Long distance friendships: staying in contact when time zones are at play

“Why did you call me at 7 am?”
“Well, why are you replying only now to my call at 1 p.m.?”
“I was in a lecture!”
“What? Really? What country are you even in atm?”
“America!”

A real conversation I had the other day with my best friend of 7 years, and one we have had countless times before. Having long-distance friends can often be a struggle, one that, though it is necessary, is certainly not for the faint-hearted. With that said, that does not mean that putting in effort to see and talk to your friends who may live on opposite sides of the world is not worth it.

Having moved around a lot over the past few years, I’ve ended up with most of my friends living in different countries, if not different continents, and with most people moving to university, a lot of people are in the same boat having to leave their friends back home. But the question is: How can you maintain these friendships?

My advice is to understand that, to begin with, it can be hard. Really hard. You’ll miss them constantly, wishing for just one more sleepover or you may see some of your friends back home arranging things without you and feel like you’re constantly missing out. It’s difficult to not obsess over, to not want to Facetime and call every day to cling to these friendships and your past life. But, although it’s important to keep in touch, just remember you also need to make space for a new life and the new people you will meet and become friends with.

In this digital era, there is no better time to stay in touch with long-distance friends. Even if you’re in different time zones, send TikToks and pictures and voice messages to wake up to, it’s little things that just help you connect and maintain that friendship. Being long-distance isn’t all that bad; for one thing, when you do call, even if it's after a couple of weeks or a month, getting to catchup will be a three-hour conversation updating each other about everything and anything and it will be sure to brighten the rest of your week. Also, if your best friend lives in another country, then you’ll get the perfect excuse to travel and explore places and get free accommodation with it!

All in all, having a friend across the world is difficult, but it’s not impossible. By the end of it, it will amaze you how much you can grow together as friends, despite being on separate continents or countries. Your friendship will be tested, but if you make it out at the end, then you can appreciate the fact that your friendship can get through anything, making you friends for life!