Residence

Distance didn't affect this couple—even from across the world residence friendships have managed to live on, but rarely do you encounter long distance university friendships that turn into lifelong partnerships.

In 2003, Brittany went to visit her prom date at Medway-Sydenham Hall on JN1. However, a weekend visit to MedSyd introduced her to many amazing individuals, including James. The two soon became best friends, causing Brittany to come back and spend almost every weekend hanging out with friends at MedSyd.

Eventually, Brittany decided that she had enough of Laurier and became a Mustang. The residence experience at Western was enough to make her transfer. "It was just such a good time. Nothing could compare (casual dig at Laurier)." For four years, Brittany and James continued to maintain their friendship even while James was pursuing an engineering internship in Calgary during his fourth year.

Following graduation, Brittany found herself traveling for the next few years and ended up in Japan in 2011, losing touch with James. Only two weeks after she left, the tsunami hit, devastating many towns and people. "I just thought about how lucky I was... when that happened I thought I just had to call James. I needed to tell him that I needed to see him again." And so began the consistent phone calls again, rekindling their friendship.

A few months later, desperate to see each other once again, James bought Brittany a plane ticket to Calgary to visit him and she realized she had to put her feelings out there, "I didn't know what it meant, but I needed to tell him that I loved him." A nerve-racking moment; however, it all turned out in Brittany and James' favour even when Brittany moved to Australia to pursue her masters.

James visited Brittany in Australia, and they had what Brittany describes as "the most rational conversation anyone has ever had... we just knew we were going to get married." And where else, but Medway-Sydenham Hall, the historic building where they first met.

Brittany and James are a living example of how residence friendships manage to live on, even from across the world.