Taking Things for Granted

There were certainly some things that I knew would be different in South Africa. I was fairly prepared for no dishwasher. We don't have one, and I miss it, but considering we only have four dinner plates, two salad plates, a handful of bowls, and the necessary additional silverware, it's pretty hard to get behind on dishes. I wasn't expecting a washer or dryer, so the simple presence of a washing machine in our flat (aka apartment) was a pleasant surprise. Hanging clothes to dry is my preferred form of drying anyway. Dan strung up some clothes lines across our living room area which works great. (Although I do hear it's hard hang-drying clothes in the winter when it rains all the time. I'll let you know come June.) 

The biggest thing that I now realize that I have taken for granted is internet. And I'm not okay with that. I want my internet back, dang it, and I want it now. I am going through a pretty hard withdrawal. I miss consistent, high-speed internet access more than I miss my iPhone--which until now has always been in the non-negotiable category. I just never thought that internet would be in question. 

Internet access is an issue here for several reasons. Strike one: Dan will be taking our computer to work on a regular basis until his work computer arrives (which he just ordered today! Hurray!) Strike two: Cable internet is simply not available, while DSL could take up to three weeks to connect--impractical when we may only be in our flat for three months. Strike three: Internet is stupid expensive from any other route. 

We bought a "data plan" which consists of a "modem" that looks like a USB thumb drive. You stick it in your computer and open a program to connect on a 3G network. Data is bought ahead of time by the month--no rollovers. We bought 500MB and already know that certain things are out of the question: long Skype conversations, iBethel TV, Netflix streaming, and any other normal, modern internet usage. Arggh! That means we can't finish the last episode of Season 3 of Prison Break, no Bill Johnson sermons, no Pandora! I know it's silly that it feels like my life is over, but in moving across the Atlantic Ocean, internet is a really big way to stay connected and without it I feel utterly disconnected. 

Boohoo... :(