Tech I mean. Communications technology in the Philippines to be specific.
While cellular phones have experienced a great leap, the internet options have not vastly improved as far as speed.
The Short Message Service (SMS) of local phone companies was already big in the Philippines when I left for the US some years back. The cellular phones now available has vastly improved too. The choice was actually amazing and confusing to me at first.
Since I had a cellphone in the US but hardly needed it, I thought I could get by without one in the Philippines. So I thought. Eldest Sister bugged me about getting one – just a couple of weeks of our arrival! All I could think of was, “Since when did Eldest Sister get into texting?”
She must have been so impatient, she had her Youngest Kid give me her old cellphone. It’s simple, easy to use and right up my alley….don’t ask me what model, I have no clue. It’s simple to use and that’s all I need to know. Alright, it’s a Nokia.
Sweet of the Kid huh? I offered to pay for it, but she looked at her aunt very coolly and replied, “No need.” But darn, when I saw the cellphone this 13-year old was carrying, I could understand why her old one could be considered a throw-away.
Now for the internet….ugh.
I used to have a dial-up connection with a small ISP here in Bulacan. I miss that old company. When I experienced a problem with my pc, they sent a nice young man over the same day or the day after. And these kids didn’t speak gobblygook to you. They knew you’re technologically challenged and just fix the problem for you – without giving you a look that makes you feel like the dumbest person in the room afterwards too. They were the only choice back then. Slow connection and it certainly raised my phone bill – but boy they were easy to deal with. I even went to their old office and it was all boarded up. Broke my heart….
Spouse and I were told we could get wireless broadband service in our area now. Youngest Sister was using it and showed us the antenna box sitting on the roof of our old house. For very low monthly fees, you can get connected without any installation fees. How cool was that we thought…we don’t even need a landline. A landline, now that’s another story. Seems like you have no credibility with banks and major institutions if you don’t own a landline. But why have one when every member of the household owns a cellphone?
The wireless connection is slower, much slower than our DSL connection back in Colorado. It’s so slow, my plans of watching PBS videos have never come to fruition. I can’t even be part of the whole YouTube craze cause the videos won’t play or is not worth watching after all the stops and gaps. Why it’s slow is what really puzzles me. Does the pollen level in the air have anything to do with it? I mean, it is wireless so it can’t be too many people online all at the same time like it was in the old days of dial-up connection.
Not only that, this huge company that provides the service has terrible customer service. You dial a number that connects you to who knows where in the country and the first thing they insinuate is – you’re doing something wrong. Now, I know this is de rigueur in the customer service industry. But that doesn’t mean I like it – at all.
And when you have no connection – at all - do they even know about it like they should? Oh no….a memo has NOT been sent out so there must not BE any problem. It’s all in your head, Psycho!
I can laugh, but I don’t. I can be patient and I usually am. But the poor geek of a Spouse! He’s just not used to it – yet. He’s getting there though.
