Well, here I am in the Philippines. I'll use this blog to expand upon some of the funny/"I can laugh at them now" moments that I elude to in my newsletters and such. I did want to share my journey of getting the internet. And I use the word "getting" very loosely, because I'm still not sure how well it's working (I'm at a friend's place right now....).
Sunday after church, I hopped on a jeepney (public transport here) and headed to the closest mall, SM Tay Tay. They have pretty much the essentials there--nothing fancy, but reasonable prices. AND a Starbucks! They also have a couple of places to sign up for internet. So, just imagine going into Comcast or Verizon and the stress you feel there. Then multiply it slightly, and that brings you to Sun and Smart. I went into the Sun store first, because they had a better deal on monthly internet charges. They are a newer company, but they serve Faith Academy, and I live close by the school, so I thought it would be a good choice for me. I walked in, took a number, and sat down. After waiting (and being stared at) for about 45 minutes, my number was called! Awesome. I had filled out the paperwork--you know me, I like to be prepared--and was ready to go. Then, I told the woman where I lived. That's when she told me that internet would not work there, and it wouldn't be fair for her to sell it to me. So, I appreciated her honesty, but I was just a step further away from obtaining internet.
Next stop, Smart--a lot of people I know have Smart, so I figured it was my next best option. I went in, took a number and sat down. After about an hour of waiting, my number was called, and I went up to the counter. I told the guy what I wanted, and he showed me a brochure with six different plan options. Then he said, "We are offering two different plans at this time." Why? There are six options, so why only two? Easy--they don't have enough equipment, so the plan I wanted was not available. So, I settled on another one, and I was then asked to present some ID. I handed him my Virginia license....all I have at the moment, and, as expected, this was rejected as an appropriate form of ID. Sidenote--I am planning to get my Philippine license soon, but I haven't been here long enough to make that happen. So, I asked the guy...."What do I need to do to have internet *today*?" Basically, the only option for someone like me was to take the internet zip drive option and then upgrade later when I have proper identification.
In the end, it all worked out...I think. My internet is not super great, but it's an improvement. But as I told a fellow teacher today...I am not living in a hut, I have electricity, and there are ways for me to get internet, it's just not as convenient. I am trying to keep a clear and appropriate perspective. It's hard to adjust and realize that basically everything is harder here in the Philippines. And it takes longer (though I'm pretty sure Comcast and Verizon would've taken just as long or longer). Now, with any luck, I'll be able to communicate and blog with you much better!
Another quick funny story is that the two boys that live on the floor beneath me made brownies last night. What they didn't realize was that the oven measures temperature in Celsius, and the instructions were in Fahrenheit. You can imagine the darkened mess that came out of the oven. Good times!
Are you glad we had training on transition? At least we knew to expect it. I'll have to get internet for our house when I get to Hungary too, we'll see how that goes:)
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you are there safe and sound and that your apartment is getting all put in order. I'm praying for you!