Finally connected

Hurray, today I´ve finally managed to get an internet connection installed in my flat here in Phnom Penh! Yippiiee!! I celebrated by immediately calling Janne via the iChat programme on my Mac lap top. Wonderful thing, that iChat I must say! Making it possible to see and talk to eachother via a tiny intergrated camera in the lap top screen. Talking and looking at eachother over a cup of coffee... Makes the world feel so much smaller, bringing us closer together although we´re so far away... Talked to my parents via Skype and web cam as well, and the sound is so much clearer now when I don´t have to bring my laptop to internet cafés. And Marco called me from Holland too, showing off their adorable Schi-tzu/Jack Russel Terrier "Lola" via Skype and webcam. So it´s been a great day in that way; feels like I´ve been visited by dear friends and family and even a dog from all parts of the world! :-) It´s been so nice to see them all here in my livingroom in Phnom Penh! :-)

I can´t believe how much the modern means of communication have developed since I did my first field study in Thailand back in 1995... At that time there was no internet, mobile phones, web cams or sms... The only means of correspondence was via letters, which took two weeks in either direction. I remember that I at one point missed Janne a lot and wanted to let him know, so I went to a post office and sent him a telegramme which I guess took less than a day to be delivered from Hua Hin in Thailand to Linköping in Sweden... It was a simple little telegramme, with only three words; "I love you"... But I was very happy to be able to get that message across from one part of the world to the other, so quickly... What Janne thought? I think he was mostly surprised when the messanger from the post office knocked at the door... But anyway, what a change that has taken place! We´re now able to communicate with friends and loved ones on a daily basis, quickly and for free... I feel so fortunate for this, as it makes it possible for me to live and work as I do right now, and still be able to stay in touch with you all.

So; here´s to new means of communication, and here´s to my newly installed internet connection in my flat on street 115 in Phnom Penh! Cheers!

PS. For those of you who haven´t installed Skype yet, I strongly recommend you to do so. It´s very easy, just go to www.skype.com and register for a Skype account. And then you´re able to call other Skype users (frends like me!) all over the world, for free via your computer.