Our internet service out here in the tiny town of Gilgel Beles isn't always the greatest, but the patience to persevere in downloading an occasional YouTube tutorial has paid off on a number of occasions. The first I can remember was back in the time when I had just begun the 50km commute between home and the translation office on my motorbike. One night away from home, the internet connection was quite strong and so I did some internet research on changing a flat tire on a motorcycle. I ended up watching several tutorials on YouTube and then ordered a kit of tire irons and nozzle holders and stuff that would make the job much easier. Little did I know, but later that same week, my rear tire found its first nail about 15km from home. Unfortunately, I wasn't yet equipped with the fancy tire iron kit, but information I had seen on the YouTube video was put into immediate use: propping the bike up on a large stone...
and asking the Gmz around me to bring their hole digging tools, the theory quickly became practice. Thank you YouTube!
YouTube to the rescue, I learned how to test glow plugs and relays, finding both of them working just fine and discovered that if I brought electricity directly to the relay, the engine would pre-heat and start nicely.
That temporary fix kept our truck going long enough to last until a reliable mechanic was visiting our area. After three minutes of testing, he found and replaced a burned wire over on the alternator and everything has been great since.
About that same time, I was also struggling with some major back/neck pain. An Andrea massage was very much appreciated, but only kept me functioning for about a day. It was getting to the point that I would have to stop work some afternoons, knowing that the pain and headaches were only aggravated more by my horrible posture while typing on the computer. YouTube to the rescue! I watched many chiropractic videos of stretches and exercises recommended for such upper back/neck pain, many of which “guaranteed” to eliminate the tension. Well, many guarantees fell flat before I came across one young lady demonstrating something her Yoga master once taught her – the wrapping of a belt (or in my case, a long scarf) around the upper back and shoulders and pulling tight in the front so as to restrict the shoulders from creeping forward in the hunched computer posture that was killing me. It seemed too easy, but when I tried it out, I noticed an immediate difference.
The next day in the office, I explained to the Gmz translators my strange new fashion statement, and they quickly grew accustomed to it. By the end of the week, my tension pains and headaches were history, and now, three months later, I still testify to the answer to prayer God sent me through YouTube. On days when I feel particularly tense, I just pull out my scarf and life continues as normal! Goodbye Ibuprofen!
Maybe I should change the name from YouTube to MyTube, just think if we had the bandwidth allotment to stream anything anytime, think of all the stuff I could learn…then again I realize that such a pursuit quickly deteriorates from legitimate research to ridiculous frivolity. One minute I'm learning “How a Hot Water Heater Works,” then suddenly up comes “The Real Location of the Ark of the Covenant,” and before I know it, I'm hooked on watching “16 Baby Chihuahuas Sing Carol of the Bells Outside of the World's Largest Taco Bell.” Yea, sometimes I'm thankful for slow internet…
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