Reflections on 'no internet at home for a week'

Recently we moved house and had to wait for a week for our phone and internet services to be established in our new home. This post reflects on the lack of connectivity over this time.

It was extremely quiet. My husband and I both have notifications switched on and our environment was one of silence as very little came through. There was the odd text message but no whatsapp, no viber, no facebook, no emails, and sometimes no text messages. A couple of times I had to use my mobile data to send a text. A few mobile phone calls punctuated the tranquility.

We don't have tv. Well, we do have an actual tv but we stream everything we watch through our internet connection, so we didn't have tv in this time. This made it doubly quiet as even though not always on during the week, the tv is definitely used every weekend to catch up with ondemand shows, just not this weekend.

But, we did have a number of visitors. These visits provided opportunities for us to communicate and socialise and be connected with those ordinarily 'outside' us. How welcome they were.

Of course, we also talked to each other. Nevertheless, we have always talked together. I don't think there was any less or any more talking, just nothing that quite seemed like it filled the 'talk free' spaces. My husband started reading some books that he had unpacked and I wondered how many emails I would have come Monday morning.

I had understood that we would be connected on Saturday afternoon. However, an online chat using mobile data confirmed that this wouldn't be the case. Apparently, there was some issue with the exchange and we would have to wait. It couldn't be done Monday because the technician's time was already fully booked. No, he didn't have to come to the house, but nevertheless we would have to wait until Tues. This had me wondering just where did the technician work on our connection, how long would it take to connect us and why couldn't the available workforce do it on Monday?

Anyway, why was it so important for us to be connected immediately? We had mobile phones and mobile data, although more pricer options, that we could use if we chose to. Was it perhaps the principle? We live an urban, connected lifestyle and it should just be possible in this day and age to have a home move completed immediately and seemlessly.

Somehow it felt a little like our home was this deserted island in the middle of a bustling archipeligo of one huge connected island.

Thank goodness our 'internet fast' is over and full services are now restored. I feel like I've completed some kind of spiritual retreat and I'm ready to face the world again, renewed and ready for whatever live throws at me!