I got 99 problems but a phone ain't one.
Just like any other girl my age, I find myself continuously attached to my phone. Naturally I am a bit overly organized - to a fault. My inbox for my e-mail is continuously at zero because as soon as I get a message it is either deleted or put into a folder. I even delete my trash and spam once a week. I delete all my texts when conversations are over. I upload my pictures to my computer every few nights to restore storage space on my phone. It's safe to say I'm a little (lot) OCD when it comes to my cell phone. For this reason, I'm often accused of "always being on it." I think I just hate feeling "out of the know" or like I'm going to miss something. However, I LOVE when I have an excuse to not be on it all the time.
Usually during the summers I spend ALL of my free time at the beach. I go with friends. I go with family, and yes as weird as it sounds, I have gone alone. I actually enjoy spending time with myself sometimes more than with other people, which makes me a little weird. Every time I go to the beach I have almost no service (Thanks Sprint - you rock). I usually use this as an excuse to turn my phone on airplane mode and just enjoy being outside. However, if I don't have an excuse, I'll admit it. I'm a phone addict.In recent months, thanks to some of my friends (S/O to you Hal) I've become less attached. I've been trying very hard to live in the moment - to take pictures of memories rather than to create them - to pay attention to those around my in reality and not virtually. I actually (finally) got rid of my twitter, and has been the BEST decision I've ever made. Spain has made "being present" exponentially easier as well.
I've never been one to get homesick. I actually feel most myself in places where people don't know me- blank slate. Not talking to my family or friends every day was natural for me. I do miss them at different times, but I've never felt lonely being alone. Coming to Spain, I realized that most of my communication would need to be through Wifi, and I'd experienced that before on other travels. I was prepared to have limited access to all social media and ways of commutation.
Upon arrival, finding wifi wasn't hard. I had it in my house as well as near tourist centers, and even some more local bars. I posted almost every point of my day on Snapchat (yes, I realize this was kind of annoying - Lo Siento) and I was able to check e-mails, texts, Facebook, instagram, blah, blah. It was the perfect balance of being able to neglect my phone then use it when I could or wanted. Occasionally I just ignored people, e-mails, etc. using the excuse that I hadn't had service. As rude as that sounds, it felt nice to be a little off the grid.
Just when I started to enjoy the wifi only lifestyle... My phone decided to die. Due to a series of events, I had broken my fourth phone in the last nine months, more or less. I'd like to note that up to this point I had NEVER broken a phone. I think I just have some bad mojo/karma/ luck/ vibes, and technology hates me this year. (I also believe this because I had my laptop crash during finals fall semester... woo!) Either way, the past week, I have been "phoneless" in Granada.- phoneless in another country with limited knowledge of the city and limited knowledge of the language.
As angry as I was about my stupidity with my phone, it turned out to be one of the greatest weeks of my life. Yes, knowing the time has been difficulty, and setting alarms has been interesting using my computer, but overall it's been a positive experience. Then again, anything is positive if you choose to see it that way. Here are some small reasons why I appreciated being "phoneless":
1. Conversation. Instead of going out, sitting down at a restaurant and immediately asking the server "tienes wifi?" I was able to relax, look through the menu, and enjoy my surroundings. I was able to talk with my friends about everything and anything. I already love sharing a good meal or a good drink, but not having the temptation to use my phone or even glance, was so nice. That way I didn't have to be rude to my company or rude to the person I was choosing to ignore.
2. I was forced to plan ahead. The wifi in my house is sometimes sketchy, and my computer doesn't always connect. Every day after school I was forced to either make tentative plans, or embrace being alone for the day. I had to be proactive.
3. I was more aware. Instead of wanting to take a picture of every interesting thing I saw, I was able to appreciate it for what it was. I love pictures. I think I get it from my family. At every event I swear we take 200 pictures in different groups and in different poses in different parts of the house. Some inside. Some outside. Switch spots. Sitting. Standing. Lights on. Flash on. Lights off. Flash off. Hand on the hip. Hand off the hip. Every variation, you name it, I've done it. I've been trying to document so much of my trip visually that I forgot to actually look at things. It was nice to see them.
4. Bye Bye Social Media. Yes, I still go on Facebook quite a bit when I'm home, but other than that I can't do much online. Instagram is made for phones, as well as Snapchat. Other than that, I don't have any other outlets. I don't feel behind when I haven't checked my Instagram for 10 hours, and I don't have any anxiety knowing I have snapchats I need to open (the little red notification that drives me crazy). It's nice to not feel attached to a website. It's sad that I ever feel attached in the first place.
5. Trust. Not having a phone has made me have to place a lot of trust in my friends. Going out this past weekend, or even exploring the city after class, I have no way of contacting anyone for emergencies or access to a map. Luckily I've made some awesome friends here. This trust has made me a little less controlling. I love to be in charge, and I love to make plans. I like to know whats going on and I always prepare for incidentals. For the first time in awhile, I wasn't the one with any sort of authority over these things. It was nice.
6. Appreciation of Communication. I think that I've started to appreciate quality conversation more over the past few months, even more so in Spain, and now more without a phone. I've become extremely exhausted with small talk for some reason. I've written in other posts about how my value of brutal honesty has gone up, and again, I feel that not having a phone has increased that once more. I think that everyone hides behind technology to say things that are harder face to face. I've vowed to never say anything via text that I wouldn't say in person. It's one of the best things I've ever done. My second rule is to never say anything you have to apologize for. In my opinion, I'd rather have someone be brutaly honest and a little harsh, than hide or sugar coat a topic to seem nice. It just doesn't make sense to me. I guess this is why everyone thinks I'm so sassy all the time. I think my friend, Niyati, can attest to the fact that I've become very upfront with my thoughts and feelings as I've been here. I just don't think there's room in life to play games, right? Life is short. In the words of John Mayer, "Say watchaaaaa need to saaaaayyy." (I actually hate John Mayer's music, but it was fitting.)
My new phone should be coming in from EEUU in just a few days, but I'm honestly not worried. I've enjoyed my time being less connected. It's nice to have a reminder about living in the moment. I'm hoping that I'll remember these things as the weeks continue.
'ta pronto,
Iza
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