A Rift as Perspective
Going Phoneless
By Melissa Maliniak
The plan my family and I made when I left to study abroad was the following:
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I would board my plane.
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I would land in Athens, Greece.
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I would take my connecting flight to Crete, Greece.
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I would buy an international SIM card in Crete.
So that’s what I did. I boarded my plane, I landed in Greece, I caught my connecting flight to Crete, and that’s where I was unable to complete step four. As soon as we got off the flight, my professor hauled us to the bus. I scanned for a SIM card vending machine during this speed walk, but there wasn’t any. Oh well, I could get one in the town of Crete.
At the hotel, I used the Wifi to text my family that I arrived safely, and I continued to explore Crete. I was overwhelmed and amazed by the island. We went to the beach, visited the market, explored their stores. Out of all the stores, there still wasn’t a cell phone store that I could use. I spoke to my professor and we determined that I would not be able to get a SIM card until we went to the mainland (about a week into the program).
Erg Chicaga, Sahara Desert, Morocco.
My classmates and I spent the week using the hotel WiFi to communicate and we quickly learned and adapted to not having phones in the town. When we went to the beach, we had to specify the exact location so that friends who were joining us knew exactly where to go. If we didn't, there would be no way for them to find us once we left the hotel.
We spent the week making detailed plans like this. Once we got to the mainland, we had the option of buying SIM cards. But we concluded that none of us wanted a cell phone plan or a SIM card. We did not have the need for it.
Greece
We didn’t need to text and access social media. There was no reason for us to Snapchat everything we did. There was no reason for us to tweet about how amazing the Duomo was while we were in it. There was no reason for me to call my best friend while eating tapas in Grenada.
I accredit so much of my amazing study abroad experience to not having a phone plan. I didn’t t worry about someone texting me or tagging me in a photo or sending me a meme. I was able to be in the moment where I was. My mind was not elsewhere due to my phone. I traveled to some of the most spectacular places I have ever been, and I am so thankful that I didn’t have the technology to take away from that.
In the photo, I spent at least ten minutes sitting on this ruin in Greece staring at the view. I only used my phone to take two pictures, this being one of them. My mind was focused on where I was. What I was seeing. What was surrounding me. There has been a push for mindfulness in society, and I never felt more mindful than at this moment. People say that technology mostly helps, but I disagree. Having information at our fingertips is incredible, but it comes at a cost. We forget so easily to live in the moment we are physically in, not technologically in. Never had I enjoyed so much not feeling compelled to check my phone.
Regarding Safety: I always had the option to turn on my cellular data for $10 for 24 hours in the click of a button. My parents would have never let me explore a country without being able to call anyone in case of emergency.