My Office

Working hard under the internet tree

This part of Tanzania has no indoor plumbing or electricity. We collect water from the river or use rain water and use solar panels to collect energy. But one thing it does have is a cell signal, and thus, an internet connection. About 100 yards away from the house is this large baobab tree that I affectionately call “the internet tree.” This is the closet spot to the house that gets a cell signal so I often walk here carrying my computer, modem, and a small folding chair. Here I can make phone calls and check my email. I love to sit under the shade of the internet tree while I wait for web pages to load and listen to the nearby cows being herded, say hello to the locals as they walk by, or try to communicate in my broken Swahili to the small crowd of children that sometimes gather to look at the computer.

Sometimes I feel like I should be in a cell phone commercial to demonstrate the wonders of technology in the remotest parts of the world.