|
 |  | |
|
|
about Asia Buzz
Asia Buzz: Making a Difference
Connecting nuns in East Timor to the Internet
By ERIC ELLIS
January 4, 2001
Web posted at 2:55 p.m. Hong Kong time, 1:55 a.m. EDT
The Internet changes your life. Well that's what the nerds say, but in recent
months, about the only thing changing in most people's lives has been the
plummeting balance on their day-trading account.
So if you remain a believer in the Net as a social enabler instead of a 'get-
rich-quick' instrument, it's gratifying to see that in action. I got a glimpse
of that recently in East Timor at the Carmelite Convent in Comoro, just outside
the ravaged capital of Dili.
| |
ASIA BUZZ |
|
Asia Buzz: 2001 Resolutions
But I'm only going to keep three
-
Tuseday, January 2, 2001
Culture on Demand: Capetown Calling
The pride of South Africa is a joy for the world
-
Friday, December 29, 2000
Culture on Demand: Chiang Rai
This northern Thailand city is enjoying a renaissance
-
Friday, December 15, 2000
Asia Buzz: Legal Eagle
How many lawyers does it take to oust a President?
-
Monday, December 11, 2000
Asia Buzz: Behind the Times
Asia doesn't innovate too well
-
Thursday, December 7, 2000
Asia Buzz: Passing Trends
How the Net changed my life
-
Tuseday, December 5, 2000
Culture on Demand: Black is Beautiful
The American Express black card is the ultimate status symbol
-
Friday, December 1, 2000
Asia Buzz: Should the Net Be Free?
Web heads want it all -- for nothing
-
Thursday, November 30, 2000
|
|
ASIAWEEK |
Intelligence
The story behind today's news from the editors of Asiaweek
|
|
The nuns there had somehow gotten hold of an old computer, a Dell desktop circa
1996. It had arrived through an aid shipment, most likely from Australia, which
is using East Timor as a depository for old stuff that might ordinarily be
destined for the scrap yard. The nuns at the convent have done fabulous work
over the past two years, and the place has been a refuge for East Timorese
escaping the horrors of the 1999 militia onslaught.
I had gone there to interview the nuns about their experiences, and to drop off
a few coloring books in the local Tetum language for the neighborhood kids. I
happened to be carrying my laptop case when Sister Fabiola asked if I could get
"something called e-mail," because they couldn't on their machine. In fact, she
wasn't sure what e-mail was, and was asking because a nun from Spain had called
to say she had e-mailed them some important information.
Sister Fabiola turned on the computer and said she knew how to use Microsoft
Word to write letters, and print them out. But where was this e-mail thing? And
what was this thing called the Internet? Could I help?
The machine was pre-loaded with a browser from 1996. I assumed she couldn't get
access because East Timor isn't exactly a communication hub and the phone lines
were unusable after the troubles. But she told me some American guy had set up
an Internet access account via a provider in Darwin, but he didn't show them how
to access e-mails or the Net.
Surrounded by a group of enraptured nuns, we tried to connect, and successfully
did so at 28.8K. We then set up an Outlook account by experimenting with likely
server addresses, and sat back to see what happened. Suddenly about 50 unread
mails, some as old as six months and in Italian, English, Portuguese, French,
Spanish and Bahasa Indonesia tumbled into the inbox. The nuns squealed as they
recognized the senders' names.
Then came the Internet. I clicked on the old browser and asked where one of the
Spanish nuns came from. She was a Catalan, from Barcelona, so I called up the
site of the Spanish newspaper, La Vanguardia, based in the Mediterranean city.
The day's news appeared on the screen. That prompted requests for information
from Portugal, Australia, Jakarta and the East Timorese sites set up by
activists.
These nuns were now as connected as any New York yuppie, or Eurobanker. Then we
tapped into the 'special interests' stuff, sites like Vatican.net, the site of
the Holy See, and Carmelite.org and Carmelite.com. Within 30 minutes, the nuns
had 50 new sites in their "favorites" list and were busy sending e-mails around
the world.
The look on their faces was a Christmas present I will always remember. The nuns
didn't say "it's a miracle," but they may as well have.
Write
to TIME at mail@web.timeasia.com
TIME Asia home
|
|
LATEST HEADLINES:
|
Click Here for the latest regional analysis from TIME Asia
|
|
|
