Vintage Style

 

Reminds me of 1990, when I got about 300 letters in the course of a year, got a phone call from my parents every other week and even got to hear my grandmas a couple of times telling me how much they missed me. It was until I moved to London that I got to see my grandmas' handwriting, it was quite an event for me! Friends would send me weekly letters with all the updated events, their parties, new boyfriends, graduation promp, choosing a University... it was all great relevant news for a 16-year-old girl. Every other now and then I would get some money by post. I remember using it  to buy more envelopes and stamps (and a few ice cream bars, I confess). My letters were a long and detailed narration of my experiences, accompanied by a couple of pics. My aunts used to tell me the whole family would sit together in the living room to listen to my grandpa reading my adventures, and both laughter and tears would fill the room. Once, I got music sent from Mexico: my cousin recorded the latest trends on regional music in a cassette and I enjoyed listening to it on my Walkman during the long walks around Regent's Park. My photo albums and scrapbook, my letters and my diary, all great ways of keeping memories, they have all been transformed to KB, MB and .com ... still fun, still with the emotion of living life, still a way of sharing my journey. Vintage style was all nice, but it didn't offer the jawsdropping opportunities that IT can. 

My kids have been in the UK for 15 months now, and they know that by just clicking a botton they can "call grandma and grandpa" and chat with them... and it is something so easy to do that they don't seem to be surprised by it. The other day, my boys were telling me how much they missed watching a TV programme they used to watch back home, and in no time we found the link to watch it live on the computer. Music? no problem at all, either itunes or youtube will do the job. What's the big deal if everything can be accessed with a click?  Even food! They know they can order lollipops, candy, a few of their favourites are available at a Mexican groceries store online. 

When I told my grandpa Pedro 20 years ago... "If only we could have one of those wrist-thingies like the one "El Santo" had, to get in touch with each other no matter where we are...if only that could be done, being in touch would be so different". And so they are.