Keeping in touch with our dear US friends is harder than it seemed and we especially miss you all during the Winter Holiday season.
We do know what is going on in your (US friends) lives, but rather superficially:
I still glance at the New York Times daily to see what is happening in our other home.
Moshe and Naor are trying to follow football and frequently watch Patriots live on our TV screens exchanging Instagram pictures with Boston friends.
Once a month I catch up some Facebook updates and say Happy Birthday to someone.
The New Yorker gives us a piece of US intellectual life with all the latest cultural highlights that we try to watch and read. Amazingly, movies, magazines, serials and books are now available around the world almost instantaneously.
But the really important daily details of your and our life do not cross the boundaries.
WhatsApp is so ubiquitous here for instant updates, while it is barely used in the US (for some reason unlimited data plans are more affordable and popular here).
Telephone and Skype connect but with a 7-10 hours back to the US it is very hard to catch each other leisurely.
While I was't working it was a pleasure to find each other on Google Chat or devote hours to detailed emails. Now we are barely managing with the demanding jobs and three kids requiring attention, food and rides. The only thing I could type at the end of such days is "Hi". Just like you.
The real meaningful re-connection happens only when you or we visit. We were lucky to be able to afford it this summer and had a wonderful time with many of you. Memories of these moments still warm our hearts. Some of you or your kids came over to Israel and we picked from where we left.
I guess there is nothing to do about it. We should try to make efforts to do at least the little gestures as one line email, a snapshot of how your kids have grown, relationship or health status, connect kids on skype when they are on vacation, send each other recipes or pictures of something tasty we just made. This will be like a hug from abroad. A few of my dear friends are very good at it and I unfortunately am not but perhaps will make it my New Year resolution.
And please come to visit! I am preparing a list of places we discovered in Israel that are off the standard tourist list but are well worth visiting.
We do know what is going on in your (US friends) lives, but rather superficially:
I still glance at the New York Times daily to see what is happening in our other home.
Moshe and Naor are trying to follow football and frequently watch Patriots live on our TV screens exchanging Instagram pictures with Boston friends.
Once a month I catch up some Facebook updates and say Happy Birthday to someone.
The New Yorker gives us a piece of US intellectual life with all the latest cultural highlights that we try to watch and read. Amazingly, movies, magazines, serials and books are now available around the world almost instantaneously.
But the really important daily details of your and our life do not cross the boundaries.
WhatsApp is so ubiquitous here for instant updates, while it is barely used in the US (for some reason unlimited data plans are more affordable and popular here).
Telephone and Skype connect but with a 7-10 hours back to the US it is very hard to catch each other leisurely.
While I was't working it was a pleasure to find each other on Google Chat or devote hours to detailed emails. Now we are barely managing with the demanding jobs and three kids requiring attention, food and rides. The only thing I could type at the end of such days is "Hi". Just like you.
The real meaningful re-connection happens only when you or we visit. We were lucky to be able to afford it this summer and had a wonderful time with many of you. Memories of these moments still warm our hearts. Some of you or your kids came over to Israel and we picked from where we left.
I guess there is nothing to do about it. We should try to make efforts to do at least the little gestures as one line email, a snapshot of how your kids have grown, relationship or health status, connect kids on skype when they are on vacation, send each other recipes or pictures of something tasty we just made. This will be like a hug from abroad. A few of my dear friends are very good at it and I unfortunately am not but perhaps will make it my New Year resolution.
And please come to visit! I am preparing a list of places we discovered in Israel that are off the standard tourist list but are well worth visiting.
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