Janie BoschmaI am dirt poor. It’s a sad fact, but true. Most weeks I can barely afford enough Ramen to eat daily; that’s not an exaggeration. Food has just recently moved to the top of the list of things to worry about, however. Previously that spot was held by the fact that I simply could not afford the Internet.
I assumed when I moved that going without Internet wouldn’t be that big of a deal. So I wouldn’t be able to check my Facebook every half hour or look at funny pictures of anteaters when I get bored. So I might be forced to pick up a book to entertain myself and pick up a real newspaper to get the news. It wouldn’t be that bad, I thought.
The first day of classes last fall presented a new problem to me, one that I hadn’t really considered before. Most of my classes had large sections of online course work. Now, at first I realized that if I needed the Internet for homework I could just go to campus and complete it there.
I walked into the semester with my head held high, confident that I could deal with it. Then things started to pick up at job number one, and another manager at job number two quit, I was left with around 60 hours of work a week on top of course work that I had to make a special trip to campus to complete.
I’ll admit that I got far behind in my studies. It only took me weeks to crash and burn. Perhaps this was all due to my own misgivings, flaws and weaknesses. Or maybe it’s a result of the digital divide. When it comes to life, it’s all a question of the haves and have-nots. I am a have-not.
This semester most of my coursework is online, something my professors say is great. They say that we can do our homework from home if we get sick and still keep up with our coursework.
It’s a good plan, in theory. If I were to get sick, however, I would still have to get out of bed to go to campus to print out the online reading, finish online workbook activities for Spanish and participate in my D2L discussions.
It’s no longer possible for me to have a friend bring me my homework and hand it in. I can’t even e-mail my professor to let him know that I won’t be in class. This system is flat out unfair to those of us who need that extra $20 a month to survive.
Now you might be asking how it is that money could be so tight that $20 could make or break a monthly budget. It’s a long, complicated, sad story to say the least and one I feel that I shouldn’t be required to relive every time I have to explain to a professor that I simply could not complete my online quiz.
I know I don’t have many cohorts over here on my side of the divide, but we are here and just like anyone else with a disadvantage we deserve some consideration and, most of all, some understanding.
I am happy to report that with the addition of a roommate and, thusly, less rent, I can now afford the $10 to be connected.
I didn’t do it by choice; there was simply no way I would be able to pass my classes without it. Guess I’ll have to go with the generic Ramen from now on.
