Aragon is a diverse school, and many students have extended family members in different countries all over the world. Modern technology, including the internet, cellphones and computers, allow people to contact family almost anywhere in the world at a moment’s notice.
“I don’t ever see [my extended family] and it’s just good to keep up with them,” said sophomore Jasper Gan, whose extended family is in Australia.
People often contact family members during holidays, whether to simply wish them a happy birthday or new year, or to plan physical get-togethers. Some people contact their families more than others, but holidays are always a popular time to communicate with loved ones, especially after not talking with them for a long time.
However, contacting family abroad comes with many challenges. Having to take time zones into account is difficult, as one part of the family may be asleep while the other is awake.
“For me, it’s a 10-hour time difference, so when my mom is contacting them in the morning, she has to make sure that my sister and I get up early enough, or if it’s in the evening, it has to be early enough or late enough,” said sophomore Amit Shilon, whose extended family is in Israel.
On top of problems due to time differences, language barriers can also make it hard to enjoy time with family members abroad. As a result, students may be unable to convey their ideas, and this can make for bland conversations or even misunderstandings.
“The language barrier is pretty difficult because sometimes I just don’t know what to say to them, [especially in Chinese], and I oftentimes say the wrong thing because my Chinese is pretty limited,” said sophomore Enya Yuan, whose extended family is in China. “I’ll say [something to them] but I don’t actually mean it because I don’t know what the right words are to actually express … what I’m trying to communicate.”
Since mealtimes and school start and end times are different around the world, scheduling calls can often be difficult.
“You go to school at different times,” Shilon said. “The vacations are different. It’s like a cultural difference. It makes it a bit difficult to know when others will be free or what they’re doing with their life.”
Talking over the phone is very different from talking in real life because people aren’t face-to-face.
“The language barrier is pretty difficult because sometimes I just don’t know what to say to them”
“Sometimes, if my dad is on business, we’ll FaceTime him just to check in for five minutes during family dinner,” Yuan said. “I remember we put my phone with him on it to the side of the table so he would see us while we were eating. The presence of a person is [very] different [from] the online presence and it’s just not the same.”
Additionally, technical problems may arise that can greatly hinder communications. Issues from slow Wi-Fi to older relatives not understanding technology are inevitable, making talking to extended family much harder.
“There was … a certain point where … my text messages wouldn’t go through and I didn’t know what was going on,” Yuan said. “ I just felt very disconnected from [my dad]. Also, my grandma is not very good at using WeChat, so … she still doesn’t know how to add me back on there and it’s been a really weird process. Sometimes I just feel like … it’s going to be tough because if I don’t text them in a while or something doesn’t go through, … eventually I’d just never see them again and I’d lose contact with them.”
However, despite many problems, modern technology has revolutionized long-distance family gatherings, making it possible for people on opposite sides of the world to talk to each other in real time. Family members who are across the world from each other can see each other’s faces and hear each other’s voices, sharing joy and enjoying being together while thousands of miles apart.
