Brunei and the internet, first of all. Coming from the Great Fire Wall of China and enjoying full access to the internet is great (no, my life doesn’t
depend on it but it makes it easier…). Having said that, when the connection
suddenly goes, the effortless convenience the internet creates is likewise
highly frustrating. So, late in the afternoon last Wednesday, the sky darkened
rapidly and we knew we were in for heavy rain (but we’re still new to Brunei
and its quirks). Lightning struck several times and it was not a mere shower,
but a great storm with sheets of water falling from the heavens. A little while
later, the internet went. We put it down to the storm. It took us a few days to
realise that in actual fact it was the modem that was defective and had stopped
flashing. It was a coincidence. In the meantime I had gone to the office at
school to report it, other teachers had been to “complain” too (whenever you go
to the office, they call it a complaint. Bruneians hate confrontation and will
avoid it at all costs, so making enquiries or reporting a problem turns into a
complaint). After a couple of days of total nothing, I went back to the office
and this time it was becoming a complaint. Noor was talking very fast about how
she had called this person and that person, and that this person had told her
this and that. The speed of her speech was to reinforce the fact she had been
on the ball about the internet. I did gather, though, through the barrage of
words, that other families were still waiting to be connected which was an entirely
different issue. At that point, I managed to stop her and told her our
situation. Indeed, it was different. She said she would call another service. I
went back later that day and another barrage of words, and a phone number and a
name scribbled quickly on a piece of paper and handed to me. Right! The lady
who received my call told me there had already been calls made. Hooray! So, how
long would this take? Not sure. Right! On our way home, we decided to stop at
the shop where we had signed all the papers etc… There, another lady suggested
we call another number… The following day, realising the modem was not flashing
and was showing clear signs of malfunction, I chanced it at the shop, hoping
for a replacement. Oh, sorry, mam, you got this modem from the technician not
from the shop. Only the technician can replace it. But you work for the same
company, don’t you? Yes, but this is the shop. Alright! When can I hope to see
the technician, please? Another call was made by the lady. You called
yesterday, mam. Yes, I did. The technician will come. Good, but when? In a few
days, mam.
There are times when however hard you try and think of ways
to sort things out fate is against you. I feel bad for the recipients of the
“complaints”. They are victims of the flowchart of the company they work for
and it can’t be fun. They are entirely reliant on the efficiency of the
technicians. Still, I don’t expect this company to reduce our bill even if we
can’t use the service we are paying for for days or weeks. They’ll still charge
us!
No point in brooding. I never had the internet for the first
half of my life and was perfectly happy. Which leads me to the balance. If
Saturday morning was not successful, the afternoon proved much better. We had
been told there was an IKEA shop/depot but had not found it the first time we
were looking for it. Our hunt for garden furniture had been put on hold until
we would find either that shop or a reasonable place. It may sound silly, but I
was really happy when we not only found the shop but were also able to buy a
wooden table and chairs that would do very well. It would be delivered and
installed the following day. Perfect. We continued our shopping with going back
to the first nursery we found and bought several plants. Today (Sunday), it
really felt lovely to have lunch outside under the alcove. Gradually, our house
is feeling like home again.
I guess patience is what transpires out of these two
anecdotes.
Today, our internet connection is back! It took Seb to go to the main office, ask for a replacement modem, and for it to be configurated. All in all a couple of hours. We'll know what to do next time!
The sky is magnificent, everyday!
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