United States
India
1-hour time difference
How did you and your partner meet?
Siddartha and I met on Facebook Dating, actually on the friendship side of the platform! When we matched, Siddartha started flirting with me, and I playfully reminded him that we had matched on the friendship tab. We ended up talking constantly for the next few days about our careers, goals, and lives and quickly realized that we shared a very similar sense of humor.
At the time, I was finishing my final semester of undergrad in Michigan, and Siddartha was temporarily in Louisiana for a work trip. We made plans to meet when he returned, but our original plans fell through. Eventually, we decided to meet up and take my dog, Bailey, for a walk.
I was nervous about meeting someone from online because I was living by myself with my dogs, so we met somewhere familiar to me. Siddartha showed up with toys for Bailey, which immediately made a good impression. What was supposed to be a simple dog walk turned into us spending more than eight hours together. We talked, goofed off, and eventually went back to my apartment so he could meet my other dog.
Everything felt incredibly easy, calming, and fun, and the time seemed to fly by. As soon as he left, we were already texting and calling each other because we missed each other. After that, we were pretty much inseparable.
Siddartha lived over an hour away in Ohio, but he would drive to see me almost every day and eventually moved in with me. We had about a month and a half together in person at the beginning of our relationship before I graduated and moved to North Carolina for graduate school and he moved to Louisiana for career growth. Before he left, we decided that we wanted to stay together and give long distance a chance.
Where are you and your partner from?
Siddartha is originally from Hyderabad, India, and I am originally from Michigan in the United States. We grew up in two very different parts of the world and cultures, which has become a really special part of our relationship.
When we met, we were both living in the United States. I was completing my undergraduate degree in Michigan, while Siddartha was living in Ohio. I later moved to North Carolina for graduate school, and Siddartha moved to Louisiana for his career.
What is your time zone difference, and how do you stay connected despite the distance?
We currently have a one-hour time difference, with me being an hour ahead of Siddartha while I am in North Carolina and he is in Louisiana. While one hour may not sound like much, our school and work schedules can still make finding time together challenging, so we have made staying connected a priority.
Early in our long-distance relationship, we created a visitation schedule, and we have managed to see each other almost every month. One of my favorite memories was surprising Siddartha in August 2025. I flew to Louisiana without telling him and took an Uber to his apartment so that when he came home from work, I was there waiting for him!
When we can’t be together physically, we stay connected through texting, phone and video calls, sending each other memes and videos on Instagram, and planning virtual date nights. We have also scheduled good-morning messages around our time difference so that the other person can still wake up to a message even when our schedules don’t line up.
We try to plan virtual date nights about twice a month where we might order food for each other, watch something together, play a game, or find another activity we can do virtually.
This year, we also took a big step toward closing the distance by signing a lease on an apartment together in Louisiana. I planned my required graduate school fieldwork placements in Louisiana so that we can live together while I complete them. After spending so much of our relationship traveling back and forth to see each other, we are both really excited to temporarily close the distance and experience everyday life together again.
What kinds of dates, traditions, or activities do you enjoy doing together?
Siddartha and I enjoy a mix of going out, traveling, and having relaxed dates together. One of our favorite activities is visiting zoos. I have a bucket-list goal of visiting at least one zoo in every state, so visiting zoos together has become a fun way to work toward that goal while traveling together.
We also love watching shows and movies together, which is something we can enjoy whether we’re in person or long distance. Some of our favorite shows have been Grey’s Anatomy and New Girl, and recently we watched our way through the Twilight and Hunger Games movie series together.
When we’re together in person, we love traveling, hanging out with friends, spending time with our families, going to trivia nights, trying new foods and restaurants, and going to the gym together. We enjoy getting out and experiencing new things, but we’re just as happy having a relaxed night together watching one of our shows.
Did you and your partner try any date ideas from LDR Date?
Yes! We’ve tried multiple ideas from LDR Date to make our virtual dates feel more intentional and fun instead of always just talking on the phone. Some of the dates we’ve tried include watching shows together, completing a Harry Potter-themed virtual escape room, and playing UNO online.
Finding activities that we can experience together even when we’re in different states has helped make our virtual date nights feel more like actual dates. LDR Date has given us new ideas for spending quality time together and creating shared experiences despite the physical distance between us.
& South Africa 