Long-distance relationships
Związki na odległość
You met somebody very interesting during the holidays or perhaps your parents decided to move. Are you afraid you’re going to loose your friends? And what about your boyfriend or a girlfriend?
If you really care about people you like, there are many different ways to keep in touch with them:
- a) make a phone call – call your friends sometimes. You don’t have to have anything in particular to talk about. They’re your friends so calling them just to ask how they are doing is 100 % OK. (Boyfriend/Girlfriend – even if you write letters and e-mails to each other, it’s so nice to hear each other’s voices, isn’t it? You must call him/her!)
- b) don’t forget about their birthday! – if you do, don’t be surprised that your friends will be angry or disappointed. This may be a very good reason why they stop calling you “a friend”. (Boyfriend/Girlfriend – You mustn’t forget! It’s difficult enough for both of you to be apart and you forgetting about his/her birthday or your anniversary may hurt him/her.)
- c) your photo – remind about yourself and send your friends your latest photos. (Boyfriend/Girlfriend – draw some hearts around your photo. You could write a beautiful romantic poem on the back of the photo – it’ll let him/her know how much you care and miss him/her.)
- d) plan your holidays – during holidays you can reserve a few days for your friends. If you have no place to stay in their town, you can ask your parents to let you go to the same camp your friends are going to. (Boyfriend/Girlfriend – you don’t need any tips in this case. It’s obvious you want to spend holidays with your boy/girl. If you have a weekend off, you can ask your parents to visit your old town. For sure they have some friends there, as well.)
Two stories
Some friendships and relationships last forever, others finish very quickly. That’s life! Whatever happens, you shouldn’t worry too much. Read two long-distance relationships’ story.
Jane, 15 years old
Three years ago my parents moved to another city and all my old friends lived 200 kilometers away from me. At the beginning we were writing letters and calling each other but after some time we stopped. Why? I really don’t know. We still like each other, I think, but we’re not best friends anymore. We meet sometimes when I visit my aunt but every year we know less and less about each other’s lives. When
I was leaving the town I had a boyfriend but we both knew our relationship wouldn’t survive so we broke up. Anyway,
I met a lot of people in my new school so I’m not alone.
Tomas, 15 years old
When my girlfriend told me she was leaving the city to go to another school, I panicked. I really liked her and I loved being with her but I didn’t see any other opportunity but to break up. Finally, she talked me into being with her despite of the distance. I don’t regret it at all. I miss her a lot but we see each other every month and we’re going to spend holidays together. We had to learn how to trust each other and in fact it made our relationship even stronger.
Vocabulary
particular – szczególny
anniversary – rocznica
long-distance – zamiejscowy, na odległość
obvious – oczywisty
survive – ocaleć, przeżyć
break up – rozpaść się, kończyć
disappointment – rozczarowanie
disturb – zakłócić
take a risk – podjąć ryzyko
Test
Are you ready for a long-distance relationship?
You really like someone but this person lives far away from you. Do you think you could be a good couple? Would you be strong enough to have a boyfriend or girlfriend just once a month? Answer the questions below (YES, NO or MAYBE) and you’ll find out if your romance has a chance.
1. You don’t like calling people. You want to talk to somebody, meet them.
YES MAYBE NO
2. If you don’t see somebody for a long time, you become strangers to each other.
YES MAYBE NO
3. When I miss somebody, I can eat, sleep and concentrate normally.
YES MAYBE NO
4. Even if you are in love, it can’t last long if you don’t see the person.
YES MAYBE NO
5. You can’t learn new things about other people if you can’t meet them every day.
Answers
Mostly ‘yes’
No way! You can’t have a long-distance relationship! Probably you would break up straight away if your boyfriend/girlfriend was leaving your town. Even if you fall in love during holidays, you don’t believe you may meet the person you liked again. You don’t want any disappointments, do you? But when you meet somebody you like very much and you feel that the only thing that disturbs your friendship is some distance, take a risk!
Mostly ‘maybe’
You have friends and there’s no problem for you if somebody lives in another city. But would you decide to have a boyfriend/girlfriend from far away? I don’t think so. You may have some e-mail friends but they are not your best friends. You need to spend a lot of time with a person to say that you like him/her. Summer love may turn into a nice internet friendship but you would never agree to have a long-distance partner!
Mostly ‘no’
Whoever you meet may be your friend.
It doesn’t matter if they live next door or in another country. You believe that phones and internet may let you know other people very well. Be careful, though! First of all, not everyone thinks in the same way. You may fall deeply in love and your long-distance boy/girl may treat you in a completely different way. Secondly, some people may appear to you very nice but remember, you know about them what they want you to know.