Ask Hahney: Staying in Touch

Q: What are your pieces of advice for keeping in touch with people from home?

I resonate with this question a lot because I was born and raised in New York and naturally (thanks to geography), most of my friends stayed in the Northeast. I grew up with a lot of these friends and keeping in touch has definitely been difficult, but I think it also helped strengthen a lot of my friendships. Cheesy as it sounds, friendship knows no bounds! Anyways (ignore my sense of humor), here’s a couple of things to help you keep in touch with those you love back home:

1. Phone calls/facetime are the easiest ways to keep in touch with people. I often call my family when I’m walking to and from campus or when I have time in between classes. Also, if you’re interning or driving a lot, bluetooth! Over the summer, I would call my friends during long commutes and it definitely helped the commute feel shorter.
2. Group chats! If you have a group of friends that you’re trying to keep in touch with, I would definitely recommend a group chat– whether that be on iMessage, GroupMe, Messenger, etc. It’s easy to plop in some updates and get some feedback/advice from multiple friends when you need it. Also, sending each other funny pictures (especially from those teen stages) will brighten your day!
3. Letters. I know this may seem antiquated but physically writing letters/postcards is a pastime for me! I also love receiving them… (take note friends). There’s something quite relaxing about writing out what’s going on in your life and also reading about your friend’s life. Take a minute and write a letter! A stamp is less than 50 cents.

Regardless of how you to choose to communicate, remember that friendship is a two-way street. You and your friends should both be making the conscious effort to catch up! Also, don’t feel like how close you are with someone is dependent on how often you talk to them. The people who are meant to stay in your life, will. Trust me.