JV Life: Sunday Night Skype

Skype is one of the coolest things to happen in communication. Not only is it easy video calling, it's free video calling. There's not even advertisements that interrupt your call! Skype enables my family to stay connected despite the fact that between the five of us, we live in 3 different places.

Here's how skyping works for the Mountain House. 

We use the parish's computer lab during off hours. We have a calendar where you sign up for a time to skype. The computer lab is yours for that time, partially for privacy, and partially because if someone else is on the internet Skype won't work very well. Since there's six of us, the calendar fills up pretty quickly. Everyone has their own standards for how often they use Skype. I use it every week on Sunday night. As soon as the next month's calendar is printed out, I write “B@8”* on all the Sundays.

JVC has us living in intentional communities for many reasons. One reason is that it creates a support network at home. We're not alone in this experience. But we need the support of our friends and families back in the States. I talk to my family more than anyone else in the community, but it's just the right amount of connection to home for me. It reminds me how blessed I am to have been raised in a loving, supportive, close-knit family. Connecting to home grounds me and gives me a stable base from which to extend myself and make connections to here. I'm grateful to my family for making the time to talk, and for being actively interested in what I'm doing.

So now you know my plans for tonight, and for every Sunday night until 2017. I look forward to all those Sundays with a smile.

 *Peru is in the same time zone as Boston, but doesn't do daylight savings. During the summer months in the US, Peru is an hour behind. During the winter months in the US, Peru is on the same hour.