Foundation

What we're doing is admirable, yes? I mean, I have some friends who are having difficulties when they only live 100 miles apart. You can drive there for a weekend, no problem. This is, what--6,000 miles we're talking about now? At least. I kind of feel bad that he has to use up his vacation to come to this place, which might not be the most exotic in the world. Couples who live together don't have to worry about when or how they're going to see each other again. They can plan their vacations to Bali or Egypt without any of that. We just need to plan 3 months in advance when we can just see each other, and because that effort is so great, it usually is not in any place other than the other person's abode.

I mean--there is a very large difference in scale. If we've seen each other in my little flat, that means someone has crossed an ocean. Right now we don't have the luxury of planning our global treks--they will have to wait, because having the chance to plan dinner under the same roof is an enormous accomplishment.

However, it has been very rewarding. We're both working hard on it. It's a good feeling to know that, 6,000 miles away, someone is faithful and devoted to you. The level of trust and motivation between the couple must be much higher than that of many other couples who have always been together. That's one thing we can be sure of at this point. We've developed a different type of relationship than the traditional one. It's a completely different type of project that brings you back to the core of love. It's not always about living new experiences because distance prevents that. It's about learning to feel comfortable with yourself and being creative in your expression. There are only so many things to do with distance, but you always have to find something new. It's just different.

I guess right now, it's a little difficult because we cannot plan these huge "vacations" or how to share Saturday night. Circumstances have just required us to have different priorities. Then, when finally we can share a house and a meal and plan our tour of the world, we can be sure that the foundation of the relation was firmly constructed. It's like we're rendering the ground stable and solid for future use.