Valentine's Day on a study abroad
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Valentine’s Day An A Study Abroad

Disliking the holiday from abroad

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Valentine’s Day An A Study Abroad
Photo by Jez Timms on Unsplash

I've been trying to listen to "NASA" by Ariana Grande instead of feeling lonely over the 4,150 miles between my boyfriend and me.

We started dating for the first time February 13, 2012. We were both high schoolers trying to stay awake through the Romeo & Juliet section of freshman English. After he asked me out, we both realized February 13 is an inconvenient time to start dating.

Do you buy each other Valentine gifts?

We showed up to school the next day with two boxes of Walgreens' finest chocolates. I personally feel like the holiday is a capitalistic scheme that romanticizes being in a relationship while shaming singlehood. My boyfriend and I don't usually celebrate the holiday much, though its significance to our relationship.

However, on our eighth anniversary of dating, I wished we had more of a tradition for the holiday. We don't have to go out on a nice candle-lit dinner, but it would be nice to split a six-pack and container of salsa and chips.

It's hard for me to even feel the significance of our anniversary while on a study abroad in London. He is at home in Savannah, Georgia, and we only have plans to share a Skype dinner together.

I have always disliked Valentine's Day, but being abroad has made me dislike it in a new way. I now resent those celebrating more than I resent the holiday in itself. I see couples expressing too much PDA on the Tube platform, which is astonishingly not British, and I feel envious that I don't have my person here to do the same.

I've had to ask for more communication from my boyfriend recently because my resentment of Valentine's Day has turned into a full homesick fever.

If you're planning a study abroad and you can't pack your significant other in your suitcase, I recommend you clearly communicate your needs and set healthy boundaries for a temporary long-distance relationship.

I guess we'll just be saying "I love you" through the phone tonight.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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