Two Excellent Web-based Services for Expatriates

For the past five months, my husband Bill and I have been living in Germany. Living in Europe is a wonderful opportunity. It's a great way to see the world, learn about new cultures, and develop a greater understanding of how the world works. On the other hand, people who live overseas run the risk of developing that age old affliction... homesickness.

Phoning home...

This is not the first time I've lived overseas. As a child, I lived in England thanks to my dad's service in the Air Force. As a young adult, I lived in Armenia as a Peace Corps Volunteer. Both of those experiences occurred before the Internet became a typical household convenience. I can still remember the hideously expensive phone calls I used to make to the United States from Armenia. When I heard that Bill and I were moving to Germany, I remembered and dreaded those expensive calls. Unfortunately, my parents have not quite figured out how to use email.

Skype comes to the rescue!

Before we moved to Germany, I had only a slight knowledge of Voice over Internet Protocol, otherwise known as VoIP (pronounced voyp). I tried it out once a few years ago, when I was a broke graduate student. In fact, the first time I ever heard my husband's voice was over a VoIP connection. I remember it being scratchy and a bit awkward because it had a delay and I gave up on it. Several years later, VoIP has come a long way and now ordinary people can make cheap telephone calls over the Internet.

Upon our arrival in Germany, Bill asked his co-workers how they kept in touch with people back home. They overwhelmingly endorsed Skype, a software program that allows users to make free telephone calls over the Internet to other Skype users and call cell phones and landlines for a fee. We visited Skype.com and downloaded the free software on both of our computers. Bill set up a "SkypeOut" account, depositing $10 in his account and mine. Then, we set up a phone list, which included the traditional phone numbers of people in the United States we wanted to call. For .021 cents a minute, I can call my parents on their landline and have a good conversation. They don't have to navigate the Internet and I don't have to pay huge phone bills. A 30 minute call costs about 60 cents instead of $60. Most of the time, the sound quality is excellent and there's no awkward delay.

Skype also comes in handy when my husband goes on business trips. If he has access to a broadband Internet connection, he can use Skype to call me for free, since Skype to Skype calls are free. Better yet, his computer has a built in Web cam, so I can see him as he's talking to me.

Requirements for using Skype

In order to use Skype, you must have a broadband Internet connection, speakers, and a microphone, or a headset with a microphone. Having a Web cam is not required, but it might make the experience more enjoyable. Skype works for people who use Microsoft Windows 2000, XP, Vista, or Windows Mobile, Mac OS, and Linux. Skype is also available on some mobile devices.

SkypeIn

SkypeIn allows users to set up traditional phone numbers so that friends and family can use their traditional phones to call Skype users on their computers. Bill and I have not yet set up a SkypeIn number, but we plan to do so soon. So far, our experience with Skype has been revolutionary. Skype users may set up local phone numbers for any of the following countries: Australia, Brazil, Chile, Denmark, the Dominican Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Poland, Romania, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Calls to the SkypeIn number are billed at the same rate as SkypeOut calls to landlines and cellphones in the country. So, if Bill and I set up a SkypeIn phone number, my parents could call me and I would pay the same dirt cheap rate it costs me to call them.

Obviously...

I'm sold on Skype, but you may find a different company suits your needs better. When you get to your host country, it may pay to ask around and find out what other people are using to stay in touch with friends and family back home.

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Watching TV...

Okay, I admit it. I like to watch TV sometimes. Even though I know that watching TV is often a big waste of time, there are a few programs I got hooked on back in the States that I dreaded missing. Unfortunately, television sets in Europe use a different system than American television sets. In Europe, the PAL system is used; in America, we use the NTSC system. The TV we brought with us was useless for watching German TV, because it was only capable of transmitting NTSC broadcasts. Besides, at this point, neither Bill nor I speak or understand German.

We had a few options available to us. We could purchase a new multi-system television set that could handle broadcasts from around the world and then subscribe to local cable (which does carry some channels in English). We could purchase a satellite dish and watch the Armed Forces Network, which works with NTSC televisions. Or, we could buy television shows on DVD.

Enter iTunes...

I have been using iTunes, Apple's digital media application, to download music to my computer for some time now. It wasn't until recently that I discovered using iTunes to download my favorite television shows. iTunes has an ever expanding library of popular American television programs that can be purchased by the episode or by the season. The service carries shows from a wide variety of cable and analog television networks; there's everything from children's programming from Nickelodeon and the Disney Channel to top rated prime time shows from ABC and CBS. Most shows cost $1.99 per episode and can be downloaded in a matter of minutes to your computer. You get to watch them uninterrupted by commercials and at your leisure.

Requirements for using iTunes

Once you've downloaded the free software, which is fully compatible with Windows XP and Vista, as well as Mac OS X, you'll need either speakers or headphones. A broadband Internet connection is also a must. iTunes can also be used with media players that are compatible with the software, making it possible to watch programming on the go.

Be careful!

I have found out through experience that iTunes quickly becomes addictive and expensive. It may not seem like you're spending a lot when you order a television episode for $1.99, but you may find the process of downloading TV shows so easy that you lose track of how much it costs. iTunes can be set up to store your credit card information, making it that much easier to go overboard on downloading.

Still...

It's great to be able to watch TV on my computer. I can pick exactly which shows I want to see without having to subscribe to cable or set up a satellite. Once I've bought the shows, they are mine to watch as many times as I want. iTunes also allows users to rent movies and, from what I can see, the selection is only getting better. Bill and I did recently buy a multi-system TV and may still subscribe to local cable, but having iTunes available makes getting access to TV a much less urgent task. Better yet, buying content on iTunes means that I won't have to find extra space for DVDs.

It's true!

Being overseas is a lot of fun. But it sure is nice to be able to have a little piece of home available, courtesy of the Internet and programs like Skype and iTunes.