Long Distance Relationships

My girlfriend and I got separated.

Not that we broke up, but she went to Aspen to work for her internship.

It's really hard to manage long distance relationship. Some of the many factors are currently in play: trust, time, communication. These factors, when played right, could lead to a better relationship, else it's downfall. No wonder that some people call these as "surviving a long distance relationship".

This is honestly my second time to experience a long distance relationship. The first one did not survive because there were issues of trust and have minimal communication. I gave all that needs to give (although this was my first time to be in a relationship), but there were no returns. She never returned the love that I gave to her.

In my present relationship for almost 3 years, we've have made a connection between each other and have defined some things in our lives. We've got to know each other during these years and became comfortable with one another. That's why when she left for a one-year internship in the US, it was really difficult for us.

But I've learned a lot since that failed long distance relationship. Here are some tips which I would like to share to you in order to "survive" the relationship:

1. Be true and loyal to one another. That's the basic and most important rule in surviving a long distance relationship. Most relationships fail because of this aspect. Open yourself up to her and know that what you have right now is the one and the rest are just temptations.
   
2. Have a special time or date when you can talk. While she was still here with me, we have this "special" day because I don't have much time to visit her because of my work as a web developer. Thus, we made an agreement that we will always meet and go out every Saturday. From there, we decided that Saturday will be our special day and the time that I will call her and have a good time sharing experiences between one another.
   
3. Give encouragement. My girlfriend gets depressed most of the time because of her work. Moreover, the distance between us adds to the depression. Thus, I always encourage her to do things well. Moreover, I always tell her that there are only 10 months left before she goes home to me.
   
4. Share experiences. Every time that we would talk over the phone, I would share to her my experiences for the day: how pissed I am because of our Project Manager, how good I was during the development of the project, how much I've learned in doing things well, etc. On the other hand, she also shares with me some of her experiences: how well she managed the area that she is in, how stupid and considerate the customers are (she's an intern chef by the way), how cold the environment is (since it is snowing that time), and many more. With that, we don't miss on the important events and happenings between each other.
   
5. Oldies are still goodies. Send her mails, even if they are just short. Whenever I arrive in the office, the first thing I do is to write her an email sharing to her the things that had happened to me yesterday. Sometimes it's quite long, but most of it are just short. What's important is that she knows what you're doing and how you are feeling.
   
6. Visit her if possible. If possible only. Nothing beats the mere presence of your one true love with you. I had that experience when I visited her in Aspen just lately. Both of us cannot believe it because the cost of going here is very high. But thanks to God that it was made possible. There, I knew what was she doing and the environment that she is in. Moreover, we got to reconnect on the ties between each other.

I know how difficult it is to be away to your one true love. But here are some of my personal suggestions in order to "survive the crisis". There are many more, and I guess they may help you.

I hope that you survive your relationship and continue loving each other.