My Pohnpeian neighbor Missy is friendly and kind, speaks very good English, and occasionally delivers delicious food to me. (Sidenote: Missy feels bad for me because I am 28 years old with no children, so she offered to give me one of hers.) Apparently she has 5 children. At first it was just the 4-year-old boy Logan, and then months later some teenage boys appeared from nowhere, and now there are also 2 older daughters living in the US. (Now many many Micronesians live in the US because they can according to the agreement of the Compact of Free Association. I will explain this concept further when I actually understand it. FSM is like the illegitimate child of the US; it receives child support but no actual love, affection, or quality time.)
Missy's daughter living in Hawaii just had a baby which means that she has become a new grandmother! This is wonderful, congratulations!! Next, Missy very sheepishly tells me that she has a computer address for her daughter and would like to see pictures over the computer. OH! I get it!! Yes, of course I will teach you how to use email to begin corresponding with your daughter overseas and view photos of your first grandchild. What happens next would make a fantastic Hallmark card advertisement.
So last night Missy and I huddled around my glowing laptop screen and attempted to cover the topics of Internet Explorer, Gmail, and cursor manipulation. Together we successfully sent an email to the daughter in Hawaii. Most confusing was the abstract concept that your email account is accessible on any computer that has an internet connection. "But how does it know?" Good question. Sometimes I feel the same way when I try to imagine how this whole new 'cloud' technology works. So all of my files are in thin air? Are they safe?
I recommend to Google that you, giant software company, should create a very simplified basic version of email for new computer users from developing countries. This globalization thing is real, and people from every last corner of the Earth will soon have access to cell phones and wireless internet. While your email interface gives users a million options to enhance communication, this is busy and overwhelming for a first time user.
Missy has also expressed wanting to learn better computer skills so that she can get a better job. Currently she works at a clothing shop in town but would like to apply for a library job closer to where we live in Awak. She fears that she can't get the job if she can't use a computer confidently. This is a win-win situation. Missy can learn skills enabling upward mobility, and I can feel useful as a spoiled menwai living on a developing island. Success!
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