Back to uni means so many things. Back to the books, lack of sleep, coffee catch ups, the perils and joys of sharing a kitchen etc… back to semi-adulting. For some of us, it also means the start of a year abroad, studying or working in a new place; a package-deal of much challenge but also such fun. Despite all of this, it also means parting once more with our friends from home.
Oh, our home friends. These specimens come in quite a variety. There’s the crew from high school, there’s the people who we say we should catch up with but never do, there’s the ‘kids down the road’ who we caught the bus to school with, and there’s the people we grew up with. Back in our parents’ day it would’ve been pretty hard to keep in touch with all of these people by letter because, let’s be honest, letters just aren’t ideal when there’s exciting news and funny stories to tell. Plus, they can take days/weeks to arrive. Trust me, sending letters to Australia takes AN AGE. Thankfully though, our generation is blessed with the internet, and its offspring social media, and so we have basically THE ideal tool-kit for keeping in touch.
No two friendships are alike, and so the definition of keeping in touch and the ways of doing are similarly different. For example:
- For the tight-knit high school crew, behold the joys of the Facebook Messenger or Whatsapp group chat. And, of course, video chats when uni schedules permit. Everything and anything can be shared here and it saves having to individually update everyone.
- For the childhood friends, Skype is perfect for a long catch-up chat but if this doesn’t seem quite write or managing the time difference is proving to be a difficult, a simple Facebook tag and comment on a Buzzfeed article/meme will suffice.
- For the ‘kids down the road’: Snapchat them what you’re doing – the funnier the better. Facebook memories tagging is also an easy way to let them know you’re still thinking about them even though you’re all grown up.
- For the friendships when you say ‘can’t wait to catch up’ but catch ups never seem to happen, maybe opt for photo liking on Facebook or Instagram; seeing what they’re doing is keeping in touch, in a way.
- Or the more traditional routes. A letter or parcel rarely goes astray. We’re so digitalised now that opting for this route often means so much more to the recipient than just a message or phone call.
While this seems to put the different ways to maintain contact into boxes, in reality it’s always going to be a mix of different methods. Long-distance friendships need effort, and so it’s okay to fall out of the loop sometimes, it’s only natural. I always try and read the situation – some people love a ‘hope everything’s going well’ message, some prefer monthly Skypes, some prefer who’s-got-the-most-aesthetic-Insta competitions. So, while back to uni means back to parting from our home life, remember that it’s totally possible to be in the link – even from the other side of the world.
Image Credits:
https://pixabay.com/photo-2583509/
Taken by the author
Taken by the author