Staying Connected With People Back Home

Although new friends may reflect our current interests and ensure that we remain the social animal that we are, it would be impossible (and may be incredibly debilitating) to shrug off the special bonds we’ve formed with people we grew up with. These are the ones with whom we’ve shared our deepest secrets, those with whom we’ve laughed the heartiest, wherein each other’s company was enough, those who’ve listened to our sob stories and the useless melodrama we weave out from our lives. Needless to say, it is important to keep in touch with friends like these. It’s good for the soul, part of the fabric of our past and most likely, our future.

Below are the most common methods our survey respondents employed to stay connected with special people back home (or elsewhere).

1. Internet/ E-mail
Imagine being an international student before the advent of the internet. Filipino students abroad in the 60s wrote letters to their families and spent for phone calls during Christmas-time. The internet has definitely helped international students stay in constant touch with friends and family back home.

Most universities provide students with free Internet service which includes e-mail to facilitate interaction among students and their professors. Some universities even let you keep your e-mail address for the rest of your life so you don’t have to change addresses when you graduate. Or, you might be offered an alumni account that will forward your e-mail to an account that you specify.

Take advantage of your university’s Internet service as this is part of your tuition fee. You won’t have to shell out extra money for an internet connection. It is up to you to accept the lifetime e-mail service offered by the university after graduation. Universities offer this service for fund-raising purposes and are likely to contact you later to ask for donations.

2. Phone
The price of long-distance calls has significantly gone down in the last five years. In the US during the mid 90s the price for a long-distance phone call to the Philippines was 40 cents, and now it’s about 14 cents, even less. Ask fellow Filipinos and other Asians which phone company or long-distance service they use. You can make long-distance phone calls using the local phone company or you can sign up for a service that offers discounted rates for calls to the Philippines. You will be given a telephone number to call and an account number or a PIN number.

Check the city guides section for recommended services. Aside from the rate per minute, ask friends about the quality of the connection. Is there a lot of static, clicking sounds? Or does the other person’s voice echo while they’re talking. Sometimes with the rate per minute being so low some clicking sounds can be lived with.

3. Phone cards

In many countries around the world, travelers use phone cards to call home. This allows them to call from a hotel without getting charged the expensive long-distance fee. International students also use phone cards for the same reason they use a long-distance service: cheaper rates.
An additional advantage to phone cards is that since it is pre-paid (meaning payment is made when you purchase the card) you have greater control over the amount of money you spend on for your calls. When the amount is used up, the phone call is cut off.

How to Use: The number to dial and the access code is printed on the phone card. Dial that number and then the access code. Then, dial the number you wish to reach. (the host country’s long distance prefix + country code [63 Philippines] + area code [2 for Manila, 917 or 918 if calling a cell phone] + the number). Before you are connected, you will usually be told how much time is available for this particular call. A word of caution: some phone cards have unbelievably low rates but have a pricey connectivity charge per phone call. Read the fine print thoroughly.

Again ask people who have used the cards about the quality of the connection. You may want to try several phone cards, before you decide which one best suits your needs.

4. Text Messages

This is similar to sending text messages from back home! Just check local phone services for fees.

5. Instant Messaging

This technology featured in the sci-fi movie 2001 Space Odyssey is now lived reality. Both video conferencing and instant messaging have been available for a some time now. The company, ICQ first offered instant messaging in November of 1996, and many companies have followed suit.

For instant messaging (IM) all you need is your computer and an internet connection. You can download the instant messaging software from the Web. (Check out peer to peer company Web sites for more details) For video conferencing, you and your friends/family in the Philippines will need the following equipment to make it work: 1) internet connection 2) video conferencing software 3) a video camera, 4) a microphone 5) speakers (#4 and #5 usually come with the computer).

The initial investment in the equipment might pay for itself since you will no longer be spending for long-distance calls. The connection will be made via your internet connection. If your subscription to your internet service provider as well as your family’s is limited to just a few minutes a month, however, you might want to look into upgrading to an unlimited service.

6. Snail Mail
There’s nothing like the pleasure of opening your mail box and finding a hand-written letter. In this day and age, letter writing, though not yet a thing of the past, is becoming more of a rarity. This means of communication is one of the more personal ways to keep in touch with people who find themselves far away. A hand-written letter signals that the sender has placed a lot of effort in this particular communication: choosing stationery, sometimes creating a draft of the letter before writing it, going to the post office. Make someone at home happy and send them a letter.


Too busy (of course you are!) but still want to send a handwritten note? Pick out a post card when you travel and send it to friends. Restaurants, bookstores and bars usually have free postcards, some promotional, others not, which are usually rather interesting. Pick up one and send it off. You can usually find something that will make a friend back home laugh.

Trivia: ‘Want to send a birthday card to a friend on the day itself? From the US, it takes eight days for a letter to reach its destination in Manila. When mailing from Sydney it takes six days.

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