Taking Classes Remotely

You get a second blog post from me this week because I will be traveling to a coastal village next week and will not have internet access.

I have been spending the first 6 weeks of my summer in Quito Ecuador.

What is it like being over 3000 miles away from the rest of you?

I am assuming that much of my experience is no different than the experience for any of you. I have found it both challenging and beneficial to be taking a class on-line. What a world we live in where I can be out of the country and still be involved in the class! I enjoy setting my own schedule and not having to actually be sitting in class. I am so thankful that I know most of you in this class. When I read your posts, I see your faces and can read your personality into your posts and comments. On the flip side, I have been forced to figure things out on my own, rather than relying on the collective knowledge of you wonderful people when we are together.

Special Challenges Unique to Ecuador

Quito is the capital of Ecuador. It has a population of over a million people and in many respects is similar to any major city in the United States ( Exeptions: You can’t throw toilet paper in the toilet, you can’t drink from the tap, and they sell donkeys on the street)

My daughter’s home has wireless internet. They pay roughly the same that we would pay in the United States. Their hook-up runs them about $50/month. I pay only $36, but it is in the same ballpark. It works well, but only one computer in the house can be accessing the internet at once. If more than one computer is on-line, none of us have access.

Unlike the United States there is very little wireless access available in public places. It is available in major hotels, and at the McDonalds, but is not available in local coffee shops, etc. There are however, a number of internet cafes. In the internet café you can use one of their computers for about $1.00/hour.

The major challenge is that often the electricity is off in various parts of the city for hours/day. Ecuador gets all of its electricity from hydroelectric plants. When there is not sufficient rain (it has only rained once since I arrived) they ration electricity to various parts of the city. The electricity can be off for anywhere from 4-8 hours at a time. When the electricity comes back on it can take up to 2 more hours for internet access to be available. There appears to be no rhyme or reason to when/where the electricity is turned off. When the electricity goes off there is nothing to do but wait and hope that it will turn back on quickly. One always hopes the morning coffee has been brewed before the electricity goes down!

Many web sites are also blocked or unavailable in this country. This is especially true for music and videos. You will attempt to connect to a website and a screen will come up that says. “This website is unavailable in this country”

The other challenge is that all web pages frequently convert to Spanish. I don’t read Spanish and therefore have a challenge figuring out how to get it back into English.

Despite the difficulties I am enjoying the class and wouldn’t give up the experience of being here in Ecuador for anything. Ecuador is an amazing and diverse country. I strongly recommend that you all visit if you ever get the chance. See you soon!!!