www

I have been in Australia for approximately two weeks now, and I have found myself asking WWW on a daily basis. Where? What! Why? The issue, no Internet!

Coming to Australia, I prepared myself for what I thought would be a challenging, yet rewarding experience of a lifetime. I tried to come into this country with no expectations, but when I got here, it was WAY different than I had imagined! I am not quite sure what I had pictured but it was different! Before leaving for four months, I promised my friends and family we would be staying in touch, Skype being our main form of communication. As soon as our plane landed in Sydney, I quickly realized communication would be a lot more difficult than I had anticipated. Upon our arrival to Wesley Institute, we learned our home stay houses would not have Internet access. I was blown away! My first reaction was how am I going to survive?

In the United States, Internet has become a way of life. We depend on the Internet for homework, personal communication, social networking, and even for directions on how to get to the nearest movie theatre.  Assuming Australia was very similar to the US (which the more I am here, the more I realize is false) I figured they would have the same technological mentality. Needless to say I was speechless when I realized the only places near my home stay that had free Wifi was at McDonalds.

That is when the WWW came into play. I have found myself spending my time asking everyone I know where I can go to get free Wifi. I don’t understand why, but every time another Australian tells me McDonalds, I feel just as shocked as I was when I first heard it the first time! Not being able to comprehend why the technological standards are not as “up to date” as the US, I decided to research on why Australia does not have a lot of free Wifi locations. I found that because Australia is so large, yet has a small population, Internet providers serve the areas that invest large amounts of capital with low returns. In other words, Wifi is used in more rural areas, which translates to, no Internet for us!

These past two weeks have been some of the most challenging days of my life. I know that sounds dumb, but its true. And to be honest, any American who is used to having Internet every second of the day, would struggle with this obstacle just as much as I have. Only having Internet a few select hours during a day is forcing me to plan out my schedule and homework ahead of time. While at school, I have to look up information I will need for that nights homework. Before I go to bed each night, I type out my emails and blog posts so as soon as I get to school I can send them.

Trying to live without Internet has been a struggle, but has made me truly appreciate the Australian culture. Everyone in Australia is so laid back. They are never in a hurry to do things, and focus on relationships in the present, not the future. I am trying my best to adapt to this mentality and am constantly reminding myself it will be ok! I am being forced to not only be here, but also “live” here. Slowly, I understand what it means to live as a “pilgrim,” and not as a “tourist.” Although it can get frustrating at times, I feel this experience is going to help me grow as an individual and realize the Internet is not always everything it is cracked up to be! I can survive without technological communication and the WWW!