Online "Relationships"

[Ginger Fish]

I'm sure most everyone has them, atleast to some degree, but do you have any kind of online relationship, and if so, tell us a little about it.


I'm in the military and haven't been in the states for almost 5 years now. Right after I was stationed at my first base in Japan I "met" someone online. We've been 'friends' for 4 and a half years and we've never seen each other face to face. The closest we've come to meeting are, extremely rare, phone calls and an occasional photo exchange.
We share common interests and strangely enough, even though I now live in Germany and she still lives in the U.S., we lead somewhat similar lives, from a certain perspective. While meeting her would be awesome, the excitement still remains that there is someone out there that I know, enjoy talking to, and care about, but is still somewhat of a mystery.

***If she reads this, I hope she knows that I think about her often and wonder how she is doing. I appreciate her friendship, trust, and understanding during difficult times and hope that she knows that I'm here for her if anything ever comes up. ***

[LinzAy]

Online relationships eh?

Well, I have a couple really good online relationships....at least i think.
Theyre both really good online friendships One I call "my little slave" Because for some reason when we started talking him being my slave arose in our conversation and it's been a joke between us ever since. I really do consider him one of my best friends. No matter how long I was gone he's been right there when I've come back. He's listened to me complain about the most stupid things and has listened to me ramble on and on about absolutely nothing at all. Supported me, given me advice, made me laugh.....great friend....really. We've never talked on the phone though...have we?
The other I met through Dreamers after a while of reading his stuff and being inrigued by him. I finally had the nerve to offer my friendship. Haven't regretted it yet. I don't know if he sees our friendship the same way as i do, but i love it. He'll listen to me complain also and make the weirdest comment to make it all seem okay. We have the strangest conversations that make me realize even more that each person you meet and associate with really do bring out this different world inside of you. He's honest in any situation...even if it might hurt my feelings or upset me.

Both these friendships mean so much to me.

Then of course there's the online relationship between all of us dreamers that's so awesome.

[Leah06]

i have had an amazing "online relationship" in fact i met him here! if you dont already know who it is, and you cant figure it out... then you are so cluless!

[Stacey]

Ginger

Have you ever had a dream about this person?

I have a similar situation.

[Dreamer]

I have had a several online relationships.. 2 eventually just disapeared. but one I actually went to another country to meet. I ended up visiting twice for a couple weeks each time and he and his family came here. Though we aren't near as close as we once were we are still friends ...

Both our 'irl' lives are much more secure now than they were back then. We found we had many many things in common even though we lived across the ocean from each other.

All my friends thought I was insane going to the UK by myself to meet people they thought I didn't know. They "what if'd" me to death. I had several back up plans with other people in europe just in case. I had a friend in England I could have went too as well as amsterdamn Holland.. Just in, but everything went wonderfully.

I met a wonderful family and their friends and touristed all over Scotland seeing castles and loch ness and loch lommond(sp) nessie was on vacation.. Scotland is a very beautiful country. And a most wonderful exciting adventure.

When the internet was young it seemed so strange to comprehend. Back then people in other countries were just pictures of nameless faces you seen in a National Geographic magazine or seen on TV or something. That's when I realized how small the world really is and how all people are basically the same with the same needs an concerns no matter where they live.

I have visited many people I have met on the internet in person. All of the experiences went really well. I found it was harder to going back to the internet friendship after I had personally met the people in real life. We are such slaves to our eyes and ears. I couldn't read the feelings and humor remarks by them as I once had when in chat or IM. It was really weird for a while.

But I wouldn't change a thing.

I have had (twice) visitors from other countries stay with me when they came to the country to visit me. Kind of like a vacation foreign exchange program type thing. When my friends from Scotland came over to visit I picked them up in Chicago and drove them all the way to Orlando and we did all the touristy Florida stuff before they went back. It was awesome. It is a neat way to visit another area of the world and see how the "real" person lives.

I taught a guy from Holland to drive while he stayed with me. He came over the states to meet his lady love. After visiting her they decided to get married and he needed a place to stay for a couple weeks until she finished up her year in the college dorm.. We had a great time too. With a bit of a language barrier but after a few days we both got used to each others accents.

I also have at least two friends who met on the internet fell in love and got married and are still after several years living happily ever after....

I love the internet and the people I meet here....

[Leah06]

thats sooo cute, i hope my relationship will end up the same as your friends!

[Stacey]

It's actually amazing how two people who have never met eachother before can become so close. I've been in contact with this guy online for almost 5 years now and even if we go for a long period of time without chatting, we just pick up right where we left off.

It's a friendship that i treasure. I would love to meet him someday, but for now it's just emails and an occassional chat. .... maybe someday..... I think of him often, but it would definitely be really weird to meet him in person. Probably be hard to say goodbye

[Leah06]

i know exactly how you feel. ive known mine for about a year give or take a few months.... yea, it could be weird but it would be amazing to see if we still connect the same way we do online. it would be great!

[Ginger Fish]

Ginger

Have you ever had a dream about this person?

I have a similar situation.

Funny you should ask that Stacey! Particularly since you're asking! HA HA! Yeah, I've had "the meeting" dream once or twice. It was usually played out in some restaurant followed by some casual shopping at a mall or something that wasn't really about shopping at all; more or less it seemed that me and this person didn't really know how to handle the fact that we'd just met after almost 4-5 years. So we spent our time circling a store talking about random things, joking and trying to break the ice. Much how I suspect it will probably be when the time comes and we finally do meet. Of course, I may be totally wrong. She may just slap me in the face and run the other direction. I don't know.....what do you think? HA HA!

Take care.......

[Leah06]

i have had that kind of dream many times, except they are all different, one was he saw me and then just stared like the "you have got to be kidding me, i wasted my time and money on that!" type of thing and then on the opposite side of the spectrum (big word! lol) i have had one where we just hit it off and it felt like we actually knew eachother as long as we have been talking to eachother onling and stuff, it was awsome! i really hope ot ends up the way i said i drempt about the second time, if it ends up the way i drempt about the first time, i will cry!