Section B · Page 8
The University Daily Kansan
Friday, February 12, 1999
Long-distance sweethearts still celebrate Valentine's Day
By Kate Williams Special to the Kansan
A nice romantic dinner for two,
a $400 plane ticket, one lost
suitcase and a three-hour lay-
over.
or many KU students making plans for Valentine's Day isn't so simple when they're in Lawrence and their significant others are not. Long trips, expensive phone calls and receiving Valentine's wishes that are delivered by the mailman rather than the one who sends them marks the holiday.
Whitney Grabinski, Iowa City, Iowa, freshman, has dealt with the long-distance Valentine's day before.
"Last year my boyfriend and I hadn't been together for very long, so we just sent cards and talked on the phone," she said. "We didn't try to do anything really special."
But this year, Grabinski will fly to Tempe, Ariz., to visit her boyfriend at Arizona State University.
"He is paying for my plane ticket, so that is about the best
Jacque Fardelman, Lansing senior, decided she wanted to do whatever it would take to spend Valentine's Day with her boyfriend, even though she and her boyfriend, who attends Methodist College in Fayetteville, N.C., have been together only a short time
present I could get," she said.
"He was going to buy me a ticket so that I could fly down there, but the cheapest one we could find was $400, and I didn't want him to have to spend that much money," she said. "I was heartbroken because I didn't know what I was going to do."
Frustrated, Fardelman said she called Vanguard Airlines in Kansas City. She tearfully explained her situation to the operator and told him that she wanted to get as close to Fayetteville as possible for as little as possible.
The airline was able to find a ticket for $288. But at the operator's urging, she didn't buy it.
"He said that he was going to try and find a better deal, and so he took my name and phone number," Fardelman said.
An hour later, the operator called back and told Fardelman that she had a roundtrip ticket to either Myrtle Beach or Atlanta, for free.
"He said that he had reserved me a buddy ticket, which meant that I would fly for free as a friend of his. I couldn't believe it. It really was a miracle for me," Fardelman said. "I went from not knowing how I was going to make it through the year to not knowing how I could possibly thank this person that I didn't even know."
son that didn't even know. A situation like Fardelman's is truly unusual, and not everyone is lucky enough to be able to travel on Valentine's Day. Phone calls, cards and gifts offer solutions and
make surviving the day alone a little bit easier.
Chip Waite, manager of Mailboxes Etc., 3514 Clinton Parkway, sees an increase in the number of small packages sent around Valentine's Day, he said.
"The most popular things for college-age women to send are cookies and photo collages," he said, "Guys usually send stuffed animals. We see a lot of teddy bears."
Plane-ticket prices keep some lovebirds away from each other on Valentines Day. Photo illustration by Kate Levenson/ KANSAN
Eric Corp, the owner of Mailboxes Etc., said the most unusual gift he had ever packed was a bouquet of balloons. "The guy wanted them to be sent with confetti and already filled with helium so that when his girlfriend opened the box they would fly out." Corp said
But few would dispute the fact that the more distance there is, the harder it is to celebrate.
would an outfit, Corp.>
Most students in relationships find some way to make Valentine's Day special,
whether they have a few blocks or hundreds of miles separating them.
Some couples in long-distance relationships celebrate Valentine's Day via telephone. Photo illustration by Kate Levenson/KANSAN
Commentary
Day for lovers less than sweet for those who are single
they're everywhere. Holding hands as they walk to class, kissing at the bus stop and stopping to gaze into each other's eyes. There is no escaping the nauseating displays of affection from the scores of couples who seem to seep out of the woodwork during this time of year.
For the happy lovebirds, Valentine's Day provides an even better excuse to shower each other with affection. This is all very well for those lucky enough to have found true love. But for the lonely singles that will be forgotten, Feb. 14 is a day we'd like to cross off the calendars forever.
Although most people don't con sider Valentine's Day a major holiday, it is hard to ignore all the sapy greeting cards and chocolate hearts that have been shoved in our faces for the past month. We were taught at an
early age that Valentine's Day was a big deal, with class parties and little cartoon character valentine;
as we progressed in school, it was no longer an unspoken rule that every child in the class get cards from everyone else. We were able to choose whom we wanted as our valentines. Watching all the
Kate McCarty
opinion @ kansan.com
happiness and love around us' on Valentine's Day can make us like that sad fourth grader holding his empty box.
Single people are virtually excluded from any Valentine's Day celebrations. No one will send us chocolates, flowers or musky love notes. If we want to go out to dinner, we must make reservations weeks in advance or wait in ridiculously long lines. By the end of the day we begin to wonder what is wrong with us that has caused Cupid's arrow to miss so many times.
Single students share different views on Valentine's Day. Many feel some resentment towards the holiday, while others don't care at all.
"Valentine's Day sucks!" said Mike Pugh, Washington, Mo., sophomore. "You realize how pathetic your life really is. I'm almost 20 years old and still single."
After coming to college, some students began to see Valentine's Day in a different light.
"We're not going to sit around and feel sorry for ourselves. We have more fun without guys anywav"
Trusha Bhatt
Oakland Park freshman
Overland Park freshman
"It had never been a big deal to me until this year because I see all these people together, and I realize how great it would be to have someone," said Trusha Bhatt, Overland Park freshman.
Other people see their singleness as an advantage because it frees them from the stress and financial burden that comes with searching for the perfect gift.
Friends are an essential tool for curing the alone-on-Valentine's blues. Instead of staying in and getting depressed, it is a good idea to plan alternative activities on this night. From girls' nights out to merciless male — or female — bashing, being in the company of other single people can help relieve some lonely feelings.
"We're not going to sit around and feel sorry for ourselves. We have more fun without guys anyway," she said.
Bhatt said she planned to spend Sunday night with her unattached girlfriends.
Kate Haugan, Overland Park freshman, has an unusual evening planned.
single people are invited. Err — unless I get a date. If that happens, party's canceled," Haugan said.
"Last year my mom gave me a plant for Valentine's Day. I'm very proud of keeping it alive for an entire year, so I'm having a birthday party and only
Pugh is spending his Valentine's Day night the same way he spends any other night; in his room studying for his organic chemistry test.
Somehow it doesn't seem fair that people in love, who experience the happiness of having someone everyday, also have their own holiday. It's easy for single people to harbor some resentment toward Valentine's Day, but remember how quickly the tables can turn. Next year may find us spending Feb. 14 with someone special, while the happy lovebirds we envy so much sit at home feeling lonely.
Kate McCarty is a Leawood freshman in pre-journalism.
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