Communication!

Hello hello hello!

Communication: the imparting or interchange of thoughts, opinions, or information by speech, writing, or signs.[dictionary.com]

In any relationship communication is important, now neither me nor Nicole are relationship experts and we in no way aim to purport that we are through this blog, in fact quite the contrary, we are just trying to give people hope of long distance relationships through our own experiences!

When in a long distance relationship communication becomes even more important because without the touch of your other half it can make you feel lonely and unloved, hearing the words "I Love You" can really really help, or at least it can turn my mood around in a minute. There are many ways of communication out there and modern technology helps incredibly! Not to mention how in a long distance relationship calling can be extremely expensive! These are some of the methods we have adopted but are not an exhaustive account of various methods!!


BlackBerry IM: As we both own BlackBerrys we save a fortune by not having to SMS each other. This acts like any other Instant Messaging service and works across the globe for FREE (as long as you have the BB package in your phone bill and of course unlimited mobile phone data package). The text is small yes, but writing little messages to let the other know what we're upto, or if we can't get on the phone for whatever reason. This is REALLY HANDY! In addition if you have an internet enabled phone but not a BB simply download MSN, AIM, SKYPE or any other software which contains an IM facility. We do use AIM for when BB doesn't work (yeah nothing is perfect)

Email: Fairly obvious but it can be a really nice surprise to find an email in your inbox from a loved one, it just makes you feel all appreciated! Also the introduction of E-Cards is also a cute way to send a loving message, just do not try and replace their birthday card or anniversary card with an E-Card --> its just tight and very unromantic! I felt really happy though receiving an E-Card from my baby, especially as I was at Uni at the time so it was an awesome surprise! Email is really handy if you want to send an attachment too, like in the past I've drawn silly pictures in Windows Paint and sent it to Nicole! One good thing is that the email will be sat in their inbox waiting for them when they get to work, or get home and check their personal emails, so its like leaving a surprise for later!

If you have a camera phone and email on your phone then use email to send little pics to your other half, these can range from:
a) Heres a pic of the dinner I made last night
b) This is me trying on a new shirt, do you like it (helps recreate the experience of shopping together, sort of...)
c) Hi here's a naughty pic of my [insert rudey bit] --- I miss you!

All of them are fun to send and receive!

Post a letter/card: I love surprising my baby by sending her a letter or card in the mail, not just on special occasions but literally whenever I feel like sending a surprise! Its worth bearing in mind the delays in international posting, so after you send the first one make a mental note of how long it takes, then add a day or two and keep this as your deadline for future posting. I actually wrote in my diary the latest dates I should post something when I had planned Christmas surprises so I had a handy reminder!

If you make the effort to write a letter it will be appreciated by your other half! It doesn't have to be poetry or Shakespeare but just write down how you feel, or keep it to mundane little social commentary, whatever you're happy writing I'm sure your partner will love reading! If you are stuck for inspiration write about something the two of you did together as a reminder of the good times when you're with each other. I keep everything my baby sends me, be it a letter or a card!

Phone calls: Nothing beats hearing your partners voice at any time of the day! If you are in the same country then make sure you get the most economical phone package you can, in the UK if you wait until your contract ends then you are in a prime position to barter with the phone company, get extra minutes and reduce your overall bill cost, seriously be tough with them as they do NOT want to lose a customer. Anyway if you are in an international long distance relationship then definitely look into the packages that Skype offer, I pay £3.75 (ish) a month and get unlimited (upto 6 hours a day) phone calls to USA landlines or mobiles. However I know Nicole can't get the same deal with skype from the USA to UK. In addition to dialling from my computer I have got a local rate number saved in my phone which I can call, which only costs me the same as local minutes, and I purchased an LA number which Nicole can ring from her phone which using her local minutes and calls my computer [for a small fee I can get these calls forwarded to my mobile phone]

Isn't technology wonderful! Alternatively you can buy specific international phone cards or mobile phone sims with cheap international calls. You have to do a little internet research and find the best deal for your situation!

Webcam : Using software previously mentioned such as Skype and Aim you can video (or just talk) chat for free for as long as you wish! Very nice to see your other half even if it is unfortunately on a computer screen! It allows a bit more interaction such as showing off a new item of clothing, or just being able to see a smile :-)

To be honest I love the webcam and it makes me feel a lot closer than I would without, seeing that my baby is safe and all right makes me feel happier...plus I just love her cute little face and so the webcam is a godsend!

Social websites:  Twitter, facebook, myspace, whatever takes your fancy you can use to leave each other sweet little messages or pokes or just tell the world how you feel about the other person!

O.K. I think that covers most of the options which we choose and use frequently, good luck comrades!

Jonny x x