away, that doesn't mean the love has to dwindle or fade away. What I've learned from being in a long - distance relationship is that when you do get to see them, time is so much more valuable. You get to appericiate all those little things that make that person them even more. You appericiate the laughs, the smiles, the snuggling and everything else in-between even more. The hugs have more passion, the kisses are sweeter and the love is stronger. Even when the going gets tough. Just remember how much you enjoy your time with that significant other when you're with them in person. I know by experience sometimes you feel so lost and down that it's hard to keep going. Especially when you're unsure if when you'll see them again. But everything is so much more enjoyable and valuable when you're with them. Just because it's hard doesn't mean you should give up. Everything happens for a reason and if it's meant to be it's meant to be. Any true love can stand the test of time.
