Expat Exchange Community
14 years ago
cyber/Internet cafes around world
14 years ago
I´m curious about how people deal with loud noise in Internet cafes around the world. I remember in college in New Mexico, USA, how people (usually over age 30) would ask/tell us to talk more quietly in computer labs.
How do people deal with distracting noise in computer labs/Internet cafes in your country? Which country is it? Do they tolerate distracting noise or say something?
Internet cafes in Latin America can be pretty loud. People will play music videos or music without using headphones. Sometimes people will wear headphones but will sing along to the music. Some people will read their Internet pages aloud. Kids will slam their pogs down on the ground while their parents use the computer.
This year, in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, the man next to me in a cyber started playing music, in English, on his computer very loud, to broadcast it to the whole cyber. He did not have any headphones at his computer. Finally, I unplugged the headphones from my computer and offered them to him, saying, "¿Puedes usar estos?" He replied "No." He got offended. He stopped his music, told me, "F@Çking gringos, you have to have it your way," and left (which was good for me, but I was shocked). I didn´t think he would get that offended. I think he was Mexican, judging by his accent.
Even when the person next to you uses headphones, the noise from the headphones can be a little irritating. However, today I learned that if you listen to an Internet radio station like live365.com by headphones while on the Internet, you won´t notice the music from your neighbor´s headphones.
So then, while listening to music by headphone, I wasn´t hearing much distracting noise, until the operator of the cybercafe starting playing music for the whole cybercafe. Then their was a clash of music between the cyber´s music and my headphones. In this case, I didn´t know if I should ask for him to use headphones. His music was interfering with my headphones, but his music helped drown out background noise, which can be distracting (and many would find his music to be delightful and better than silence).
How do people deal with distracting noise in computer labs/Internet cafes in your country? Which country is it? Do they tolerate distracting noise or say something?
Internet cafes in Latin America can be pretty loud. People will play music videos or music without using headphones. Sometimes people will wear headphones but will sing along to the music. Some people will read their Internet pages aloud. Kids will slam their pogs down on the ground while their parents use the computer.
This year, in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, the man next to me in a cyber started playing music, in English, on his computer very loud, to broadcast it to the whole cyber. He did not have any headphones at his computer. Finally, I unplugged the headphones from my computer and offered them to him, saying, "¿Puedes usar estos?" He replied "No." He got offended. He stopped his music, told me, "F@Çking gringos, you have to have it your way," and left (which was good for me, but I was shocked). I didn´t think he would get that offended. I think he was Mexican, judging by his accent.
Even when the person next to you uses headphones, the noise from the headphones can be a little irritating. However, today I learned that if you listen to an Internet radio station like live365.com by headphones while on the Internet, you won´t notice the music from your neighbor´s headphones.
So then, while listening to music by headphone, I wasn´t hearing much distracting noise, until the operator of the cybercafe starting playing music for the whole cybercafe. Then their was a clash of music between the cyber´s music and my headphones. In this case, I didn´t know if I should ask for him to use headphones. His music was interfering with my headphones, but his music helped drown out background noise, which can be distracting (and many would find his music to be delightful and better than silence).
