Going off to college is the beginning of a remarkable journey. While the university/college path isn’t for everyone, and that’s totally fine, it is an extremely exciting event for those who choose this route. However, the initial move to college can oftentimes be a little bit bittersweet. This is because, for the first time, you’ll largely be operating by yourself, with independence, and away from most of the things (and people) that you know. This will especially be the case if you’re going to college in a town far away. That being said, as you take your first few steps into adulthood, you won’t want to forget your friends, family, and others that you were close with before this chapter began.
Luckily, we live in an era defined by information and smart technology. As such, there are a plethora of easy and convenient ways for people to stay in touch and communicate with one another all across the globe, no matter the distance or time zones that separate them. Social media, FaceTime and other video conferencing tools, and text messaging all give us instant access to the people we love the most.
If you’re looking for ways to stay in touch from afar, consider engaging in the following over FaceTime.
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Watching Sports
There are a lot of things to talk about over FaceTime, and with the beginning of the semester lining up pretty perfectly with the beginning of the football season, what better way to connect with your hometown friends and family than through sports. Root for your home team, yell at the rival, and bite your fingers for the challenge-plays and overtime wins with your closest family and friends as if you’re in the same room together.
Sports are always a good way to connect and engage with the people around us, and they always have been. If you and your loved ones back home share a passion for football, baseball, soccer, or any other popular sport; you can make use of FaceTime or other video conferencing softwares to enjoy the games together.
Playing Virtual Games
There are other things to talk about over FaceTime besides just sports, though. There are a plethora of virtual games that can be perfect to stay in touch with friends and family back home. The nature of the virtual games you want to play over FaceTime will largely depend on the person you’re video-chatting with and the nature of your relationship. For instance, you likely won’t want to play the same virtual games over FaceTime with your long-distance boyfriend or girlfriend, that you would with your grandparents, or other relatives. That being said, there is a huge range of virtual games that can be played over FaceTime or other video-chatting platforms to keep you in touch and engaged with your home-town loved-ones.
Reading Together
Just because there’s a screen and probably some video conferencing technology involved doesn’t mean that you can’t connect with one another in a more old-fashioned and romanticized way. The act of reading together can be very intimate and bonding in a number of ways.
If each person has a copy of the book, you can simply jump on a video call and take turns reading to one another. This is not only a fun way to enjoy the story, but is a great bonding experience and is really high-quality personal time.
Watching Movies
In a similar fashion to reading books together over FaceTime, you and your home-town-loved-ones can also choose a movie to watch together. There are a lot of different ways to watch films over a video-chatting platform with a group of people all remote from one another.
In fact, there were a few platforms designed specifically for this that rolled out in the wake of the pandemic. This makes it easy to have a remote-movie-night with people checking in from any corner of the world.
Having a Coffee, Snack, or Drink
Another way to foster things to talk about over FaceTime is to treat it like a virtual-day-date. This could mean grabbing a coffee, or even snagging a lunch together over FaceTime. Discuss the day, the morning, the week, and whatever else is on your mind while you each enjoy a little treat.
If the dynamic is comfortable, you could even share a little virtual happy-hour together, and enjoy a beer, wine, or cocktail as you catch up.
A few Final Thoughts
There are plenty of things to talk about over FaceTime, especially if you’re looking for ways to catch up and stay in touch with your community back home, as you venture off to college on your own. While taking the next step into adulthood can be a little scary at times, it is certainly a journey worthwhile, and one that will be full of ups and downs. Always keep those you love close.
