In the 21st century the world is rapidly shrinking, as people 
from around the globe are able to keep in touch with each other 
very easily. In the United States, there are many more foreign 
born nationals than ever before. The great melting pot continues 
to merge people from across the globe into a single country. 
Foreign-born nationals come to the United States for a variety of 
reasons. Some come here to receive an education, others come here 
for work, and others come here to start a new life. 

As of March 2000, the estimated foreign-born population in the 
United States was a whopping 28 million according to the census 
bureau. This was a 44 percent increase from the prior census in 
1990. The majority of foreign-born nationals (78%) in the United 
States are from Latin America and Asia. 

Many of these people leave friends and family behind in their 
home country and are looking for ways to keep in touch with them. 
The proliferation of the Internet has made e-mail communication 
very common. There is an inherent problem with using the Internet 
to keep in touch with loved ones in another country. Some of 
these countries, particularly in Latin America, are also some of 
the poorest countries in the world. Having Internet access and a 
computer is not always viable for those who live in these 
economically impoverished countries. It is, however, critical for 
the foreign-born nationals in the United States to stay in touch 
with their loved ones in their country of origin. This often 
results in extremely expensive international telephone calls to 
stay in touch. 

Imagine being a person who moved from Mexico to the United States 
to seek better employment and living, only miles from the United 
States and Mexico border. In order to call a family member, you 
will have to pay the international telephone rates that quickly 
add up to big money. This represents a financial hardship for 
people who are just starting out on a new life in the United 
States. Crossing the border into Mexico for a visit is often 
fraught with difficulty as well since you must have a passport 
and wait in very long lines to get across the border. Making a 5-
minute phone call to speak to a loved one should not be so 
difficult or expensive. 

Sending a letter in the mail is an option to stay in touch with 
loved ones from their home country if they are willing to wait 
for days to communicate their message. Many times waiting is not 
an option. Other times waiting this long is simply not desired 
because the giving of good news cannot wait. In addition to this, 
there is quite a difference in the written word versus the spoken 
word. Much can be lost in the reading of e-mail or a letter. The 
way a person reads the written word can be interpreted in many 
ways, ways that were not intended. The spoken word includes the 
tone of voice, the sound of excitement, the importance of the 
message, etc. When speaking to someone over the telephone it is 
much easier to know his or her intended message and to ask for 
clarification if there is a misunderstanding or confusion. 

Since e-mail is not available in all countries, the written snail 
mail letter takes so long to deliver, and international telephone 
calls are horridly expensive, we must look at other options to 
stay in touch with countries of origin. One way to do this is to 
use international telephone calling cards. These calling cards 
can be used via cell phones or landlines and are often very 
inexpensive.  Calling Mexico can be as cheap as 3.5 cents per 
minute with an international calling card. Calling Japan can be 
as cheap as 4.9 cents per minute. This is roughly an 85% savings 
over the traditional method of making international phone calls. 
These calling cards are very simple to use since there are no 
"pin" codes to enter and no hidden charges to be concerned with. 
You can even try some of the international calling cards for free 
to get a feel for the process and to see if it is right for you. 

The best news of all is that you can keep in touch with people in 
other countries without paying exorbitant high prices.  

Jim Headley, (jheadley@telecents.com) 
VP of New Business Development, Telecents Communications Inc.
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