While some students opt to celebrate Valentine’s Day by having a romantic dinner on Main Street or attending a movie at the State Theater, Liz DeMar and Lauren D’annunzio will rush across state lines to celebrate Valentine’s Day with their boyfriends. Liz is visiting her boyfriend Marcus at Indiana and Lauren is visiting Adam at Syracuse. Both DeMar and D’annunzio are living through the “double-edged sword” concept of a long-distance relationships.
- Beth Dykstra
- Although students in long-distance relationships miss their significant others, they cherish the time they spend together. (Mike Hulsebus/Daily)
While some University students can make organic chemistry look easy, others know how to make maintaining strong relationships across the country look even easier.
Those in long-distance relationships know that whether it’s a phone call, an instant message conversation or an e-mail, keeping in constant contact with their significant other strengthens the commitment.
DeMar, an LSA sophomore, has been with Marcus for seven months. She deals with her withdrawal by talking to him throughout the day. “I know that no matter what, we will talk before one of us goes to bed. This is usually when we talk the longest,” she said.
On the other hand, LSA junior D’annunzio, has been with Adam with over five years. She believes that “it is important to talk several times a day, but not for an excessive amount of time like hours each time.”
Don’t Turn Green
Because the typical college lifestyle is so accommodating to sexual activity, it is very easy to feel threatened by a companion’s friendships and interactions with the opposite sex. However, some couples understand that trust is essential to all relationships, especially a long-distance relationship. “There were times when he would get so jealous I couldn’t even talk about guys with him or post pictures of me with other guys online. Most of our fights were because of jealousy,” said Taylor Stein, an Art and Architecture sophomore, who is in a seven-month serious relationship.
DeMar even attributes a lot of her relationship’s impressive success on the fact that it is a long-distance relationship. After all, while distance may cause a lot of fights, it also makes it difficult to fight. In a long-distance relationship, when couples are together, every minute counts, and they cannot take time together for granted; there is no time to fight.
“I like that I don’t have to prioritize between him, my friends and my work. We never have to have the argument about choosing things over each other.”
Going the Extra Mile
For those in a long-distance relationship, a little bit of extra affection goes a long way. Most students deal with the distance by visiting as much as possible.
“We take turns visiting each other for important holidays and birthdays. It’s important to spend a lot of time together,” DeMar said. As DeMar heads over to Indiana to visit this weekend, the last weekend was his turn to make the trip to Ann Arbor.
“It’s important to visit each other as much as possible. Absence makes the heart grow fonder and every time you see each other, it will get more amazing,” Robbins added.
Feb. 14: A Day to Love or a Day to Loathe?
Everyone deals with their long-distance relationship differently at a time when everyone else seems to have a warm body to be near. Leslie Robbins, an LSA sophomore, has maintained a serious long-distance relationship for two years. Her boyfriend and she are both film majors so they send each other DVDs and movie-related posters.
D’annunzio, who has continued to keep her five-year long-distance relationship alive and strong, explains: “I never want to feel like I held back in college and didn’t get to do everything I wanted. I never want to regret having a serious boyfriend throughout college. That’s why I do everything I want to do and make sure to balance everything so I am not holding back from my work and social life at school.
“I haven’t found anyone here that is worth breaking up with Adam and pursuing a relationship with,” she said.