Just a few thoughts-telephones

Telephones.  One thing that surprised me a lot when I got to Moldova was how many people had mobile phones.  Let’s say that it is unusual to find a person without one.  When you are riding on public transportation, you are conscious of how many people are using phones by the different ring tones that you hear around you.  It is also surprising how many people have smart phones with games and internet.  It is not unusual to find children of 10 or 11 years of age who have a modest cell phone. 

Inspite of all this connectedness, I am amused at the common way of answering the phone:  “Da”.   That’s it, “da”.  Literally that means “yes”. It’s a one syllable word that let’s the caller know you are there.  If you want to continue the conversation, you as the caller have to say more.  True, some people do answer a phone with “hallow”.  They say it like it was a foreign word without an “h” sound, “allo”.   Most people I know do not spend “conversation time” on the phone.  They have a question or want to communicate a message about themselves and that’s it.  It’s quick, to the point, and “hai, da vi”.   That’s how they say good-bye or I mean to say that’s how they end phone calls.  It has the sense of “that’s it, see ya”.

 

What’s most interesting is to see how this phone etiquette is the same used to answer the phone at work.  Sometimes you can tell that the caller has put on their politeness to make the call.  They must have begun with “buna ziua” or “good morning” because on my end I can  hear the initial “da”  followed by a “buna ziua”.   I can’t imagine anyone at my office answering the phone, “Hello, this is the Centrul Comunitar Multifunctional Universul, how may I help you.”

The connection of cell phones to a wifi network is also an iffy thing.  We live in a hill and valley type area.  When people at work get calls on their cell, they invariably have to run outside to maintain a contact.   In my house, I know my cell phone is unlikely to get calls.  If I want to text someone from my bedroom, I get right up to the window and hope the message goes through.