BARBARA BOUNCES BACK

Our UK Correspondent Barbara Scott explains where on earth she was, and how she was cut off from the Information Society.

I have had the misfortune to have been 'cut off' from cyberspace for nearly a month now and I can tell you it has not been easy! For reasons that I will not bore you with I lost my internet connection and despite numerous phone calls to my (then) internet provider, I was not able to get connected until yesterday (Feb 20th). Oh the joy of it. I have taken the internet for granted for over 10 years now and never thought I would miss it like I did. Like a lot of things in the west, it is something we just treat as the norm until such time as we are deprived of it. I am ashamed to say I felt like someone who is unable to get their daily 'fix' whether it be cigarettes, alcohol or, worst of all, drugs. I found myself gravitating each day towards my laptop in the hope that overnight the problem had been solved. On finding that it hadn't I became bad tempered and frustrated. I had to wait almost 2 weeks before my new provider was able to connect me again. Ofcourse I was able to connect via outside sources like the local library but it just isn't the same as being able to sit down at your computer any time you like. I could use the phone to keep in touch with friends and family but it is not the same as e-mailing them. For one thing you can do it when you feel like it and they can't interrupt you!

This made me realise how lucky we are here in England. Most people have access to computers and the majority have their own. Many have two or three! Children take it for granted that they will get one as soon as they start school and rely on them for help with their homework projects. How different it must be in your country. Even if a computer is available I suppose the lack of land lines prevents them being used outside the urban areas. I know there are a lot of internet cafes where you can get online but from my experience they are usually very busy and the connections are very slow.

So in a way it has done me good to see what it must be like for a lot of people outside the western hemisphere. Years ago when I was growing up, if you wanted to communicate with someone you had to do so either by telephone (not mobiles!) or by letter writing. I lived abroad for awhile so telephoning was out of the question but I wrote lots and lots of letters to my family and friends. It gave me my love of writing which is still with me today. Nowadays though it is done via e-mail which is not only quicker but for the recipient much easier to read! I may have been good at writing letters and stories but my handwriting was, and still is, absolutely awful! Still, I was always told that it is not the handwriting that makes a good writer but the content. I hope that is true.