A Wee Blog Entry

This is a short blog entry to pass on some information. Many good folks have been tempted to pass on via email inspirational emails to us which include a large number of pictures. Some have occasionally provided us with large number of photographs as well. We thank you for your intended kindness. The problem is that we have only dial-up Internet access (52 kps is the top speed) which is unstable at times.

This means that when a large email comes our way (2-5 MB) it takes anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour to download . . . and that is if the connection is a stable one. If it isn’t stable, the connection may fail anytime in between and then we have to dial-up again and start the download all over. MCC is charged by the minute for this Internet service, courtesy of Ethiopian TeleCom (ETC). I recently went to their offices to see if it is possible to upgrade. The bad news is ‘no’, not now. Our only option is what we currently subscribe to. We are too far from the downtown core (where, rumor has it, much faster Internet connections exist, perhaps even broadband). The good news is that someday they may run a line out our way, the man told me in a couple of months. I’m not holding my breath. More like 2 years or more.

So in the meantime, we would like to ask a favor of our friends and say, please send no inspirational emails with photos. We would, however, would love to have the occasional family or friends photo come our way. Please continue to send those to us, but only one or two at a time. Thank you for your consideration in this matter.

One more information piece to pass along; those who may wish to call us should use the ‘3219’ number. We offered the two lines to call in on, 3128 and 3129, and the former is unstable (it isn’t working right now). When it does work it is often a bad connection. And, of course, we have found that the government is blocking Skype so we can’t do the Skype thing like so many other MCC’ers in other countries do. Maybe there is another Internet phone connection we can use. We’ll have to look around for it.

Thanks for your patience.