Living hundreds and thousands of miles from my international BBYO friends is hard. I have friends all over the world, from neighboring Mountain Region in Las Vegas (NV), all the way down south to GCR in Boca Raton (FL) and across the globe to BBYO China. That’s one of things that makes BBYO so incredible: you make connections with different kinds of people in all different kinds of places.

However, it can be hard to stay in touch. Going from seeing each other every minute of every day at CLTC 1, to only seeing each other once a year at IC, it can be hard to communicate with and make time for our friends away from home. I’ve faced this problem over the past six months, as responsibilities at home can keep me apart from my friends. But, it doesn't have to stay that way. Here is how my friends and I stay connected!

Texting: Of course, the first thing that comes to mind is texting. This is the best way to communicate quickly with each other. Just remember that you can’t always wait for the other person to text first! Just go ahead.

Calling: For longer sessions, and spilling some serious at-home tea, calling is the way to go! I’ve had lots of good conversations with my friends over the phone, and it takes me right back to our late night cabin chats this summer.

FaceTime: Of course, you want to see your friends as well. That’s where FaceTime comes in! Except for using more battery and data, FaceTime is my personal favorite compared to calling and texting. There’s something really nice about seeing my CLTC’s friends' faces after a long day at school.

Social Media: Kind of an unconventional way to connect, but it’s actually one of the forms I use the most! From commenting on recent posts, to tagging each other in funny TikToks, to hyping up each other’s posts on BBYO Insider, Tiktok and Instagram especially have helped me feel close to my friends, even if we aren’t directly talking.

Snapchat: I was going to put Snapchat in with social media, but I think it deserves a category of its own. Snapchat has basically become the new texting, and is arguably the most used form of connection that AZA and BBG uses. Even a half year after CLTC, our group chats are still active, and we use it to send each other moments in our own lives. This really helps me feel like I’m with my friends, even if we’re several states, or even countries, away.

It can be hard to stay in touch with our friends from BBYO, especially after summer programs, that live far away. By using social media, calling and texting, we can span the distance, and stay connected. However, nothing will beat the feeling of reuniting at IC in two months. The countdown is on! I’ll go snap my best friends in the meantime <3.