Staying connected

“If you want to test your love try a long distance relationship and add in Cuban wifi.”

When I’m home in Canada my fiancé and I have your typical long distance relationship. We email, FaceTime and whatsapp. We even found an app that lets us text. Unfortunately none of that is free or easy. The texting app costs me money in Canada and everything else requires wifi for both parties. Cuban wifi is not cheap. Something that we take for granted in Canada is the availability and ease of wifi or data. I’m cuba you have to walk to a park or hotel to connect and then it’s 1cuc per hour. Keep in mind that you can’t just go and connect. You have to pay for a wifi card before hand. On the surface, 1 cuc doesn’t sound like it will break the bank but trust me, it adds up. 

Hi, my name is leah and I am terrible at keeping in contact with people. That’s my dark secret. I have so many friends that I love but my internet use is so brief and expensive that I usually end up answering messages a week or so late. Sometimes not at all. (I’m the worst) luckily there are so many ways to keep up with the lives of the ones you love even with Cuban wifi. 

1. Facebook. People joke about being addicted to Facebook but honestly, it’s a great a quick way to see what’s going on in your friends and families lives. Of course, people only post what they want you to see so a real chat is the best way to get to the deep stuff.
2. Whatsapp voice messages. My friend Rachel showed me this and I love it. It’s how she and I keep in contact when one of us is out of the country. You can record as long of a message as you like and the other person can receive it when they connect. You can record offline and then send it when you’re on wifi. 
3. Talkatone. This app lets you call landlines and cellphones for free. The person making the call has to be connected to wifi or data but the person receiving the call does not. This is one of the ways I most often talk to my mom and grandparents.

On average I talk to my mom about 3 times a week and message her nearly every other day. I try to call my grandparents at least once a week(they’re terrible about answering the phone.) these three people are the most important in my life. They’ve been everything for me and I would not be able to live here if I didn’t have ways of contacting them. 

It’s so important to form new bonds and experience the place that you’re in but it’s equally if not more important to remain connected to the ones you’ve left. They’re your rock, your support system. Whenever things get hard here I can always count on my friends and family to help out. When people are on vacation here they think I’m crazy for being on my phone and on wifi but living here, it’s necessary. So stay connected and never let anyone tell you to ‘put down that phone.’