I'm still not completely sold on the little device. I usually leave home without it. I know, who does that? I don't answer the phone if I'm visiting with friends. Yep, also unheard of. And, I do not take it to the dinner table or restaurants. There must be a couple other people on the planet who feel the same about phones . . . but I've never met them.
I have fond memories of some of the communication hardships I've had in the past. Probably, Superman feels the same about phone booths. If you don't know what a phone booth is, or the situation Superman faced, you are just so very young. Superman needed a phone booth before he could save the world, and fortunately, they seemed to be on every street corner. It's been a while since I've seen a Superman movie. I don't know what he does these days without his trusty phone booth.
When I was in the Peace Corps, there was no internet, smart phone or computer access. Today's volunteers have no idea what they are missing. On rare occasions in Liberia, I had electricity. The town I lived in had it when the president came to visit. However, since I lived on the outskirts of the community, my line of electricity was almost at the end of the line. By the time it reached me, so many people had illegally tapped into the line that I had almost no power. My tape recorder moved in slow motion. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, again, you are too young.) One time, I complained about this problem to the electric company. They came to the neighborhood and disconnected all the illegal electricity lines. Neighbors were not happy about that. I never made that mistake again. For all practical purposes, I had no more electricity.
Most Peace Corps Volunteers could only call home when they visited the capital city, Monrovia. However, I lived in the president's hometown. So, we had a telecommunication center. I could call home whenever I wanted. But, it was also an adventure. One time I went to make a call and gave the director of the center my mother's phone number. While I waited, a couple of other men ushered me into a secluded area where they quickly made a direct call to Ohio. I had my conversation with family and then started to leave. That's when the director ran after me to tell me that he had Ohio on the line. I was completely flustered and didn't know what to do. I left. The director was not pleased at all with me. I had some 'splaining to do the next time I wanted to make a call. But, for the life of me, I don't remember what I said.
Technology improved when I moved to Morocco after the Peace Corps. For starters, there was continual electricity. While I was there, the world was introduced to music on CD's. At that time, we heard of the technology, but nobody had actually seen a CD and certainly nobody knew anyone who owned one. But still, life was a lot better with constant electricity and available cassette tapes whenever I wanted to listen to music.
It was still a unique experience whenever I wanted to call home. I had to go to the telecommunications office in downtown Casablanca. In very limited French, I had to somehow schedule the phone call. Then, I was directed to the proper booth where the call would come through. Sometimes, my best friend crowded into the booth with me because he, too, wanted to talk to my family. That was always easier when he could navigate the experience in Arabic. But, I learned to do it on my own as well. With or without my friend, I always had to have a stash of coins to continue plugging into the machine. They were always used up so quickly.
One of my best memories of telephoning in Morocco happened during the first Gulf War. All U.S. citizens were told to return home to the United States from the Islamic World. It certainly didn't make my mother feel good, but I felt completely safe in Morocco. So, I stayed. But, I also called home often to try and calm her nerves. (It probably never helped.) One time, when I completed a phone call, a man ran out of the building after me. Maybe he heard my English? I know that I certainly didn't look like a Moroccan. He had to know I was an American. His words took me by surprise when he said, "I want to thank you for staying in Morocco. You are safe here and you are welcome." I wish I had thought of it at the time. I should have invited him to have mint tea. Everyone does that in Morocco. But, I thanked him and went home very touched by his thoughtfulness.
Okay, as I said, it's been a year with a smartphone. I am still not "app crazy". But, I am very pleased to have been introduced to WhatsApp. This would have rocked my Peace Corps experience, as well as life overseas in Morocco, the Philippines, Zambia, Belgium and all my other travels. With WhatsApp, I can call my friends in Europe, Africa, the Caribbean and anywhere else for free. I always love free.
However, I am still no expert with this app. The few numbers I have with it were added by other people who already used it. But, this week, I decided I should call my best friend from Morocco. He wasn't around to guide me through the process. I had to go online to research -- something I really don't like to do -- and figure it out on my own. And, after doing that, he wasn't even by his phone to answer my call. Seriously, isn't everyone except me always by their phone? I greeted him in Arabic with our favorite insult and said, "The least you could do is be by your phone when I make the effort to call!"
I soon got my phone call.
The first words out of my mouth, once again, were my affectionate insult in Arabic. His first words were, "I can see your ear." It was a video chat. It was also my very first video chat ever. Hey, I've known about this technology since Star Trek. I knew I could do this on my phone, but I've just never been inclined to do it. A video chat, in my mind, is kind of like school pictures. You should look a little respectable. And, I must admit, that during the pandemic, I have been less than respectable -- and very comfortable -- around my home. My hair wasn't combed. I hadn't shaved. I hadn't cleaned up after exercising in the morning. And, the T-shirt I wore was anything but clean. If I had known the call was going to be a video, I probably wouldn't have answered the phone. It could wait until after a shower and a change into a clean shirt.
So, this time, it was completely unexpected. There was no chance to kick or scream. And, yes, I inched one step closer into the modern world.