12.11.06
High Speed Internet
One thing that Europe definitely has going for it compared to the US is high speed Internet. Being a missionary means that we use the Internet a lot. Since we have such a fast connection, it’s easy for us to be online and connected to friends and family back home.
A couple of months ago, the phone company called to tell me they have upgraded our speed to 20 MBps, and for €1 more per month, they would send me a decoder box so that I could watch TV through the Internet. I was a little skeptical at first, but signed up for the free trial.
And we’ve been really impressed. Most of the local channels are streamed to us, as well as a lot of pay channels - some come from London, so they’re in English. They put tons of movies on there, most for free, but some pay-per-view. The kids love to watch Looney Tunes (in Italian) and the kids’ movies. We hardly ever watched TV before since we get such bad reception. Now it’s kind of fun to watch the news in Italian and see how much we can pick up on. The other day the kids were asking to watch a movie and Lance said, “But Dad, it’s good language learning!” I gave in - he was right!
I can only guess based on stories I’ve heard, but the Internet really has changed what being a missionary is like.