Keeping in touch

Ada Su Tuna tells us that studying abroad is filled with great opportunities. It is the time for you to learn about new cultures, discover new places, and make new friends.

While you start this new chapter in a new place, it is also important to stay in touch with your loved ones back at home. Here is how I stay in touch with my family and friends.

Calling

Calling is the most efficient way of staying in touch for me - whether it is a video call or a phone call, I call my family almost every day. It always makes me feel good to hear the voices of my loved ones.

Although the time difference can make it hard to arrange these calls, we try to call every day, even if just for 5 minutes. We usually talk about how we have been doing and how our days have been. When it comes to my friends, we often make longer calls once every two or three weeks to catch up. When my friends get together, they call me most of the time to make me feel involved, and I appreciate that about them! As an international student, all apps I use for communication are Internet-based, and for calling I use WhatsApp.

Texting

Of course, there happens to be times when we cannot arrange phone calls, and this is when texting comes in. Throughout the day, I send and receive many text messages from my family and friends at home. I think WhatsApp is a great app for text messages too, so I mostly use it for texting.

Social Media

I often use social media platforms as well to connect with my family and friends. We exchange funny posts, memes, and reel videos; which is also great for staying in touch. Additionally, I think social media is great for staying in touch with your loved ones even without directly talking with them, as many people use social media to post about their lives.