Andrea’s dad works as a seaman. He plays the role of first mate in a crew of around 20-30 individuals and his job is to make sure that cargoes or shipments get to their destinations safely and on time anywhere in the world. It’s a very financially rewarding job but like any other job it is not without a price.

For months he spends his time at sea thousands and thousands of miles away from andrea and the rest of his family. There were even some instances when he would celebrate Christmas and New Year on the ship being unable to go home because of schedules. And since he’s not just within the country, his family can’t go to him either. Instead, he makes do with just listening to their voices over the phone. Sometimes, he would even spend a small fortune just to be able to talk long enough to them through hotel room phones.

This is why andrea and I are thinking of getting him several phone cards before he goes back to work. I’m sure he’d be able to appreciate them. Andrea and I had been searching for not only the cheapest ones but also the coolest ones as well so that when he uses them, he won’t have any difficulty tinkering or following instructions. So far, the coolest we’ve seen are the pinless, rechargeable, dialing phone cards. They might do for now, but I know it’s still nothing compared to the real thing.