I read an interesting post on a friend's blog today - she mentioned that her father had a "voice pal" in Japan using "voice over internet", and being in the VoIP space here at TMCnet, I had to inquire about this.
Turns out that her dad was contacted by some Japanese folks who were looking to improve their English skills and since my friend's dad is very interested in Japanese culture, he made some pals using the ever famous Skype.
What really moved me about my friend's blog entry was the nature of the conversations between my friend's dad and his Japanese friend. They exchanged lengthy e-mail discussions on Hiroshima, Vietnam and the war in Iraq. It was a pleasure to read what my friend's father had written to his Japanese friend about his take on the current events and the events that had transpired, sharing personal stories of the Vietnam era and how all too often other countries misinterpret or judge all of America for the actions of the government.
Without disclosing too much of the information, I would like to just give a nod to technology, more importantly, VoIP. I fear I will sound like a Hallmark card here, but VoIP can bridge gaps between cultures and shed some well needed light on often misguided information.
And even in some instances like this one, it can lead you to friends in places you never thought friends were easily made.
Neat.
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