Long-distance relationships can be VERY difficult to cope with and many people believe that long-distance relationships are never successful. Most of the times, your family may even discourage it, and your best friends may advise you not to take it too seriously, in case you get your heart broken.

Well, here’s the thing. IT IS NOT EASY. Nobody even said so. There are many disadvantages and the distance may even many things unachievable. Things could get complicated, and you could get sad and lonely at times…

And well, this Pakistani girl, Zahra, is living in a long-distance relationship away from her husband, Bilal. Zahra currently got enrolled at Harvard University and hence, continuing her studies after marriage.

As per her Instagram bio, here’s what she writes:

“Middle-class Pakistani girl. At Harvard. Documenting my life here for my family. 
Oh. And Bilal is the husband who’s cheering me from 6708 miles away”

Living away from her husband, Zahra decided to do something special, something very cute and loving. She decided to document each day of her life through Instagram posts for her husband and named her account “Saal Without Bilal”.Ah, so cute MashaAllah!

Check out the following posts and the descriptions are super CUTEEEE!!!

DAY 1:

Day 1: After a 37 hour flight touching four continents, I arrived in my apartment in Somerville at 1 a.m. My airline decided that I didn't need my bags in Boston, so they kept them in Philadelphia. I'm a little disoriented, and perhaps just very tired-pretty evident from the badly framed photo. Here is my first "view" of the US.

A post shared by Saal Without Bilal (@saal_without_bilal) on Aug 24, 2018 at 3:50pm PDT

DAY 2:

Day 2: Bags arrive. Carnage includes a broken mug that Bilal's sister gave us on our wedding anniversary. It's the first day of Eid back in Pakistan and everyone from Pakistan is sending me photos 🙂 At this point, I decide to kill the homesickness with a tour of Cambridge.

A post shared by Saal Without Bilal (@saal_without_bilal) on Aug 24, 2018 at 3:59pm PDT

DAY 2 PART 2:

Day 2 Part 2 Going out was the BEST decision ever. Behold! Hahvahd! Picture descriptions: 1: Fountain outside Harvard Science Centre and Memorial Ground (?) 2. Flower shop on Harvard square I was simultaneously too intrigued and intimidated to go into 3. Harvard Kennedy School. Home to the next generation of politicians and world leaders that will drive us to hell :p 4. My school! 5. Facade of the Gutman library, eternally under repair (also, I'm not entirely sure if this gray concrete wall thing is a design feature or the school didn't have funds ?)

A post shared by Saal Without Bilal (@saal_without_bilal) on Aug 24, 2018 at 4:09pm PDT

DAY 2 PART 3:

Day 2 Part 3 …and right on the bank of the Charles River, i found a little bit of Mall Road, Murree. It says "love is best" F&C, wherever you are, I hope you're still in love and still proclaiming your love in public places :p

A post shared by Saal Without Bilal (@saal_without_bilal) on Aug 24, 2018 at 4:11pm PDT

DAY 3:

Day 3: Lesson 1: Everytime a habitual/regular commuter/walker/Google Maps tells you that a place is "5 minutes away", DO NOT believe them. It is a trap!!! Specially for those of us who have barely worked out in months. Lesson 2: Stop converting Dollars to home currency and having mini-heart attacks when you find out that your chicken tikka was worth 900 Rupees. Lesson 3: While you wait in line for food, look around 🙂

A post shared by Saal Without Bilal (@saal_without_bilal) on Aug 24, 2018 at 4:21pm PDT

DAY 4:

Day 4: Finding Dory….and the Harvard International Office. Got lost repeatedly while searching for the International Office where I had to register. Redeemed the day by visiting the Boston Aquarium with my roommate and her siblings. Picture description: 1. Statue of John Harvard in Harvard Yard. Everyone poses with their hand on his golden shoes. I've heard enough stories about drunken frat parties to be wary of the fluids that may or may not be on this guy's shoes :p 2. I'm still too intimidated to go inside this shop 3. Life size chess in Memorial Ground (?) (I should really find out what this place is called). Mental note to self: Bring Bilal here and have a game 4. The wharf. It's a bit crowded with boats, but the breeze was amazing 5. A right (yes, right, not white) whale skeleton. MASSIVE BEAST. 6. Spirit animal, "Ron" wouldn't get off the rock and slapped anyone who tried to get him off 7. Looking down at the giant fish tank. The yellow guy next to the barrel is an eel. Saw a turtle on my way up, but didn't see it from here 8. I FOUND DORY 9. Penguins plotting their escape from the New England Aquarium

