crwr-213-3

[crwr-213-3]

CRWR-213 Assignment #3

Part One: An unnecessary urge to Facetime

I was homesick. It had been two hours since I landed in Canada. Immigration was slow and tiring. I finally got a yellow cab which took me to Totem Park. I came on a 14-hour flight from India, and this was my first time traveling alone. I was anxious. My heart was palpitating at a speed that would’ve probably broken the World Record.

Life was changing. I was becoming more and more independent by the minute. I missed the yelling of my mother and the calmness of my father. My One Plus needed power and I had forgotten my universal plug back home. I had no friends and no family in Vancouver. My nervous system had gone for a toss. I didn’t know what to do or how to go about this situation. It was snowing and I had just reached my dorm room. I need to think on my feet. I needed a solution. I needed to call back home. I needed comfort, support, and affection from my parents. My mental health urged me to do it the Canadian way by Facetiming them. But poor me, I didn’t have Facetime. I had about $3000 of cash and my Foreign Exchange credit card. I always planned on getting an iPhone once I reached UBC. So, with the help of the prettiest women at the Orchard Commons front desk, I managed to reach the bus stop. She told me to get off at Granville Street and to my left would be Pacific Centre which had the nearest Apple Store.

With just $100 bills, I had an awkward conversation with my bus driver who let me travel in the bus for free. It took me about 45 minutes to reach the Apple Store. Walking through Downtown on a sunny day is a sublime feeling. The fresh and cold winds of January are breathtaking and rejuvenating. Walking through the streets of downtown, the experience was surreal. It was completely different from the streets of Delhi where everything was dirty and unhygienic. But finally, I had reached the Apple Store. There was just one thing running through my mind that I wanted to Facetime my parents.

 It was only a matter of time once I get my new tech device. It took me about 25 minutes and about 6 death stares from Apple employees as they saw my thirty $100 bills. I had it, I had done the impossible. My first purchase in Vancouver was the most North American purchase ever. I had gotten my iPhone 13 pro. Transferring data from android to iOS is a pain in the ass, but I was persistent.

Another 30 minutes, and I was all set. I swiftly connected to the free WiFi and bang, I opened my desired Facetime App. I called my mother thrice, and she didn’t pick up. On the second time that I rang my father, it was the last ring and I had lost all hope. The paranoia and anxiousness were starting to kick-in again. But God, is he a beautiful man, he picked it up. I had never felt so excited to talk to my parents. And when my parents heard that, all they said was that I could’ve Google Duo called them, and I wasted $2000 just to satisfy my inner shopper.

Part Two: I am inevitable!

Humans usually have about two godparents and two parents. In my case, I just had a father, Steve Jobs. I was born on 7 June 2010 and within about 6 months of my birth, I lost my father. In 2011, I was adopted by my stepfather, Tim Cook. I have a great affection for my stepfather. He has provided for me, made me a better app, and continues to invest in me. I have a lot of servants or as he calls them “Software Developers”. I am usually found on the home page of all Apple products but can be dragged to any of the pages on your devices.

 I offer the best video-calling quality and always try my best to offer an uninterrupted connection. I can be used in two different ways, by video or audio calling. My primary source of energy is the iPhone lithium battery and the key that enables me to perform at a good pace is smooth WiFi.

In our app culture, 11 years is a long age since our general lifespan is about 6 months to a year. Considering that along with me not having a personal income, my stepfather does a lot for me. As of today, about 125 million people are using me. That sounds wrong for you humans, but for us apps, it’s a compliment. I’m sure you must know about my “app friend”, iMessage. That’s girlfriend in our lingo. We’re about the same age and we have been dating for a long time now. For us, marriage isn’t the same as humans. Us apps just date and die out or are deleted from the backend software.

 It’s a sad journey but I am currently enjoying my peak. More about me, I have some archnemeses: Google Duo, WhatsApp Video Calling, Zoom, just to name a few. They have been trying to steal the limelight from me, but I have the blessings of my stepfather and father. But all of us together bring humans closer.

 I create a bond between groups of about two to thirty-two people at once, across the globe. When I see parents talking to their children about 14,000 km away from each other, it makes me warm and fuzzy. I’ve seen people experience all sorts of emotions: anger, love, laughter, and many more. It reminds me of my importance and not to lie, kind of boosts my value as an app. I know every app must die or get deleted, just like every human, but till the time I can enjoy my peak, I look forward to it. Now to show you my egoistic side, I am the epitome of video calling. I started connecting people from opposite ends of the world and I will be the last app to do so. I am, INEVITABLE! I am Facetime!

Part Three: Importance of Facetime during a pandemic

It’s not every year that we face a pandemic. But when you live in a joint family, the risk of contracting deathly virus-like COVID-19 increases multiple folds. I was privileged enough to not have gotten COVID-19 but I always had an advantage since I was 19. My grandfather, Niamat Rai, on the other hand, who had just turned 76, had contracted it. I had a special and tight-knit bond with my grandfather. He always asked me for help with tech. That was our quality time together.

Initially, we placed him in quarantine within our house with a personal nurse, but his health slowly started declining. What began with a light fever had turned into a high fever with constant coughing. We had no option than to transfer him to the hospital where he could be treated more professionally.

The worst part about having COVID-19 is the isolation or quarantine that comes along with it. When I am ill, all I want is support and affection from my family. But when one contracts COVID-19, you are completely locked out from the outside reality.

My grandfather had quiet few days in the COVID isolation center of the hospital. He was responding to the medications and had started making good progress to being back to one hundred percent. Once he had recovered a bit, he started Facetiming us twice a day. He had his phone that the nurse gave to him very sneakily as mobile phones are not allowed in the ward. For the first five days, it was the time I looked forward to most during the day. I used to get up at 8 in the morning to talk to him on Facetime for 30 minutes. I used to get done with all my tuition and school by 4:30 pm so that I could chat with him again at 5:00 pm. During those days, I realized the importance of Facetime in my life. The crisp video quality and uninterrupted connection made me feel like I was sitting next to him.

On the morning of the sixth day, we received a call from the hospital telling us that my grandfather had contracted pneumonia. There was a sense of panic in the house. We knew since age wasn’t on his side and collapse can be fatal. My grandmother was inconsolable, and my dad and uncle were trying to stay strong. We were constantly praying and staying in touch with the doctors. I kept peaking at my phone in the hope that he would Facetime me.

In the evening, we got the news that he had passed away. He had a heart attack due to his body being unable to handle the combination of pneumonia and COVID-19. All I remembered about him was those ten Facetime calls and how much they meant to me. I understood the importance of an app like Facetime that day. It brought me closer to my grandfather even though we were so far away that we couldn’t even stand in the same room with him.