Going The Distance: Part 2

One committed fresher tells us why he’s determined to make long-distance work.

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Obviously, long-distance relationships aren’t ideal, but they’re definitely workable, even within the Cambridge bubble. I really care about my girlfriend Flora a whole lot, so breaking up with her just wasn’t an option, despite her attendance of a non-Russell Group university.

There are hoards of people who will tell you that keeping a girlfriend outside uni is as good an idea as a tourist having dinner at the Mahal. It’s hard to shake the memory of one intensely awkward conversation with my godmother in which she unnervingly impressed upon me both the joys and the likelihood of drunken infidelity. But as long as you have patience, self-control and, you know, principles, you can stick together.

Skype helps, too. I’ve grown to love that strange underwater beeping noise it makes with each incoming call, like some strange cross between R2D2 and Cupid himself. If it were a person I would take it out for dinner and give it a good time (with my girlfriend’s permission, of course).

I really hope that we can keep things going through university. It might be difficult, but as long as we take the time to properly stay in touch and plan some bi-termly visits, it shouldn’t be impossible.

To be honest, the questionable “delights” of walks of shame back from the far reaches of Girton and Clare Colony, dressed as a playboy bunny and smelling like Cindies’ urinals, sound about as enticing as the Senior Tutor’s time management talk. The hardest thing will probably be finding the time to fulfill her expectations alongside supervisions and essays and lectures. It’s quite fortunate, then, that I really enjoy texting her sweet nothings and letting her know how much I care about her, so that bit’s made a lot easier.

The whole long-distance thing isn’t for everyone, though. If you have any problem at all with abiding by an exclusive access contract to your genitals, you might want to give it a second thought.

It’s a matter of weighing up the frustration and sadness of not being able to see the person you care about most against the more tangible option of instant Cantabrigian gratification.

What it boils down to is a really simple question. How happy do they make you? For me, this was an easy choice, because my girlfriend is super awesome and great and blows the competition out of the water – no offense, Cambridge ladies, but she’s way better than all of you.