A post shared by Saal Without Bilal (@saal_without_bilal) on Aug 24, 2018 at 4:55pm PDT

DAY 5:

Day 5: It starts International Students' Orientation begins today. One of these little green pins represents me 🙂 It was Friday today, and I ended up attending Juma Khutba and prayers at Lowell Hall. The Imam spoke about 9 instructions from the Prophet on the Last Pilgrimage and a particularly important lesson along the lines of doing good deeds, but hoping for Allah's Rahmah (mercy). Shoutout to the Amazing Hiba from Karachi who handed out chocolates at the end of Namaz to wish everyone Eid 🙂

A post shared by Saal Without Bilal (@saal_without_bilal) on Aug 24, 2018 at 5:02pm PDT

DAY 6:

Day 6 : MIT Headed to the MIT Campus and saw the MIT Museum They have this amazing musical staircase that plays the piano based on the pressure and speed with which you climb. Picture description: 1. Exhibit dedicated to Ramon y' Cajal, the founder of modern neuroscience titled, "The Beautiful Brain" 2. "Imagined Communities", by Mila Teshaieva, an exhibit where young Central Asian citizens shared stories of turmoil, oppression and religious, political conflict during and after the Cold War 3. Gestural Engineering by Arthur Ganson. This one was a little silly in the beginning with the nonsensical machines, but captured my attention with the exploding chair and the big bang count down gears Side note: I had convinced myself that I must have walked some 12-14 miles today but turns out it was only 5 ?

A post shared by Saal Without Bilal (@saal_without_bilal) on Aug 25, 2018 at 3:23pm PDT

DAY 7 :

Day 7: Achievement Unlocked. Used the "T" (repeatedly) to get around town. As always, I don't have clothes because of my own refusal to shop in Pakistan. @maryam.imran89 directed me to Burlington, and I headed there alone using the Bus, Train and a crappy internet connection on my phone. By the time winter arrives, taking the T will become a norm. Until then, I'm going to bask in the glory of doing something so mundane. Next transport type to conquer: the blue bikes!

A post shared by Saal Without Bilal (@saal_without_bilal) on Aug 26, 2018 at 5:12pm PDT

Her furniture arrival:

Zahra the builder, Can we build it? Zahra the builder, Yes we can ? Lots of stuff came over from Target and Walmart today including an air mattress, a shelf that I'm going to transform into a dresser, a baby fan, a chair, pillows and a bedsheet. Pictures: 1: EXTREMELY surprising. This is outside my apartment door. Literally on the street. I panicked when I got the email that my stuff had been delivered, because I wasn't home to collect it. Turns out, noone steals your stuff from your doorstep in Somerville 2: It's 35 degrees in Cambridge, and you'd think this would be a piece of cake for me considering I've lived in Lahore my whole life, but the past two days have been hell without a fan or airconditioning. So I got this little guy. Since it's only good enough for blowing air in a 1ft radius, I'm going to hit the Harvard Green Initiative folks' stuff sale to get my hands on another larger, cheap fan 3. All of these packages were a combined 35 kgs. I carried these up three flights of stairs and missed the men of my family :p This is what the chair looked like when I pulled it out of the box 4. Assembling instructions. *Telling self that I'm smart and this is graphical, so no big deal* 5. Look at me using an L-Key *Insert profound, heavy quote about life's nuts, bolts and the right key* 6. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a chair. I get bonus points because its hydraulic mechanism works too -_- 7. The planks that were to become my makeshift dresser 8. This one was a bit harder to assemble. 9. Dressaaarrrr!!!! All nailed up and stuff 10. I love these little home decor things in the US. Got these for like 4 dollars each-they're great for storage, and look so pretty 😀 Still waiting for my study desk, mirror and a lounging around chair.

A post shared by Saal Without Bilal (@saal_without_bilal) on Aug 29, 2018 at 6:24pm PDT

ADORABLEEE!!!!

Wow. It indeed takes a lot of effort to keep up with this. Managing studies and a long-distance relationship after marriage is a difficult situation to be in. But nevertheless, Zahra and Bilal seem to be handling it pretty well and in the cutest way possible. We wish the couple more power and strength to go through this and may the two soon be together again! Insha’Allah! Much love!