Yesterday, I took a “break” and helped my friend M move most of his belongings to his house. Then, we went to Gran Plaza so I could help him order his telecom package with Izzi, my ISP whom I absolutely adore. Yes, I’m raving about an ISP. We’re not in Canada anymore, folks! 😀
I was told that I could not renew my contract, but I could make a new one under my current account. Otherwise, I would have gone just month-to-month at my current plan. That’s $600 per month for unlimited 50Mbps Internet + a phone line that can also call the US and Canada.
Since I have a TV now, I wanted to get a few channels. I also wanted to benefit from the ability to now call ninety countries from the landline (! — and, yes, I might use that feature since I have the odd client in Europe!) and possibly increase my speed.
Increasing my speed to 100Mbps still felt cost prohibitive as it would have taken me into the over $1,000 a month range. I’m not unhappy with the 50, so I’m staying there for now.
To get the extra country calling on my phone and add a “few” (as in way more than I need) channels, my monthly total would go from $600 to $760. With rent going down $500, I’d still be ahead with my budget!
That’s a lot of channels. AND I get all local channels.
I’m not sure if any of those channels are English, but the point of even getting channels is to get local TV content and continue improving my oral comprehension. I’m watching season two of Ingobernable and noticing that I’m not relying on (Spanish) subtitles nearly as much and I’m also rewinding a lot less to make sure I caught everything (the plot is so complex!). In fact, I finished super late yesterday (9PM, because of my “break”) and was mentally exhausted. I still watched a full 45-minute episode of Ingobernable, a really key one where a lot was revealed, and it didn’t feel like work at all!
So I know I’m on the verge of the major breakthrough I’ve been waiting for — being able to watch Spanish shows and movies without subtitles, meaning I’ll be able to go see Spanish films at the cinema!
Cable installation is free and is happening Saturday afternoon. The current contract is good through September of next year, at the same time my lease ends. Hopefully, I won’t have to start over at a new address!
Other happy news from yesterday: I got a token raise from a client! It’s really not much, but the intent is so very much appreciated. Business is SO good and I am so blessed!