Frustration mitigation

Since we moved into our downtown apartment, I have wasted hours of my time dealing with spotty Internet service. I recognize that I am in a third world country. I recognize that it's pretty cool that I have Internet at all. This does not change the fact that I need to use the Internet to do my coursework, and that I waste time dragging my school materials back and forth between here and campus on the days when our Internet unexpectedly goes out.

No more, I say! Today, I initiated my Frustration Mitigation Plan.

First, I anticipated communication problems, so I enlisted my friend JW (LW's tech savvy husband) to go with me to the Maroc Telecom office to buy a nifty USB modem. We only had to wait outside their office for about five minutes for them to open after lunch, so I was already feeling good about how things were going. We were the first people inside and didn't have to wait in line. JW, along with a random customer who spoke very good English,* discussed my options with me, and when I made a decision, he went with me to talk to the salesman.

JW started in Darija. The man answered him in English. (I called his wife later and said I was so glad that I made JW go with me to the office so he could translate what I needed into English. She pointed out that if I had not made him go with me, no one in the office would have spoken English because, you know, that's how things go.)

The process was so easy that I sent JW home and completed the transaction myself. And now I am writing this blog post (wasting more time dealing with Internet stuff) with my new, fast, reliable Internet service.

And I am also reflecting on the fact that expecting complications, which has always been a bit of a natural tendency for me, has become an ingrained habit living here. The nice thing about expecting the worst is that when things actually go smoothly, it makes me ridiculously happy.

*I'm going to write an entire blog post on this phenomenon just as soon as I have time.