By ERICA ESTEP
6 News Reporter
MARYVILLE (WATE) - A new Internet café in Maryville aims to bridge a technology gap in the Latino community and help people stay connected with their families thousands of miles away.
CaféNet is a place to have cup of joe, challenge someone to a video game, and connect with others who speak your language.
"I hope it's more than a coffee house," said owner Sharon Barnett. "I hope they feel like they're in their own living room in their home, and maybe that they're in their own living room in their country with their family."
Barnett, a school psychologist, says she saw the opportunity to start a small business and do some good in the community.
"I have a friend in El Salvador who owns an Internet café and we were talking about what people use it for," said Barnett. "He said they use it mostly for speaking with family in the United States. I realized that we have a growing Hispanic population here with no bilingual Internet café. So I just thought it would be a really nice thing to offer to the people here."
The Internet café is open to anyone, but it is a real asset to the Spanish-speaking community. There are bilingual employees, computer programs translated from English to Spanish, and computer classes twice a week for Spanish-speaking customers.
Skype and computer cameras provide an affordable way to stay connected with family.
"It keeps you closer to them," said Enrique Garcia, a CaféNet employee. "Before I discovered our place I didn't see my family in over two years, and now I can see them everyday."
Garcia's family lives in Cuba. He's a former circus acrobat who has traveled the world, and until now found it difficult to stay in touch with his family.
"It's really hard to be away from your mom, sisters, even kids, relationships," he said. "It's really hard to be away, different countries, different cultures."
"That's the most rewarding thing, is knowing that people can stay connected, even though we're miles apart," said Barnett.
For five dollars an hour or $20 a day, anyone can use CaféNet's computers and Internet access.
"I hope it's more than a coffee house," said owner Sharon Barnett.!["It keeps you closer to [family]," said Enrique Garcia, a CaféNet employee.](http://WATE.images.worldnow.com/images/16401250_BG2.jpg "\"It keeps you closer to [family],\" said Enrique Garcia, a CaféNet employee.")
"It keeps you closer to [family]," said Enrique Garcia, a CaféNet employee.
