I have had a few boyfriends, but my last one was my first love. Our love was short lived though great while it lasted, we broke up after only a month of dating because he had to go back to his home country.

As a born and raised American, it hit me hard that we are not all lucky enough to live in this country filled with opportunities for most. Some people's home countries do not offer them opportunities and they are pressured to leave their loved ones and re-settle in a new country to make a better life for themselves. This did not only happen 100s of years ago... it is happening now. I would have never noticed if I didn't work in Queens, leaving the white suburban bubble of Westchester.

My ex love and I tried long distance and we decided just to be friends. It's hard to have someone you love just to disappear from your life, especially when all the people you have loved in your lifetime are always there for you. It's hard to get over someone you love, but I learned from this that it's important to let go and trying to be friends is just a distraction and a string that keeps you unnecessarily bonded together.

It took me a while to let go of my ex-boyfriend because I still felt love and he did too. I questioned when to let go of someone you love.

Here's some tips that I learned while going through my breakup:

~ Look at the glass as half full, not as half empty. Everything happens for a reason. Learn from your past and don't let it trip you up.

~Be selfish.You're broken up for a reason. As much as you care about him, you need to care about yourself more. Move on.

~If you're afraid of not finding someone again who will love you as much as you were loved, it's not true. You will find someone else and it will be for the best.

~He will not forget you, you'll always be a part of him. Be confident and secure in yourself and the relationship you had, that there will always be a sort of love that will not be forgotten.

Here's to letting go for the right reasons, and loving again.