For the total number of ongoing citizens of the United States and most modern societies; with their personal computers, mobile phones, iPads, iPhones, and gps in a car for a direct call, living abroad can create more communication culture shock that you can imagine. We do not want us to be disconnected from our electronic world, and we want to continue our frequent contact with our family and friends. But how do we keep in touch with the house while living abroad?
In many megacities of the world, this is not a problem. Broadband Internet connections are common in most modern cities, and Internet cafes exist in some cities, the most distant from these megalopolises. I had few problems finding connections for Internet communications in most areas that I visited, but I admit that sometimes the number of available Internet connections is not as frequent and as fast as I would like. For example, when I visited China 6-7 years ago, I found that even in the best hotels the Internet sessions were much slower than I was accredited. I suspect that after the upgrades leading to the 2008 Olympic Games in China, this is probably now considered to be faster, but has not documented this fact.
Our current generation has little patience to communicate through the postal system (which, unfortunately, is not enough in many countries), so it is very important to keep in touch with the house, you will need to do it electronically. And, for the most part, it requires the Internet or traditional telephone systems.
The most common ways of communicating with home while living abroad are: telephones (traditional, mobile phones and the Internet), e-mail, instant messaging and posting on social networking sites. VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Internet telephone systems have become quite efficient and of high quality.
Three of the most common providers of Internet telephony services are Vonage, Skype, and MagicJack. I used all three of them.
- Skype is the least expensive when calling other Skype users, but
- Vonage and MagicJack provide you with a local number (your main area), and when connected to the Internet you can call your home numbers as if you had never left the USA
* Skype (free for most calls)
* MagicJack (annual fee of about $ 30 to $ 40) and
* Vonage (monthly fees of about $ 15 and up).
Each of them has limitations and benefits that must be calculated before you decide which one is best for you. Charges are average costs and may vary.
The last time I was in Spain, I wore my Vonage with me and repeatedly called from Southern Spain to my family in the States, as if I was still in the USA. I simply connected my Vonage unit to the Internet via a USB port and a dialed house. Just a few months ago, while in Panama, I used the MagicJack USB connector with my local number in the US, connected it to the handset I bought from me, dialed, and spoke sometimes for a few hours - all are taken for annual cost Magic Jack.
Instant messaging services through AOL, Yahoo and other services provide an almost instant way to communicate anywhere in the world. while you and the person you want to chat with are at the same time online. If you want to be sure that you will be online at the same time, set the time in advance by e-mail. The same ability to have instant conversations exists on Facebook and some other social networking sites.
There is nothing like face-to-face communication, but when living abroad, you should adopt less sophisticated ways of communication. But how imperfect are these methods, can you imagine that you will live abroad without them?
