So close yet so far away
Thanks to the glorious technology of Skype, I talk to my parents now just about as often as I did when I lived two hours away. True, I can’t pick up my iPhone and call my mom when I’m waiting in traffic or photo text my dad when I see something funny. And yes, the time difference makes scheduling calls a bit more challenging. However, Skype dates make it easy to catch up their lives, let them know that I’m still alive.
Things like Facebook, Gchat and Yahoo! IM help me keep in touch with my friends. I have a Facebook message thread with two best friends, employing the same note format that we used in high school. I hop on Gchat or Yahoo! IM to catch up with friends who are stuck on a computer at work. Quick Skype dates are scheduled for the weekends. A postcard-crazy friend who sent them to me regularly at home ponies up the extra postage to send them to me here.
Despite the constant contact, my friends are still what I miss the most about home. A scheduled Skype date can’t replace a hungover day on the couch, laughing about the previous night’s escapades while preparing an epic pancake breakfast. A Facebook post isn’t the same as a phone call the second after you run into an ex or have a great job interview. When I pull out my phone to text a friend after an inside joke comes to mind, my laughter turns to disappointment as I realize that my American phone service has been turned off.
True, the technology we use to keep in touch is impressive. I think of my mom, who studied in France in the 1970s. She relied on snail mail and rare phone calls to connect with family and friends at home. Yet at the same time, I believe she had a more genuine experience. Her immersion was total immersion, while mine is muddled by always being connected to my life in America.
It’s a difficult balance to achieve: am I immersing myself enough in life in Nice? Am I sacrificing friendships here to maintain ones at home? Am I spending too much time on my computer? Am I being social enough, outgoing enough? No matter what I do, I know that friendships will ebb and flow, that some will fade while I’m away while new ones will grow.
Do you think technology that connects us to home helps or hurts our experience abroad? What are your tips for staying in touch while also immersing yourself in a new life?
