Owning a mac in Sri Lanka is not easy. People look at it and then touch it. It is apparent they don't know what it is or why it doesn't just take the same cable as their PC. And they touch it. My computer. This is not good as I love my computer.
So imagine how I felt it when it stopped working. It seemed that the battery was, for some inexplicable reason, failing to accept power. But the bloody kitten had eaten the cord so I hoped that it was just that.
I spent a day trying to work out what to do. I got various kind souls involved and we confirmed that it was not possible to get this fixed in Negombo. A trip to Colombo was afoot. Brayen was going into town to pick up some tea and offered to drive me the hour's journey and I, of course, accepted.
We chatted all the way into town and I learned a lot about fruit trees. Did you know it takes 18 months to get bananas from a tree? I haven't checked but you can probably find out if it's true here. If it is, that's ok with me as I intend to be here for a while! Brayen looked completely shocked that I wouldn't be able to recognise a mango tree and then confessed that his wife hadn't realised you could eat them - just thought they came in juice form!
We sped along the streets to Unity Plaza where there was, to be honest, only a very forlorn hope of help as, on the phone, they had asked to see the power cord before confirming they had one. Suddenly I spotted the iconic sign and shouted "Mac! Stop!". Brayen responded immediately and 20 minutes later I was in a very trendy, white office with annoying music. The techy guy and I had an at times somewhat frank conversation - Sri Lankans aren't great at making decisions or commitments and I am. Finally I realised that my choice was either to buy a new Mac there or wait and do it in Dubai as it was going to take at least a week to fix whatever weird logic board problem there is. We negotiated in a friendly if convoluted way and I am now the proud owner of the latest MacBook Air.
I don't like the new computer because it's not exactly the same as the last one so I have to learn things. It has also been very expensive indeed. Especially in a month where I've just bought a property but it feels pretty good to know that when I'm here I can get things done. A computer repair shop and super fast broadband so I can work; fishermen giving me fish so I can eat; a 100 metre pool ten minutes away by boat or road so I can swim if the lagoon doesn't appeal; the sound of birds and yoga in the morning to keep me happy. And the chance to learn a bit more about the beautiful world around me. I'm happy. But I'll be glad when the kitten is gone.
So imagine how I felt it when it stopped working. It seemed that the battery was, for some inexplicable reason, failing to accept power. But the bloody kitten had eaten the cord so I hoped that it was just that.
I spent a day trying to work out what to do. I got various kind souls involved and we confirmed that it was not possible to get this fixed in Negombo. A trip to Colombo was afoot. Brayen was going into town to pick up some tea and offered to drive me the hour's journey and I, of course, accepted.
We chatted all the way into town and I learned a lot about fruit trees. Did you know it takes 18 months to get bananas from a tree? I haven't checked but you can probably find out if it's true here. If it is, that's ok with me as I intend to be here for a while! Brayen looked completely shocked that I wouldn't be able to recognise a mango tree and then confessed that his wife hadn't realised you could eat them - just thought they came in juice form!
We sped along the streets to Unity Plaza where there was, to be honest, only a very forlorn hope of help as, on the phone, they had asked to see the power cord before confirming they had one. Suddenly I spotted the iconic sign and shouted "Mac! Stop!". Brayen responded immediately and 20 minutes later I was in a very trendy, white office with annoying music. The techy guy and I had an at times somewhat frank conversation - Sri Lankans aren't great at making decisions or commitments and I am. Finally I realised that my choice was either to buy a new Mac there or wait and do it in Dubai as it was going to take at least a week to fix whatever weird logic board problem there is. We negotiated in a friendly if convoluted way and I am now the proud owner of the latest MacBook Air.
I don't like the new computer because it's not exactly the same as the last one so I have to learn things. It has also been very expensive indeed. Especially in a month where I've just bought a property but it feels pretty good to know that when I'm here I can get things done. A computer repair shop and super fast broadband so I can work; fishermen giving me fish so I can eat; a 100 metre pool ten minutes away by boat or road so I can swim if the lagoon doesn't appeal; the sound of birds and yoga in the morning to keep me happy. And the chance to learn a bit more about the beautiful world around me. I'm happy. But I'll be glad when the kitten is gone.
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