Keeping in touch while living in the USA

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Member since 30 May 2013

PriscillaViP25 October 2017 09:51:30

42358

Hello everyone,

What are the best ways you've found for keeping in touch with friends and family back home while living in the USA? How frequently do you stay in touch with loved ones?

Are there local equivalents to common instant messaging and online video calling services that you prefer or are more widely used?

If there is a sizeable time difference, how do you manage this?

Do you make international phone calls from a landline or mobile phone from the USA? What do you think of the cost?

Thank you for sharing your experience.

Priscilla

Ayamde Member

Member since 22 August 2016

AyamdeMember30 October 2017 13:29:57

There are many ways WhatsApp Viber are the most common and cheaper mode of communication with relatives who live overseas calling form the US can be challenging because of the time difference the best time to call is on the weekends

wmorg New member

Member since 29 December 2016

wmorgNew member30 October 2017 16:09:12

For me, I use Skype a lot, and also Google Hangouts, and email.

I keep in touch a few times a week.

For making calls, I don't use a landline or mobile phone. I use Skype for that.

And then regarding time difference, that is harder, since I am 5 or 7 hours difference in time. So mostly Weekends, if I call via Skype.

bellamonte Member

Member since 12 May 2016

bellamonteMember30 October 2017 16:56:29

Best way for all iPhone users are iMessages and FaceTime. Easy and free. Besides I use Skype to go. With a Skype account you can set up nine short dial numbers and calling them you only use up your American cell phone minutes. For a few years we had a Skype phone as well and a flat rate to Germany. I think we only paid $ 4.95 for unlimited calls to Germany. You can get flat rates for most countries. And we use WhatsApp to text with family and friends in Germany. You can also make calls with WhatsApp, but the quality isn't always great. But it's great for sharing photos and short videos of what's happening in your life. Due to the time change it's not always easy to talk to friends & family, but I know some people who use voice memos to keep in touch. You record a message it, send it and the recipient can listen to it whenever.

EmmaHe Member

Member since 02 January 2018

EmmaHeMember22 January 2018 09:19:33

In my opinion, it depends on where your relatives live and which chat app is the most popular there. For example, I talk to my family in South Korea via Kakao Talk, my friend in China use Wechat to call me and I use WhatsApp for my European friends. Basically, on my phone there are many apps replaced for WhatsApp for better communicate with everyone

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