OPPOSABLE THUMBS

I have based entire relationships solely off the speed and dexterity of my thumbs. I must admit that I am actually one of the slower participants, I’ve seen thumbs fly over the keypad producing a text with vigor rivalled only by French sous-chef’s. Before coming to Peace Corps I did not give other Volunteers a second thought. I was coming to Africa to live in the bush and have only local friends and make the obligatory “difference.” This is silly, high-minded and short-sited (but hey at least I can chart my growth). Other volunteers in Lesotho have become some of my best friends and my never-ending support network. Now comes the thumb explanation.
Due to living on an extreme budget and the fact that making phone calls is outside of that budget, I communicate with my other Peace Corps Lesotho Volunteers via text, or as it is so lovingly called in this hemisphere: SMS (short message service). Every night around 7 pm SMSes begin to fly between volunteer phones (7 pm is when the rates drop to 25 cents, we’re shamelessly frugal). I’ve made party plans, business plans, had deep conversations, shared stories, recipes, sentiments and planned pranks all via the SMS. It is amazing what one can convey in shorthand using ‘u’ ‘2’ ‘wanna’ ‘4’ and my personal favorite character saving devices ‘2mrrow’ and ‘gr8.’ I used to poke fun at polo clad university types who were always pounding away on their keypad but now, since it has been my link to my American counterparts, friends who are experiencing the same cultural difficulties and occasional tummy funk, I will use this space to salute the text message.