“All of my friends are running off around the globe and leaving me alone,” I cried to my mother. This wasn’t quite true, of course, but it felt that way as my close friends were gearing up to travel to Ireland, and Thailand, and I felt stuck at home. While on some level I was jealous of their travels, I was more nervous about what the time and distance would do to our friendship. Would we still be as close? Would we still be able to get each other’s advice on all of the important stuff (read: what to make of what this or that guy said or did)? Would we still remember our hilarious inside jokes once they returned?
Well, the easy answer is that: yes, we would still be close, yes, we would still get each other’s advice, and yes, we would remember all of our jokes. BUT it required some effort, planning, and commitment to maintain our friendships when there was an ocean between us. Here are some methods you can use to keep in touch with friends, whether you are the one going abroad or are the one holding down the fort at home.
Set expectations
This is a very, very important first step to take before you part ways! Setting expectations of how often and how you will communicate is key to make sure that you are on the same page and that no one feels ignored or like they are being annoying for reaching out. You can have a casual conversation about this and both have the understanding that things may change as you settle into your new friendship routine. What this aims to do is give you a mutual foundation to work from together.
Share physical mementos
Text
For quick, day to day conversations sending text messages (or using WhatsApp, or your messaging service of choice) is the perfect way to keep in touch. Share a funny gif, tell each other about that hard test, and keep these messages short and sweet. This is a way to stay up to date on the small stuff!
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