What We Have Here Is A Failure To Communicate

Keeping up with people after a move is easy at first, when others want to know details of your new life and you long to hear stories about the one you left behind. This usually lasts for awhile, but inevitably people move on with their routines and, especially after summer, get busier nearer the holiday/exam seasons. E-mail and blogging are nice alternatives to phone calls, but I still crave the sound and immediate sharing nature of a phone conversation. While email is generally more efficient for administrative tasks (especially if you can’t remember directions and need maps), I treasure the unknown twists and turns that phone conversations take. Over the years, I’ve noticed that I tend to talk more about certain subjects with certain friends. International and social matters with R, literature and academic/college life with P, relationships and entertainment with K, and traveling with J (hi all!). These are not strict categories, but rather reflect how interactions with my friends satisfy different needs. Thankfully, they have all adapted to the no video messaging (no Gchat, no Skype, zip!) restrictions and have obliged with phone calls and instant messaging chats. Though I can’t see their faces, I know them each well enough that I can imagine their gestures after each phrase. My family is also great about making time to listen to my phone calls, though I did once mistakenly call at 6:45 am one Saturday! My academic research is based on strategies of communication: when do people use Language A vs. Language B, how does oral tradition reflect different values than the written record. I’m in the right place to study communication, as the French speak more than anyone I’ve ever heard in my life! I can be quite the chatterbox, but even I find myself fatigued after speaking to some of them. Stay in touch!