You Need a Virtual Dinner this Holiday
Join your family and friends this season to chase away the holiday blues!
Being away from family and friends for the holidays, especially the first time, is a tough time for Peace Corps volunteers. But it doesn’t have to be. With volunteers becoming more and more connected through the internet, it’s a great opportunity to have a “virtual dinner” and not to miss out on anything. And it's such a simple idea, but it does take a little planning.
Time Difference
The time difference is a challenge, more so for the volunteer. To make it easy on family and friends, let them celebrate at the time they normally do. Then figure out what time you need to be available for your video call. I know when I did my first “virtual dinner”, I was serving in Mongolia and that meant I had to get up at 3 am to join them for Christmas dinner. A little groggy at first but I soon was laughing and talking with everyone very quickly.
And try to factor in a little extra time for technical difficulties. Get your family and friends to start the video call early, or at least test it out before everyone shows up.
Physical Set Up
And while your family could use a smartphone and pass it around the table so you can talk to everyone, I found a laptop to be closer to “being there”. And to do that, just have them put a laptop at one of the places at the table (at the head of the table is great so you can see everyone) facing them. This way, you can see everyone and the microphone should be able to pick up most of the conversation.
Tell them not to forget to plug in the power supply or at least have a full charge. You don’t want the laptop to shut down in the middle of the dinner.
What App to Use
There are too many choices for apps to use for a “virtual dinner”. Really, any video call app will do. I’ve used Zoom (but remember the 40min time limit for the free version), and Skype (computer to computer is free). But there’s also WhatsApp and Facetime too. As I said, too many to list here, and more are added all the time.
So, agree with your family which you’ll be using, and if you can, test it out at least a couple of days before your “virtual dinner.”
Internet Access
As I said, more and more PCVs have internet access. But to get the most out of a “virtual dinner” with your family during the holidays, it needs to be pretty good. So, if internet speeds are spotty at site, maybe plan on being in the capital or somewhere with more reliable internet. Or you might try different locations at your site to see if you can get more cellphone reception for those using a hotspot.
But even if you don’t have the greatest internet, you can still do a “virtual dinner” with audio only. It takes up a lot less internet bandwidth, so it can still work. Just send your family a picture of you that they can put on the screen of their laptop so it still seems like they are talking to you.
Home for the Virtual Holidays
Just because you are not physically there with your family and friends, doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate the holidays with them. Being away from home, especially during that first holiday can be lonely and even heartbreaking. It doesn’t have to be! So, take full advantage of the internet to join them, even though you’re halfway around the world.
Be safe, be healthy, and be happy this holiday season! And thank you for your service!