Sick day musings

You heard right, I took a sick day. I caught some nasty bug from the kids at work, and really wasn't up to facing the world today. Aside from the inability to keep anything in my system, today has been pretty relaxing. I woke up on time to go to work just in case nobody could cover my shift. As a result, I have had an entire day at home that wasn't wasted by sleeping.

I spent most of the morning writing a paper for my intercultural communication class. It is due tonight, but I submitted it via email so I didn't have to go in. The paper was based off of an interview I conducted last week. I interviewed a girl from the Philippines. We were pen pals when we were ten, and this is the first real conversation I have had with her since. It was also monumental for me because it was the first time I had ever had a spoken conversation with her... the first time I ever heard her voice. Whereas as a child, we exchanged letters, last week we had a video chat on Skype.

I know I sound ancient when I say this (and I'm only 22), but I find the advance in technology over the last decade to be absolutely astounding. Never in a million years would I have dreamed that I could have a face to face conversation with my friend from across the globe.

I am equally amazed by my cell phone. I remember when my parents got their first cell phones. They were clunky Nokia phones that didn't do much besides place a call (they did have that snake game though, which was pretty cool). Today, I can do so many things with my iPhone that you can hardly compare the two phones! Not only can I call, but I can also text, skype, play games, check my email... the list goes on! Again, I know I sound super old when I say things like this, but if you really stop to think about it, how can you NOT be amazed?

My interview with my pen pal also made me think a lot about American culture (I think that was the point of the assignment, anyway). In particular, it made me consider the issue of outsourcing. I understand that many Americans need work. I am extremely grateful for my job. However, after talking to my friend, I have come to know the other side of the story. She grew up in an orphanage because her mother couldn't afford to care for her. Hundreds if not thousands of children live on the streets. These jobs are vital to boosting their economy and placing roofs over their heads. I'm not saying that we don't need those jobs; all I'm saying is that the workers should not be villainized for taking them. They need them just as much as we do. My friend works in technical support for AT&T. She says that many Americans are polite when she speaks with them. However, she has many who are quite rude to her. I find it sad that we treat other humans with disdain simply for taking a job that wasn't offered to us. Outsourcing is a serious issue, I agree, but it is not fair to judge the worker for the corporation's decisions.

Anyways, sitting around all day with nothing but my thoughts (and my dog) to keep me company has made me really think about life in general. Maybe we all need to take days like this occasionally. Maybe the world would be a better place.