-^-for posterity-^-

the internet cafe is quite an experience. when the electricity is outed in our room, we are forced to bike down dusty roads to small, dimly lit internet cafes to find out what is happening in the world. the internet is our portal. the internet lets us feel relatively connected to what is happening in the world.

this internet cafe is filled with computers paneled off by fake-wood sections in an attempt to prevent spying. it’s is a complete failure. when i go to an internet cafe, i spend the majority of my time waiting for pages to download and the three young boys standing behind me also wait patiently. they talk about what i'm looking at. they talk about what they understand and what they don't. they read all my emails. 'i think this one is from his mother!' and so on.

one hour of interent time is only 3000 dong (about 20 cents) but you have to be prepared to wait for pages to load. the owners make money because they link 10 computers to one phone line. this means that a number of pages are trying to load simultaneously and everyone sits with a blank look on their face. most of the time, since the internet is so slow, people play games. they play games like 'ages of empires ii', which is a sort of conquest game where you amass armies and try to kill the other guy in the height of virtual battle. they yell back and forth at each other. 'what are you doing? i'm going to kill you!' 'no way, you don't have a chance. you don't have enough men and you're going to be too weak.' 'let's play again.'

so, the internet cafe is not the most comfortable place in the world. it is hot, like a sauna. young boys stand behind me and talk about what i'm doing. the rest of the people threaten to kill each other while pages load dreadfully slowly. it's stressful and irritating.