In light of the holiday spirit, I'll share one of my newer photos of my nephew at the Christmas tree.
His name is Jonah, and he has a somewhat uncommon genetic defect known as DiGeorge's Syndrome. His latest fascination has been with lights of every kind, and the tree lights were no exception. I got my hands on my brother's D70s to get back into the swing of shooting in digital, and my D7000 arrived today! There will be plenty more holiday shots up in the near future.
So on to the countdown topic of the day: Staying In Touch. Last time we talked about getting a cellphone for staying in touch with all the awesome people you meet while abroad, but what about people back home? There are a few things you can do for them to:
Video Chat:
This is an easy one nowadays. With almost every modern laptop sporting a built-in web cam and cheap, acceptable quality web cams for desktops, its super easy to get free audio and video "calls" from computer to computer around the globe. Some point-and-shoot cameras can even be used for web cams, which could save on packing space if your laptop is without one. Popular clients for video calls include Skype, which can also call to phone numbers for a pay-per-minute fee, ooVoo, which has some robust conference call features, and good ol' AOL Instant Messenger. Also, if both parties are on Mac computers or iOS devices with a camera (iPhone 4, iPad 2, or the latest iPod Touch), Facetime is a decent, built-in client that also has some mobile capabilities, but it's an Apple only party. Also, remember that some of these clients need a pretty quick internet connection, especially for video capability. If you're in a major metropolitan area, this shouldn't be too hard to come by, but for those traveling to more distant corners of the world, this may a limited option, if at all.
Personalized Postcards:
This is a pretty neat idea. Many people collect postcards from other countries, which would a make a personalized postcard a really awesome gift. Plus there's a certain romance of getting a postcard, or any kind of "snail mail," from a foreign country to read about a loved one's adventures. While gift shop postcards are awesome, you can even have your own photos printed and mailed. Software like Posterino will let you make very professional looking posters and postcards, which you can then personalize and they'll mail them just about anywhere in the world. Another program, Postagram, even works as an app on your iPhone or Android phone, and lets you design, personalize, and mail a postcard for just $.99! The best part is, the photo printed on the postcard pops out for the recipient to keep as a nice souvenir. If you can't get to the internet for personalized photo postcards, gift shop postcards and air mail enveloped letters can be just as awesome. In the end its about sharing your travels, and this is one of the few tips that doesn't require internet.
Social Networks:
If you're not on Facebook or Twitter, take the plunge! Seriously, social networks make it easier than ever to stay in contact with someone around the block or around the globe. I can't really speak for Google+, since I'm not on it, but again, as long as you're getting connected. Facebook is nice because it seems like everyone is on it, so it isn't hard to find and connect with people you already know. Twitter is really cool too, because the short messages are perfect for sharing little quips and stories about your day, and is really easy to do, even from a mobile phone. Also, the Twitter stream makes it easy to catch up on other people's stories. These kinds of services usually use a moderate speed of internet, but can function with minimum and even mobile internet.
Blog It!:
Clearly I'm a fan of this idea, but blogging can be a really convenient way of sharing stories and staying in touch. You don't need be the next Perez Hilton to write a blog for your family and friends back home. Blogs are a great way to share stories that don't fit in Twitter's 140 characters or Facebook statuses, plus you can sprinkle in photos and videos of the experience throughout. Lots of blog tools exist on the web, including Blogspot, which is what I use. I use it because I already had a Google account (Blogger's parent company) and because it's free and includes some basic hosting. WordPress is another option that has very powerful templating and layout features. I've never used WordPress, though, so I can't really comment on their ability to host or their feature set besides what I've heard from others in the bloggosphere. I've also heard from a lot of other people who have studied abroad that a blog does double duty as a diary that also helps them sort through a lot of what's happening and help them remember those little moments and adventures when they get back. This tactic also requires a minimum internet connection, and there are some 3rd party mobile apps available to update and read them.
Write a Diary:
This isn't necessarily a way to keep in touch during your trip, but it is a great way to help ease culture shock, process and understand everything new you're coming into contact with. It also helps you remember all the little adventures, and maybe some of those that might not be 100% appropriate to share out on the world wide web. There's also a romantic factor to writing a journal in a far off land, and it requires absolutely no internet whatsoever. Moleskine makes the quintessential travel journal, but they can be a little pricey. Any book or stationary store should have a wide variety of fun journals in different designs, or you can even use a regular notebook or composition book. You could also wait and try to buy your journal oversees, since sometimes foreign paper is lined and laid out differently, and the different-ness can add to the romance and authenticity of your diary and can turn it into a very powerful personal souvenir.
So there are just a few ideas for keeping in touch and telling the stories of your travels.
With all this holiday cheer, I'll share another photo. This is one of the first few off my new D7000. It's my aunt, Kay, as we were getting the food ready for our holiday party. She was sitting in front of the bay windows at our house and the light was streaming in so nicely, I just had to snap a few pictures.
Have a happy holidays everyone, safe travels, and enjoy all the family and friends this season!
Just a quick comment; Jonah actually has VCFS. Digeorge syndrome notes someone who has the same exact genetic material missing, but it effects them differently. Medically speaking, someone with digeorge has a calcium deficiency (Jonah doesn't have) an extreme deficiency in immune system (Jonah's is mild) and a life threatening heart defect (Jonah only has a benign murmur) While it's true that many parents, laypeople, and teachers use the names interchangeably we have to be very specific with doctors that he has velo cardio facial syndrome however does NOT have digeorge syndrome which is a subcategory of VCFS. ;)I just throw that out there because if someone is looking for information about it, it will be easier to find information if they search for the broader term velo cardio facial syndrome, or 22q deletion syndrome. It is the second most common genetic syndrome that occurs in humans, but it is easy to miss, misdiagnose, or simply go through the motions of treatment for specific symptoms, knowing something "isn't right" but never figuring out what it is. There are a lot of people who have it and don't even know
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