Technology and Brazilian living

Not to be critical, but Luiz is a bit of a Luddite when it comes to the computer.  I opened an email account for him 12 years ago and he still needs me to navigate to his account for him when he wants to check his email.  I am the one who monitors the email at his business website.  It’s kinda cute, except when it is annoying.

But I am no one to talk.  I have no idea how to transfer a photo from my phone to my email.  I only just this year texted for the first time.  I’m still figuring out Twitter.  And I have a deep mistrust for info-grabbing Facebook and Orkut.

I once bought a new computer simply because I could not get the ghost of AOL out of all of the margins of my previous computer.

In our fantasy-land mind Luiz and I imagined that a move to Brazil would be a move back in time to a simpler way of life.  No handheld computing devices, no freaky calm lady giving you driving directions from the dashboard of your car, no 24/7/365 computer addiction.

Wrong!  Well, maybe Luiz has been able to carve out this cocoon of a reality.  He’s pretty good about that sort of thing.  But I am caught between wanting to keep it simple and living in a Brazilian community that is THRIVING on high technology.

Even the Rocinha favela has free, universal, wireless internet!!

I’m just glad I don’t have kids insisting on a Blackberry for their 7^th birthday.

Our strategy has been to spend as much time at the beach or in mountain getaways as possible.  When planning a trip, the destination gets extra points if it does not have cell phone service.  We are reluctant participants in the digital revolution here in Brazil.

It’s a good thing we are not at the lead edge of our careers.