The day that I downloaded Skype onto my laptop was the day I really opened up communication between me and my family who live miles and miles away. Don't get me wrong, we spoke prior to having Skype, but we couldn't have these pseudo face-to-face conversations. And I missed those. It's difficult to live so far away from family - to not be able to hug and kiss, sit around and talk, and of course open Christmas presents together. This is what I miss most. Skype attempts to bridge that gap.
It's difficult to live thousands of miles away and still try to watch your nieces grow. Whenever I hear one talk or cry in the background when I talk to my sister on the phone I feel my heart tear a little. Skype can help, even if it's not a complete solution to the problem, it does help. And I can't tell you enough how I love to hear my sister tell me that she hears, "Aunt Mere, Unk E, 'puter" as my oldest niece taps on her dad's laptop.
But what I don't want to do is to focus on the negative, on the fact that I'm far away and so using the computer to stay in touch is the best way; instead, I want to sing Skype's praises and express my gratitude towards my family for embracing technology and buying webcams and/or downloading Skype so quickly so that we can converse more often and easily. And web cameras are not just for bringing families together, they're a great way to keep in touch with friends as well as making free international calls. I know I talked to the travel agent who bought our plane tickets via Skype and neither of us had to pay a dime.
As a result, I have compiled a number of reasons why I'm thankful for Skype and some of my favorite experiences so far using this program to stay in touch with people that I love.
1. I can watch my infant niece experiment with her vocal cords, learn to crawl, and smile as she sees and recognizes my face.
2. I cannot get enough of my eldest niece screaming, "look Aunt Mere!" or "Where's Unk E?" or showing me the dinosaurs and Mickey and Minnie dolls we bought here when she came to visit us. And of course hearing her get excited about Shamu is exciting. And of course, hahahahaha, one day she even yelled out, when seeing E just in shorts, "Unk E is naked!". She's toooooo cute! (and funny)
3. We were able to have our Brazilian Christmas on the 24th of December and then wake up on Christmas Day on the 25th and open presents with my parents and my youngest sister via Skype. They were in New York and we were here in Florida. Priceless. I felt like we were all in the same room (almost).
4. I think it's funny when my sister jokingly put my eldest niece in front of the computer once and said "watch her" and acted as if she were serious and was going to leave the room. I wish I could babysit.
5. My best friend from Manaus has recently moved to Azores, yet we can still talk and joke as if we were sitting in her apartment like we have so many times in the past. Her husband and son can join in on the fun and they can taunt my husband by talking about all of the delicious food from Manaus that he misses so much. We just laugh and remind each other of all of our dear memories.
6. I can talk to my mom and stepdad, and youngest sister. Or I can watch them get up, walk away to play the piano and/or sing, and hear them cook and yell from the other room. It almost makes me feel like I'm right there with them.
7. There have been wonderful conversations with one of my best friends who lives in New York, and who I miss greatly. While talking to her I've been able to speak with her sweet mom, her sister, and niece and nephew. It's been fabulous "seeing" them all!
8. And finally, Skype is an excellent way to ensure that my nieces remember who I am and how much I love them.
I'm forever grateful that my family understood the importance of Skype to me as I live away from them and especially as we know we will soon be even farther away. And I don't even feel silly hugging the computer and acting like I'm going to bite my niece's finger off because I know she loves it by the way she laughs out loud for half an hour each time.
Dear Family & Friends,I miss you already, and I haven't even left yet. With love,Meredith ----------------
Today a good friend of mine called me as I was driving home from work, and one of the first questions she had for me was, "What am I going to do when you move to Brazil?". My response, of course, was, "oh, don't worry, you can call me anyway. I'll have a U.S. number over there". And becuse she's a good friend, who lived in Europe for years, I trust that we will maintain our friendship despite the distance.We will be getting an international phone plan that allows us to have a U.S. phone number while in Brazil. Because my family lives in upstate New York, we'll get an area code that matches theirs so they can call us in Brazil as if they were calling a neighbor down the street. We'll also need to increase the frequency that we Skype (which is already a decent amount seeing as that we're all in the U.S. still). I'm even looking forward to reverting back to sending snail mail. I mean, who doesn't like to receive letters and cards? I sure do, and my friend Kim is wonderful at this. I love it. I always get excited over the holidays because I know that an Easter, Thanksgiving, and/or Christmas card is in the mail. Thinking of all of this, and after another talk with another good friend this evening, I got to thinking about how much I'll miss my family (of course!) and the friends that I see and/or talk to on a regular basis. I don't feel like I take any of them for granted, especially with our impending departure, but still... I like knowing that my friend Heather is going to call me when she has a bad day at work and needs someone to talk to. I look forward to my talks and walks with Caridad and her daughter about our futures, families, and the best ways to save money. You know, it's the simple things with people that you care about that you miss when you leave. I always feel guilty when my friends tell me that they're going to miss me. My family doesn't say much about missing us yet because they know that it's hard enough and at the same time, this is something that I really want. I love to travel and live abroad, and I've wanted to teach English (again) in Latin America for, well, years. I'm thrilled that my family is so supportive of us as we move back to Brazil, even though it will be difficult for them, too. I know that not every expat, or want-to-be expat, has the same support system that I have. And for that, I am grateful. I know that my family loves us and wants what's best for us. We also know that they want to see us at least once a year. We want the same. To my family and friends in the U.S., thank you for your love and support. I miss you already and love you very much. E and I are truly blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives.
I haven't posted on here in a few days because my sister, my brother-in-law, and my stunningly BEAUTIFUL nieces (both under the age of 2) were here to visit! It was an absolutely amazing time. It was the first time I met my youngest niece and when I say that their names is just the beginning of their adorable-ness, I'm not kidding. They're GORGEOUS! I wish they'd never left, or at least would come back next weekend. But it's not just about how cute they are; they're sweet, lovable, fun, intelligent, generous,....and the list goes on and on. Of course it was wonderful to visit with my sister and her husband, too. Oh, how I miss them already. 
You see, family is very important to me, and becomes even more so with every passing year (so I've noticed). It's actually the ONE thing that I KNOW will be extremely difficult to live without while I'm in Brazil. I can do without peanut butter, Oprah, my trashy MTV and VH1 shows, and all of the luxuries of the "first world", but I will miss my family beyond belief. In the first place, it was difficult for me to tell them that I wanted to move abroad, though it wasn't a surprise to them. I knew they didn't want to hear it; I know they don't want us to leave. But I feel that they try to understand. For instance, once I knew I was going to apply for a job in Brazil (even when I wasn't sure there'd even be a vacancy for me, let alone an opportunity) I started leaving hints and "reminding" them that we planned to move back to Brazil anyway. But they already knew, and almost understood. I mean, I've been back and forth between South America and the U.S. since I graduated from high school. But still, I realize that it's a difficult reality to accept from your loved one. I know they'll miss us and we'll desperately miss them, but I still want to go to Brazil and we just have to accept the fact that we're moving and that it may be indefinitely. As a result, I have purposely searched, found, and accepted a job that pays a higher salary than the one I have now and that will pay for my airfare back to the U.S. when my contract ends (which can be extended again and again....). I will make it a priority to come back to the U.S. to visit my family as often as I can, and to encourage them to go to Brazil to visit us. They know this and it consoles us (even if only a little). I am blessed to have a neverending support system and a family that has always encouraged and supported me. My mom is my inspiration, my idol, and my rock. My stepdad is the father that I never had, and my sisters are my world. I'm one lucky girl...that's for sure.
