(no subject)
I'm at an internet café, trying to type emails. It has been about 4 months since I've done this; I usually use the PBI office, but their generator/solar isn't working right now and I'm addicted to email. I plucked up my courage and headed off to the Sipas internet café. Living life on the dangerous side. It's only half a block from my compound, so it can hardly be called an outing, but still, I braved the muddy slush that is now our street to send this to you. Don't you feel special?
When I got here, they waved me to the back corner consol. I brought my own computer which I figured was a little bit more secure than using the café's. Plus I didn’t feel like dealing with all of the flashing porn that always shows up on the café's computers. I got out my computer and set about trying to figure out how to plug it into the maze of wires underneath my desk. I didn't realize at that moment that the computer they had placed me at wasn't working. It wasn't even plugged in. But I thought it was. So I traced the cords back through the mass by my feet and still couldn't figure out which one I should unplug. I figured they were all related to the consol I was at so I did the eeny-meeny-miny-moe bit and yanked a plug out. Not the smartest move I've made in my life. I guess the one I picked was the cord that powered all of the computers on my side of the room. A small roar went up from the people on my row. Oops. I quickly plugged it back in again, but I could pick up a few Afghan cusswords as people had to log back onto the web. Then the guy who was running the café came up and started yelling at me to wait 5 minutes. Why didn't he just tell me that in the first place? So I sat in my corner, wishing the floor could swallow me up and glad I had my chadar on so people couldn't see my face easily. Eventually he came back and said I could now use the computer. He wasn't very helpful. He started messing with the wires under my desk and again disconnected everyone from the internet. At least that time they were cussing at him and not me again. Then he left me to figure it out for myself. Thankfully before I had left the house I had brought my little adapter so I could plug directly into the wall. All's well that ends well. May you have more luck than me with your computer today.
<><>
Kate
When I got here, they waved me to the back corner consol. I brought my own computer which I figured was a little bit more secure than using the café's. Plus I didn’t feel like dealing with all of the flashing porn that always shows up on the café's computers. I got out my computer and set about trying to figure out how to plug it into the maze of wires underneath my desk. I didn't realize at that moment that the computer they had placed me at wasn't working. It wasn't even plugged in. But I thought it was. So I traced the cords back through the mass by my feet and still couldn't figure out which one I should unplug. I figured they were all related to the consol I was at so I did the eeny-meeny-miny-moe bit and yanked a plug out. Not the smartest move I've made in my life. I guess the one I picked was the cord that powered all of the computers on my side of the room. A small roar went up from the people on my row. Oops. I quickly plugged it back in again, but I could pick up a few Afghan cusswords as people had to log back onto the web. Then the guy who was running the café came up and started yelling at me to wait 5 minutes. Why didn't he just tell me that in the first place? So I sat in my corner, wishing the floor could swallow me up and glad I had my chadar on so people couldn't see my face easily. Eventually he came back and said I could now use the computer. He wasn't very helpful. He started messing with the wires under my desk and again disconnected everyone from the internet. At least that time they were cussing at him and not me again. Then he left me to figure it out for myself. Thankfully before I had left the house I had brought my little adapter so I could plug directly into the wall. All's well that ends well. May you have more luck than me with your computer today.
<><>
Kate