A Good Connection is Hard to Find

Living in America has conditioned me to speed. No, not the drug, the rate at which we operate. Everything is fast - fast food, one hour photo, drive through Starbucks and wireless internet. Yes, heaven forbid we go anywhere without being able to check our mail - iPhones and blackberries seem to be attached to every one's hands now a days and walk into any Starbucks and I guarantee it is full of people on computers. With such easy access to the wonderful world wide web, is it any wonder we get addicted to it. Most college students (myself included) spend a huge part of their day online - facebook, youtube and instant messaging capture out attention in a way traditional forms of entertainment and communication never could. Why send a letter when facebook can deliver your message instantaneously?!
I've traveled enough to realize that not everyone shares American standards - nor should they, because then life (and travel) would be fairly boring. However, I must confess that when it comes to the internet, I share the stereotypical American belief that things should be done the American way. Imagine my frustration, then, when I realized that connecting to the internet in Edinburgh wasn't going to be quite as simple as it is at home. As much as I complain about it, connecting to EagleNet (AU's internet service) is amazingly fast. Let me walk you through the process of connecting to ResNet (Edinburgh's internet service):

1. Read pointless and redundant information about using the internet, as provided to you on a handy-dandy CD.
2. Try and use CD to discover the MAC address for your computer, only to realize that said CD doesn't work on Macs and you are on your own for finding it.
3. Discover MAC address, after 2 trips to the internet cafe around the corner, one phone call to tech support only to realize that the MAC address is to be found, conveniently enough, in the Network Setup section of the computer.
4. E-mail MAC address and other, seemingly unnecessary, information to Resnet Registration.
5. Problem with original e-mail, please re-send.
6. Move apartments, send e-mail again.
   
7. Realize that there is no wireless, go buy internet cable.
8. Success! Connect to the internet, one whole week after arrival.
   

So, I once again have the internet. I once again glory in my facebook news feed, BBC updates and g-chat. I guess a week without constant internet wasn't entirely awful though, it gave me time to unpack, read a book and catch up on all the sleep I lost on three trans-oceanic flights. It also gave me time to explore my new city...more on that later though, for now the bar across the street is opening and I have another night of listening to drunken songs to look forward to. "Oh flower of Scotland..."