Skype and Family

One forehead wrinkle for each question

I'm in Israel right now! It's all thanks to Birthright Israel Foundation, which pays to send hundreds of Jewish youths to the motherland every year. In 11 days, my tour will take me to most of the major historical, religious, cultural, and political sites in the country. This stint on the other side of the pond has brought back some of the challenges that we faced during our first weeks in France. What will I eat? Will I make friends? How will I communicate with loved ones back home?

With France already under my belt, I can answer all of these questions with ease. I will eat everything anyone puts in front of me. I will make some friends, but not too many (especially since I'll have Robert with me). And I will communicate via Skype, the free internet-phone and video-conferencing software that everyone should know about.

There's not too much to explain - you download the software, set up an account, find your peeps online, and press "call." Skype is how we were able to check in with people back home throughout the year, including at Thanksgiving, when we said hi to my entire extended family.



I don't have a phone in Israel, so if I want to call home, it'll have to be with Skype. And that's fine by me.

Awkward Family Photo?

This afternoon, Maggie, my mom, Cathy, and I met up with a Parisian branch of the extended family. My mom's first cousin, Harriet, married a Frenchman 36 years ago and has been in Paris pretty much ever since. We met Harriet and her husband, Jean-Louis, at the apartment of Jean-Louis' mother, Rachel.

At the end, we took the following awkward family photo, which I'm not embarrassed enough not to share with you.

Maggie, Louis, Harriet, Jean-Louis, Rachel, Joy/Mom (Not Pictured: Cathy)

It's "Pasty White" side of the family meets "Too Tan to Truly Count as French Residents". Beautiful.