One of the advantages/disadvantages (perspective depending) of not having the internet in my flat is that to use some online services I have to stay in the school or go to a coffee shop with free wi-fi. This also present the benefit of getting to know the staff at said coffee shops very well!
At one point I did try using a mobile internet dongle in the hope that this would allow me to use skype. However, the network here seams to slow for this to be successful and so instead it just lead to an increased in procrastination and no net benefit in my communicative abilities which I had sought to improve.
There are some disadvantages to this though. Sometimes other teachers join me in the coffee shop. In fact quite often another teacher will join me to have a coffee and check their emails etc [despite other teachers having internet access at home]. And so there we sit. Two or three friends, all on the computer all doing our own thing, occasionally dropping the odd word or conversation about the news or something but not entertaining a full conversation. We find ourselves together and yet miles apart.
I sometimes wonder what a difference it would have made if on a few of these occasions I had just put my computer away and just spoken to them about, whatever! Anything! Would we be even closer than we are now?
