Monica Ingalls Wilder

For the last six years, my mornings always started the same way. I woke up entirely too early, stumbled to the bathroom, and then climbed back into bed with my BlackBerry. I then spent the next 20 or so minutes scrolling through and reading all of my emails. For me, it was not only an addiction, but also a serene way to start each day.

Then I moved to Tbilisi.

I was stripped of my BlackBerry when I left Virginia (understandably since it was given to me through my work). The first morning without it was rough. I sat shakily in bed wondering how to start my day. I needed my immediate fix....what emails did I receive, what was happening around the world, what about all of sites I subscribe to? My connection to others was lost. In the spirit of multi-tasking (waking up and reading emails), I had not a clue as to what to do. I had to maximize my time! I can't just lie in bed and ....wake up slowly! Needless to say, I walked the two feet to the living room and booted up Emet's laptop so that I could connect with the world. But it just didn't feel the same.

That was back in July. We then went to Italy for a few weeks where we did not have Internet. When we returned to Tbilisi, we moved apartments and have not had Internet since we moved on August 5th. Over the last two weeks, the withdrawal symptoms have worsened--chills, sweats, sleeplessness, nausea. Luckily, our Internet was restored late yesterday (after many, many visits from the telephone company, Internet company, and our landlord's son). Magically my symptoms have disappeared!

I have rejoined the world. It might not be from the comfort of my bed while cradling my BlackBerry, but I am here. Ready to post about life in Tbilisi.