Grandma Gets Online | Bookiverse

My grandmother, Aysha, is seventy-five years old. She's lovely and kind, but she wasn't very interested in technology. She didn't have a computer or use the internet. She preferred writing letters and talking on her old telephone.

But last year, my aunt, her daughter, moved to Dubai. Grandma was sad because she couldn't see her daughter or grandchildren very often. Phone calls were expensive.

So, my dad had an idea. He bought Grandma a simple laptop computer and a basic internet connection. At first, Grandma was worried. "Oh, I'm too old to learn that!" she said. "It looks so complicated. What are all these buttons and icons?"

My sister and I decided to help her. We went to her house every Saturday morning. We started slowly. We showed her how to turn the laptop on and off. We explained what the mouse and keyboard were for. We showed her how to open a web browser and click on links.

Then we taught her how to use email. We helped her set up an email address. We showed her how to write, send, and read messages. She sent her first email to my aunt in Dubai. When she got a reply the next day, she was so excited! "Look!" she said, "It's like magic!"

Next, we showed her how to use video calls. This was the best part. We installed the right software and showed her how to call my aunt. When she saw her daughter's face on the screen for the first time, she nearly cried with happiness. Now, they chat using video every week. She can see her grandchildren grow up, even though they are far away.

Grandma still isn't a technology expert. She sometimes forgets things and needs our help. She doesn't use social media or download music. But she loves her laptop. She uses it to email her friends, read the news online, look up recipes, and most importantly, to see and talk to her family in Dubai. It really changed her life and made her feel less alone.