5 Lessons My Long-Distance Friendship Taught Me

During my year abroad in Spain I was blessed to meet a dear friend, Alisha. She is amazing and I am so thankful to have met her abroad, and had so many amazing experiences with her. Unfortunately, she lives in Florida while I live in New York. Although long distance friendships are difficult (especially with your best friend!!) they teach you so much and can bring you closer.

1. FaceTime is the best invention ever

FaceTime is a life saver. I do not know what we would do without it. I talk to Alisha on FaceTime multiple times a week, and talking on the phone just isn't the same. FaceTime makes me feel like I'm right there next to her, having a conversation in person. We've laughed, we've cried, and we've celebrated, all through FaceTime. No joke, the first person I called when I got my College of Charleston acceptance was her, and through FaceTime I happy cried my eyes out. God Bless FaceTime.

2. Cherish the time you have together

Not being able to see your best friend whenever you want sucks in any situation, but it totally makes you cherish the time you have together. Every time we get to visit each other we cherish our time so much because we only get to see each other every couple months.

3. See things through more than one perspective

Something really interesting that a long distance friendship has taught me is that perspective is tricky. It's so different seeing things far away and through FaceTime, or texting, than it is when you're seeing it in real life. I've experienced so many things in Alisha's life from far away and through her and seeing it when I'm actually with her in person is very different (but good).

4. Be patient

It's hard to understand situations when you haven't experienced them yourself, or only seen them from far away. This is why patience is KEY. To understand things you need to be patient, communication isn't always easy.

5. Be greatful

The biggest thing that long distance friendships have taught me is how you have to be grateful for friendships that can last no matter how far away from each other you are. There is something so special about that, and makes your friendship even more near to your heart. When I was on foreign exchange I didn't see one of my best friends for almost a year but somehow we managed to talk (by text) almost everyday, and FaceTime at least once a week. It made us closer and taught us a lot about friendship.

Long distance friendships can be hard but any relationship worth putting time and effort into is a special one. Friendship doesn't have bounds even when you're thousands of miles apart, and that's something truly amazing.