Jenny met her significant other online and traveled across the country to meet him. Today, she’s sharing her story.
If you’d like to see more from Jenny, you can check-out her blog or follow her on Twitter.
Tell us a little about yourself:
My name is Jenny and I’m from the San Francisco Bay Area in California. I blog at From the Desk of J, where I write life, style, and everything in between. Aside from blogging, I’m currently finishing up my undergraduate degree in Psychology (I’m 110% passionate about mental health and using psychology to improve the workplace), and am facing the college graduate dilemma of wondering what to do with my life. When I’m not busy with school work, blogging, or attempting to figure out my life’s calling, you can find me reading, exercising, watching Netflix, trying new recipes, and spending time with family.
What led you to meeting someone online vs in person:
Teenage boredom. I met my boyfriend online when I was only 17 years old. There used to be this website called Stickam, which was essentially a video chat room. In high school, my friends and I used to go on Stickam when we were bored, and that’s how I stumbled across my boyfriend’s video chat!
Tell us about how you two first met – online and/or offline:
After talking for several months on Skype, my boyfriend and I decided to meet in person. To be honest, we didn’t really go about this in a smart way. I wrote an entire blog post about it here, but essentially I flew from California to Minnesota (where he lived) on my 18th birthday. I was by myself, and didn’t tell anyone! It was definitely a risky adventure!
After initially meeting, we did long distance for the remainder of my senior year of high school, as well as the summer. In the fall after I graduated, I moved to Minnesota to live with him for a year. Let me tell you – it was a huge change going from sunny California to Minnesota! I experienced seasons for the first time in my life, and also saw snow for the first time ever! I enjoyed living in Minnesota, but was incredibly homesick. After a year, we moved back to California, which is where we’ve been for the past three years.
Were you nervous that you would be “catfished” when you met?:
I wasn’t worried I’d be “catfished” because we had Skyped multiple times before. I knew he was a real person, he was always 100% authentic, and never did anything to make me believe he was fake. The Catfish TV show came out a few years after we had met, and I found it so interesting that these people had been faked! I had never seriously thought about being duped when I had met him.
Did you tell your friends or family that you were going? What were their reactions?:
I did not tell anyone I was going to meet him. Again, not smart at all. When my friends and family had found out I had gone, they were naturally upset and hurt- and mainly worried. Four years later, that’s all blown over though! I actually lost some friends in the process, but my boyfriend and family all get along and spend lots of time together- which is very important to me.
How has your relationship changed since you two first met?:
Our relationship has matured as we have matured. I strongly believe that growing with your partner is key to keeping your relationship alive. I was only 18, and he was only 20 when we met in person. Although we’re still very young, I feel as though we have grown a lot. We’re no longer long distance and now live together. We face paying bills, paying rent, working, and going to school together. We still have much more learning to do, and am excited to do so together!
What advice do you have for someone in a similar situation?:
If you know that the person is real, I would 100% recommend going to meet them offline. Just tell someone first! And work out a way to make it safe. If you or the other person needs to fly to get there, figure out who will go with you, where you will meet, etc. Meet in a place with other people around, and have someone with you just in case. Be smart and open to the situation.
If you had a redo, what would you change, if anything?:
I would have told my friends and family that I was going to meet him. I caused my parents a lot of hurt and really regret that. But I would never, ever regret going to meet him!
Have an awesome story to share about one of your life’s greatest adventures? I’d love to hear it! Check out the initial post or email me at [email protected]