My friend Steve, visiting Taiwan on business, posted this picture on facebook of a Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse. It’s been a long time since I’ve been over there, but even back in the ’90s, American businesses were all over the island. Even so, traveling to Taiwan and China was about as lonely an experience as you could imagine.
It’s not that the people weren’t friendly, not at all. The Chinese are very friendly, hospitable people. But it’s their home, not mine, and it’s normal to crave contact with your loved ones. But in those days, phone calls were very expensive and we were allowed to expense only one call home per week. Besides, there’s a twelve hour time difference between there and here. I don’t know about you, but when I’m away from home I’m always wondering what Jan and the kids are doing. When you’re in the Far East the answer is almost always the same. They’re in bed.
The time change is still the same. As I write this it’s 10:30 in the morning in Saint Louis and it’s 11:30 at night in Taipei.
But, thanks to the Internet, the communications gap is gone. Facebook, Twitter, even video chat make instant communications possible. A person in Taiwan can actually see live images of family and friends for just the cost of an Internet connection. No time limits. No bad connections. Just instant communications.
There are a lot of things wrong with the Internet, but when it comes to staying in contact with family, friends, and business associates, there’s nothing like it.
Filed under: Electronics, Expenses, Social Media, The Internet, Travel | 2 Comments »