One of the (few) advantages to being separated from a loved one for an extended period of time is the creativity by which one goes about finding ways to keep in touch as much as is possible.  I doubt I am alone in being one of those types that will go to any length to find the ideal means of keeping close contact with the people that I love.  Of course, it is also the case that I love my parents and siblings, and yet it was only when my boyfriend left for Philly for good that I really set to the task of finding the ideal means of keeping close.  Part of me feels pretty bad about that; another part of me was excited to realize that technology these days makes it easier than ever to keep in touch with not just A but also the rest of my family.

So I set to the task of exploring my options, and when it was all said and done, A and I settled on two forms of communication that we hadn’t explored previously: a private blog and Skype.  The blog has been interesting— whereas previously we clogged each other’s email boxes with random stuff, now we can exchange interesting finds on the internet as well as thoughts on particular issues that we choose to think about together on that sight.  We have pretty much stuck to random stuff and reading the bible so far, but it has been nice to have devoted space for that.

The other option, Skype, is one that I think may prove to be the real find of this whole experience.  For starters, I love the overall look of the application–it is really trendy and user-friendly.  In addition, the quality of the connection is awesome.  I was seriously impressed.  But I think the best part of the whole experience was that of all people, my bro Ken who is in his first year of college, was the one who helped set me off and with whom I first skyped.  I gotta say, it was pretty dang awesome.  I don’t think my brother and I have had the chance to have a conversation like that in a while, and I totally credit technology for this one.  Not only did we get to talk, but I could see his face for the conversation, which felt about as personal as you can get when you are a country away from someone.  

Furthermore, I was surprised to realize that my parents are on skype too!  Who knew?  Its just a guess, but I think I am going to get a lot of mileage out of this program.  But I can only do that if I find out who is on skype… so are you a Skyper?  Leave your skype ID in my comments on this if you want, and perhaps we can chat.