If your first few weeks have been anything like mine, you have been getting in touch with friends old and new, near and far. It's that time of year isn't it? The time to reconnect and touch base with family and friends. This is when I really feel the fact the I am living abroad with all my loved ones scattered all over the place.

It is also when I feel very thankful for all the technology that we have at our disposal for keeping in touch. This week I have been very sad to lose four very good friends as they had to leave Cyprus for family reasons after many happy years of living here. But already just sending a few emails and getting on to Skype has made them feel that much closer, and me that much better.

I don't want to teach anyone to suck eggs, but if you are in the planning stages of relocating to Cyprus, I recommend getting hooked up with social media, a priority for day-to-day communication.

Email has been part of everyone's lives for years but Facebook and Skype are different kettles of fish entirely. I personally don't use Facebook simply because email is enough for me but I have friends who swear by it just for some of the facilities it offers. They tell me that being able to share photographs instantly is a great way of keeping in touch and there are options for sending albums of shots to people who aren't even on Facebook. All worth looking into if this type of social media is your thing.

As for Skype, I wax lyrical about is benefits now but it wasn't so long ago that I kept putting off getting hooked up. I was worried about more technology taking over my life and decided that the telephone did very nicely for me thanks! But luckily one of my sisters insisted that I get on to this web phone facility and set it up for me when she was visiting from London. Once I started using it I didn't know why I hadn't set it up earlier! It's great to talk free of charge or - if from your Skype to the landline or mobile of someone who isn't a subscriber - at a reduced cost.

Add a couple of webcams and you can see who you are talking to and they can see you. I have to admit that I cheat in this department. Most of my family have webcams but I don't, so I can see them but they can't see me. Not fair I know but I reckon they can live without seeing me in my dressing gown or whatever!

These ways of keeping in touch are worth their weight in gold so look into them. If, like many expats out here I have come across, you are convinced that you don't get on with all things computer-related, do think again. It may be a good idea to do a short course in getting to grips with how these things work. You'll be pleasantly surprised that none of it is rocket science and, like me, wonder why you didn't do it sooner. Got to go. Someone is calling me on Skype....

All the best,

Lucie