and convenient,
Here in Zim, when I see those words, either on a security truck or an advert – I just laugh, sometimes out loud even. For nothing is quite as paradoxical as the idea of ANYTHING being rapid or convenient here. It’s so primitive at times that I fully FULLY expect to see a Tyrannosaurus Rex cross my path. Right now it’s 1830, I’m at school and it’s DARK. Zesa cut at 1805. Only because I charged my laptop today AND there’s a radio tower where I can get wireless, am I even having a moment of sanity.
Yet I’m addicted to communication, to being in the KNOW. To NOT feeling like I’m cut off from everything. The phones – this past Friday there was an insane spike in tariffs. One SMS cost about one million. That happened within an hour. And since a month ago – they left the LOGICAL system of contracts, everyone has to use pre-paid cards (and good luck getting them!) But for most of the weekend, most of the city was cut off from communication. The international lines were down, and most of the Internet servers went black for the weekend. My official one is still acting quite off. I was going batty today. I can live without power, water, decent food, supplies, and even live with slow internet – but NON EXISTENT comms – oh that’s enough to make my eyes bleed!!! But if I must live the life of LOST, cut off on this “island” that the world forgot – I had damn well better have Sayid and Sawyer running
around!
Naturally, since I originally wrote this, the rules changed again - because the economy is run by morons and uncontrollable, everything is now dollarized. So our phones are in the US dollar and ALMOST as expensive as using a sat phone!! Aigh!
