all seven

When I first traveled abroad, my dad insisted that I have seven ways to communicate with him at all times.  He explained to me that in case one fails, I must have a back-up.  And in case the back-up fails, I must have a back-up for the back-up.  And in case the back-up for the back-up fails….   At all times, I must have seven ways to communicate with him. 

So, what were the seven ways for communication?  Here’s the list:

  1.  Skype: an excellent option that has both visual and audio capabilities

  2.  Instant Messenger: a good back-up to Skype, but limited video options

  3.  Phone card: a solid back-up, but not ideal with the long string of numbers that must be used

  4.  Internationalized cell phone: expensive, but good for emergencies

  5.  E-mail: great option for daily updates

  6.  Snail mail: slow but reliable

  7.  And, last but not least…the one and only, Magic Jack

For those of you who are not familiar with Magic Jack, it allows you to make phone calls from your computer at a very low cost.  You get a special device that allows you to plug a corded phone into your computer.  Yup, you read that correctly.  A corded phone.  If you read between the lines, it probably will not take you long to realize the implications of this method of communication.  In order for it to work, I must pack a corded phone.  And that is exactly what I did.  I brought a corded phone to New Zealand.  Not only did I bring the corded phone all the way to New Zealand, but for some reason, I also felt compelled to bring this corded phone back home as well.  Two trips across the ocean. 

This blog post is now growing a bit longer than I expected, so I will cut to the chase.  When packing for Sweden, I once again had to consider my methods for communication.  Given that I never used the Magic Jack when living in New Zealand or Finland, I thought it would be safe to leave the corded phone at home this time.  Six methods of communication should be sufficient.  And, after all, it seems mildly ridiculous to be carrying around a corded phone in these modern days.  I explained this to my dad, and he took the news surprisingly well. 

Or so I thought. 

While unpacking my bags earlier this week, my hand hit something hard as I reached into my suitcase.  What’s this?  My fingers ran along the contours of a smooth piece of plastic.  Wrapped around this smooth piece of plastic was a twisted mess of coiled wire.  Unintentionally, I once again brought a corded phone across the ocean.  The same phone that accompanied me on my previous adventures.  On this corded phone was attached a small note: “We’ll send the Magic Jack that goes with this.  Love, Dad.”  Rest assured, I now have all seven.  Thanks Dad.