Clean water, no. 3g, yes.
On Flag Day, when Mike was officially told what post we would be going to (Turkmenistan), we knew next to nothing about our future new home. Over time, we learned a few things about the place, through post reports and from stories told to us by people who had been there. Like the fact that the water is not potable, and you need a distiller to make it drinkable. Or that you need to go to the open air market early in the morning if you are buying meat there, because they have no refrigeration. They just butcher on site. Things like that. We were also told that internet access would not be the same. Significantly not the same, as in 'lucky to get Facebook'.
So, understandably there are a couple of things that are going to change once we get 'over there' (aka Turkmenistan). Many of them involve technology- like the internet, cellphones, television, or gaming. You know, what most people take as a given here. The first thing we lose at the end of the month is our cellular service. Sadly, we must say goodbye to our cellphones (bye bye iPhone, I will miss you!). I use my phone for everything (No more shopsavy! *sob*), so it hurts. We are dropping our service because AT&T, in their infinite wisdom, has decreed that if we want to use their service on the other side of the wold we will pay for that service, goddamnnit.
To the tune of $4.99/minute for voice, and $.0195/KB for data.
So we say goodbye to AT&T (goodbye AT&T), and hello to VOiP/local cellular service! This is really not an option, because we need a way to keep in touch with family and friends before we move to the other side of the world. Our 'plan' is to use Skype as a phone provider, and get cellphones for local use. Interestingly enough, in my research on cellphone coverage in the region I have discovered that 3g apparently DOES exist in Turkmenistan. Just not everywhere (only major cities).
You learn something new every day!
So, understandably there are a couple of things that are going to change once we get 'over there' (aka Turkmenistan). Many of them involve technology- like the internet, cellphones, television, or gaming. You know, what most people take as a given here. The first thing we lose at the end of the month is our cellular service. Sadly, we must say goodbye to our cellphones (bye bye iPhone, I will miss you!). I use my phone for everything (No more shopsavy! *sob*), so it hurts. We are dropping our service because AT&T, in their infinite wisdom, has decreed that if we want to use their service on the other side of the wold we will pay for that service, goddamnnit.
To the tune of $4.99/minute for voice, and $.0195/KB for data.
So we say goodbye to AT&T (goodbye AT&T), and hello to VOiP/local cellular service! This is really not an option, because we need a way to keep in touch with family and friends before we move to the other side of the world. Our 'plan' is to use Skype as a phone provider, and get cellphones for local use. Interestingly enough, in my research on cellphone coverage in the region I have discovered that 3g apparently DOES exist in Turkmenistan. Just not everywhere (only major cities).
You learn something new every day!
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