Macro Connectivity. Micro Isolation.

Let me recall one of my recent tweets: I wanna shout it from Table Mountain, but I’ll settle for this: WE FINALLY HAVE INTERNET AT OUR HOUSE!

We arrived in Cape Town on 15 January and almost immediately began our quest for internet service. Being students in a new country, we were anxious to be able to look up phone numbers, compare prices, navigate UCT processes, find walking directions, purchase tickets to events… not to mention be able to submit online assignments and begin research.

It wasn’t until 21 February, though, that I was able to tweet from my own wireless connection. Over one month (and many unnecessary meals and drinks purchased at cafes offering free Wi-Fi to customers) later, we are finally reunited with the rest of the world via email, social media, and online news.

The effect has been interesting. At the beginning of our time here, we were incredibly anxious without internet. We had to break habits of communicating with friends and family nonstop, and we had to budget the time we spent on the phone with our homes, as calls were rather expensive. The lack of access eventually became a bit more comfortable and, without a doubt, comical. We’d laugh about living in the stone ages and would giggle at comments such as, “I would ______, but… we still don’t have internet.”

Eventually, and inevitably, what once caused laughter caused frustration. After all, how could it even be reasonable that setting up internet takes over a month to complete? Between activating the Telkom phone line to setting up the Kingsley internet service to configuring the Telkom phone line to troubleshooting the Kingsley internet service, we were exhausted and annoyed as the time, effort, and monetary costs climbed.

I believe that finally-flashing indicator light on the router/modem to be the biggest victory we had all felt in quite a while. We hadn’t thought about how the internet access would transform our experience as housemates, though. Where we once spent our time lounging on the couch and quizzing each other with endless getting-to-know-you questions, we now separate our lives a bit more. You can typically find Victor watching a Russian television series or Tommy exploring on his iPad. I, to no one’s surprise, am usually refreshing my Twitter timeline for the latest updates from around the world. And, since Lindsey's phone was stolen, I think she's quite thankful for Facebook messaging and email at her fingertips.

It’s ironic to me that finally being “connected” – to the internet and to the rest of the world outside our Cape Town bubble – has, in effect, isolated us from each other a bit. We can now converse with those at home as much as we can converse with those in our temporary home. Don’t get me wrong; we still enjoy our time together, but we’re often simultaneously searching sites on our devices while we do so. I thoroughly enjoy the comforts of WiFi in our house, but I must admit that a very small piece of me misses being effortlessly forced to live in the moment rather than constantly escape (and sometimes transcribe) the moment.

But then again, being passed around via Skype on my sister’s iPad at my nephew’s family birthday gathering was a rather incredible feeling... 

Comparing currency with
Dalton and Dakota... half a world apart!