When he concludes be sure to laugh heartily. Now I must continue to pretend to explain what he says. Of course, odd phrases are not an American exclusive. Language is a peril even when you are trying to learn someone else's. I asked Alex how to tell someone at the office that they were nicely dressed.
Letters can take two weeks to go in one direction, although they maintain a tradition of quaintness.
Phone calls from Romania are prohibitively expensive for the frequency I would prefer. Email, well email I hardly use at all. So the problem of maintaining your roots, keeping in contact with friends and loved ones persists. For Americans the preeminent news publication in Europe is the International Herald Tribune, the only American newspaper on the entire continent. Alas, the Herald Tribune seems to have fallen on hard times.