Where is my "super size"?

In a culture where the most common questions seem to be "would you like to SUPER SIZE that?", "would you like to upgrade your service?", "for only $9.99 we can include an additional ...xyz" a person rarely hears the words "NO!". I grew up in a country where it seemed like everything was at my finger tips and anything was possible. If I wanted to make something happen, build something new, or try something different, I could. Granted, it would cost $$$- sometimes a lot, but it could always be done. And, too often we Americans have too much, think that we need too much and overindulge consistently to the point of great waste. It was one of my biggest frustrations in the United States. However, now the tables have been turned and I am missing my "super size/upgrade" option.

Generally I consider myself a pretty simple and basic girl. I very rarely upgraded and never super sized. But, I am now living and working in an area where the answer too frequently is "no" to what seem to me to be even the most basic needs. To be clear, the answer isn't "no" because people don't want or need certain things. They do. The answer is "no" because the infrastructure too frequently is not in place to respond with anything other than "no".

For example: This past weekend I spent my time out in the rural communities of Cipo, Ombreira and Boa Vista. I love these areas. I love the peace and calm of daily life. I love the fact that I can read all day in a hammock and only be bothered by the noises of passing goats or cows. I love the fact that everyone is friendly and hospitality there is 2nd to none. I love the fresh farm cheese and the tea made from the grass in the garden. I love the people, the land and the fact that PRECE has its roots on the hallowed ground. But, that same peace and calm means that taking steps toward new technology is sometimes like wading through sinking sand. One of my big projects here is to establish an e-learning program (1st with an English class) at the Ombreira PRECE school. Great!! So, do we have the location? Yes! Do we have interested students? LOTS! Do we have computers? Ummm... 3 that work, 4 more that need to be set up. Small problem that can be solved! Do we have internet? Ummm... Working internet?? Ummm... Ok. So, let's call the DSL Cable Company and get it set up. Ummm... Out in the country we don't have any DSL Cable Companies. Can we bring anyone out from the city of Fortaleza? Silence. And, what about wireless?? Blank stares. Ok. So, let's go with Satelite. But, this time we won't use the 1st guy who abondoned his post! Or the 2nd one who botched the job! This time we will use a good, but expensive, commercial provider who will get the job done and do it well. We can find one of those, right????? .... ... ...

Well, of course we can find one and we will and steps are being taken to find the right provider and get the best system in place. The beauty of PRECE is that people don't give up and they succeed in the face of adversity. Incredible and unbelievable things happen all the time. At PRECE there is always hope and progress is constantly being made. But, for the girl who has lived most of her life having everything at her fingertips this practice in patience is testing my patience :).