But for sophomore Numog Alsharif, talking to his parents in Saudi Arabia every other day is important and worth the high phone bill.

I miss them and want to talk to them, Alsharif, a sophomore in marketing, said. Knowing what happens there makes me feel like I am part of the family there.

International students like Gabriela Varela, a senior in music business from Honduras, choose to use the telephone rather than writing letters or e-mail. Speaking to her loved ones over the telephone is faster and makes her feel closer to her family.

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E-mail and letters are just never the same, she said. I miss not hearing their voices.

Price does not become an issue for international students who are homesick. Alsharif justifies his frequent phone calls because he has not been home in months.

Alsharif would rather face the high phone bills than go without talking to his family for the length of time that he has not seen them.

I pay more on my phone bill then I do on rent, he said. But if you don’t pay your phone bill, they cut your phone off right away.

Varela does not pay phone bills as high as Alsharif, but budgeting her money is necessary.

Varela has faced bills as high as $400, but she will not let the money change the amount of time she speaks with her family.

I always have to talk to them, she said. I miss hearing their voices.

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But staying on top of paying the bills is very important because not having the use of a phone for a week can cause problems.

Alsharif once made a late phone payment, causing his family to worry about him because they did not hear from him.

We couldn’t talk for a whole week, he said. They were so worried. They thought something happened to me because I wasn’t able to call.

Having a support system, even miles away from home, is important to international students because when they arrive in the United States they often do not know many people.

Beth Mochnick, field representative for International Students and Scholars, said international students make the overseas phone calls to keep a support system with their families.

They have virtually no support system here, she said. They need to be told they are loved, and that’s what they get when they call home.

Since there are a variety of different long distance services available, international student have to find what phone company will offer the best rates to their home country.

Varela has looked into several phone companies for the cheapest rates before deciding on her present phone company.

I wish all the rates were cheaper, she said. Some phone companies have good deal but they only last for a couple of months. It changes without you knowing it and then you are stuck with a high phone bill.

Phone bills sometimes plague the minds of international students, but the fear of high bills does not keep Varela off the phone with her family back home.

When I am talking to them I don’t think about the time I am on the phone, she said. But when I get the bill it is totally different.