Dillon McGee and Jillian Cortese began their junior year at Stonehill College this week after five months of dating, but nearly 4,000 miles from each other.

Cortese is attending school abroad this semester in Florence, Italy. McGee, her boyfriend, lives on campus at Stonehill. He said the distance will be hard but he hears from her every day.

“It’s easy to communicate and I haven’t gone more than three or four hours without hearing from her," McGee said.

McGee knew when they started dating that she planned to go abroad the fall semester of her junior year. The two spent most of the summer together, well aware of the short time they had together before her flight to Italy.

“I knew we had all summer together and we don’t live far from each other,” he said.

Jill and Dillon, sometimes called 'Jillon' by close friends, spent the summer side by side; going to concerts, baseball games and getting ice cream

“We also went on two small vacations together, to Maine and Cape Cod,” McGee said.

He also plans to visit her apartment in Florence for the weeks of Columbus Day weekend. The two have already started planning the time they will spend together.

“She has already told me there’s a restaurant she wants to take me to and we might take a day trip to Rome or somewhere close,” McGee said.

Cortese said it was a difficult decision to travel to a different country than her boyfriend, but it was an opportunity she couldn’t miss

“I know it's something I’ll never get the chance to do again,” she said.

Cortese said the most important thing is to have faith in your relationship.

“Although those few months will be hard not seeing them or being together, the experience you are going to have while away is unlike any other,” she said.

McGee’s advice to anyone who’s significant other is going abroad is to stay calm and not to stress.

“Just don’t worry about it so much because it’s temporary,” he said. “I know she’ll be back in three months.”