Miles apart yet closer than ever

 
Rakib has been craving his mother's special shorshe illish for the past couple of weeks now. Finding illish mach (Hilsha fish) in a foreign country seemed almost impossible, but to his surprise, he found the fish and was ready to replicate the much-loved Bangladeshi item.

However, he did not know the recipe and was unsure if it would turn out as good as his mother's. So, Rakib grabbed his phone, opened an app, and called his mother on video. Following his mother's instructions, Rakib was successful in making the iconic dish.

That day, Rakib had one of the best meals since he left his home country. 55-year-old Salma has traveled to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj pilgrimage with her husband. Upon arriving there, she realized that her medicine box was left behind in Bangladesh. Salma's doctor had asked her to take medicines timely, but she was unable to find them in the pharmacies near her area. Due to a poor network, Salma couldn't reach her son.

She then used an instant messaging platform to call her son and have the medicine box sent over to Saudi Arabia. Thanks to the platform, Salma was able to make the call in severe network conditions and complete the pilgrimage in peace and good health. Packing up and moving abroad to live the expatriate life or just visiting a foreign country is not a decision to be taken lightly.

For many expatriates, the dream of living abroad to ensure a better life for their families at home becomes a reality after months, even years, of research, planning, and intense financial decisions. They go through toilsome experiences just to see the smiles of their loved ones at home and send their hard-earned money to make their dream come true for their families.

Their efforts also hold paramount importance to their countries due to their dual role as economic contributors - bolstering their families' livelihoods and supporting local economies. Actually, living in an unknown land is tough. Whether it is coming back home to no one to ask, 'how was your day,' doing everyone by yourself like cooking, cleaning, and laundry, or learning a whole new language, living in a new city can be daunting.  People who travel abroad for short periods of time also tend to suffer the fear of the unknown with so many factors that can go wrong.

Be it leaving behind something essential, struggling to communicate with the locals, or not being able to contact loved ones at home, the possibilities are endless.

The stories of Rakib, Rashad, and Salma (pseudonyms) are key examples of life abroad and ways in which one can overcome their fear, face every challenge and emerge victorious at all costs. The common success element that defeats all odds in the stories is- communication. All three of them use imo, an instant messaging app for effective communication at the right time and the right place.

In 2023, new communication technologies allow people from all over the world to remain connected, especially in times of need. In his budget speech, Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal revealed that more than 14.9 million Bangladeshi workers are working in 176 countries across the world. These workers leave behind everything to ensure better livelihoods for their families while also catering to the development of the country. As of 2021, these men and women have sent back over USD 235 billion in remittances since 1976. The remittances have been acting like a safety net for many communities because of the blood, sweat, and tears of millions of migrant workers. Apps like imo, Telegram, and Viber offer these workers the most effective benefits of communication through meaningful features and up-to-date technologies.

imo, for instance, offers a borderless bond with the beloved via audio call, video call, and messaging even in poor internet connection! In a time where communication is required anywhere and everywhere, such an app where making a call/text is just one finger click away is key to cross-cultural communication. After all, today, the art of communication is more about bringing people closer together beyond geographical borders and network limitations.