Parents who attended my social networking presentation may remember that I mentioned the terms ‘digital immigrants’ and ‘digital natives.’ While I think that these terms are limited in scope, they are useful when I think about the ways in which travel has changed recently. Here’s a top 10 list.
1. Just because I’m in Japan doesn’t mean that I won’t be able to check my work (or personal) email accounts. Simply having a blog and a potential readership of the entire Saint Stephen’s community is something novel. It’s quite possible that when I return, people I’ve never spoken with before will comment on something that I’ve posted here.
2. I’m able to write this on my laptop in the Tampa airport, using the free wireless Internet connection, save it as a draft on my blog, and have my husband pull it up on his laptop to post sometime while I’m flying over the Pacific.
3. Because I use a Verizon cell phone, I had the option of renting a phone from them and forwarding my calls. Since it would be free for me to receive incoming calls, people would have been able to call me in Japan on a U.S. number at no extra charge. I decided to go with my free computer-to-computer Skype account instead, but it means I’m carrying my laptop, a headset mic, and a webcam. (I also have my cell phone and charger for use during my U.S. travel time.
4. I’ve already received information on all of my hotels. With the hotel name, I was able to locate the hotel’s website on the internet and see what kind of amenities each had. (It’s good to know ahead of time that several have pools; I was sure to pack my bathing suit.)
5. Last week, I checked the international weather forecast and saw that it’s supposed to rain in Tokyo on Tuesday. I packed my umbrella so it will be easily accessible in my carry-on bag.
6. I no longer have to worry about how many rolls of film to bring and whether screening equipment will damage it, but I have to remember my camera battery, charger, USB camera-computer cable, and a USB drive (for backing up pictures after I post to my laptop). I also don’t know if I’ll be able to charge my camera battery because it’s 110 volts, and voltage in Japan is 100 volts. But I can check the opinions of other internet users for a definitive “probably.”
7. Each night, I’ll be able to put my photos on my computer and label them. I no longer need to remember the names (and spellings) of all the places in my photos for a marathon labeling session upon my return.
8. Even though my host city is so small it’s not mentioned in most Japanese guidebooks, Wikipedia has a stub entry on it. I didn’t learn a lot, but I now know its size and where it’s located in Okinawa. I also did an image search on Google and came up with photos of some of the most beautiful white sand beaches (aside from Bradenton) I’ve ever seen.
9. You can track flights online. Before leaving for Tampa in the wee hours of the night, I could make sure my flight was on time. My parents will be able to see when my flights land, respectively, in Chicago, San Francisco, and Tokyo.
10. 158 of the 160 participants joined the social network that the Institute for International Education staff set up, posting pictures and personal introductions. People already have running partners, lists of people who are interested in visiting the famous Tsukiji fish market, and what other participants are doing for their follow-on plans. (This is a specialized social network, so even though anyone can view it, only JFMF participants can take part.)
Any thoughts? Reminiscences about the past? Remember that one of the neat things about the comment feature on blogs is that you can respond to each other, not just to me. (Think about it like the difference in a class room of people sequentially answering the exact question the teacher asked in comparison with building on each other’s answers and conversing with each other. Kudos to the participatory web!)
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In a former life, Dad went to sea and was gone for three months, with the ship docking once during that time. I got one letter from him for the entire time he was gone. It seemed like he had fallen off the edge of the world and I had no idea if he was safe. It really is a new life.
Carpe Librum: Enjoy the book at the Pillar at Powell's City of Books ...
"The Pillar is comprised of eight of the world's great books, carved from Tenino sandstone, stacked one on top of another to form a nine foot column. Each title was carved in the script in which it was originally printed (Sanskrit, Arabic, English, Russian, Chinese, Hebrew, and Ancient Greek) by artisans dressed in costume according to the book's time and culture – or so the cartoon version goes" ...
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