This is the first of a series of blogs by HC UConn blogger Hayley Babineau, who is studying abroad in Florence this spring. Check out her adventures!
While studying abroad, I was required to either rent a pay-as-you-go phone or buy an Italian SIM card giving me unlimited texting, calling and a certain number of gigabytes each month. Being a broke college student who has to pay for their abroad experience I obviously chose the cheaper route with renting a phone and only paying if I decide to use it.
This means that I can only use my phone in areas that have wifi, but unfortunately this comes with some repercussions, like when the router in your apartment breaks and you find out it won’t be fixed until the next week. To be honest, my first thought was “how am I going to Instagram and Snapchat my friends?!” but by the end of the weekend I learned that not having access to the Internet can actually be enlightening and make for some good stories, and here’s why.
1. You learn your city
Since our apartment is (yes, currently) still wifi-less, there is no way to use Google Maps to direct us to where we need to be. You will find some very cool places in your host city just by “getting lost” and using a map only if you are really desperate. After about five days of wandering around Florence without directions, I am much more confident about knowing where I am and how to get to places around the city than some of the other abroad participants who have been relying on Google Maps.
2. You bond with your friends
Over the past weekend my roommates, whom I had just met when we arrived, and I have bonded and become such good friends. Every night we make dinner together, sit around the table playing cards, sharing stories, exploring and all going out together without phones or technology to distract us. If you set time aside to bond with your friends without technology interfering, it makes your abroad experience more memorable and you become closer.
3. You learn to actually BE there
Even though it has been tough not sharing all of my experience on Instagram or sending my friends Snapchats of the city or the nightlife, I have learned to actually be in the moment and appreciate my surroundings. I’m now at the point where sometimes I don’t even bring my phone with me when we go walk around the city. Instead of looking at my surroundings through a small screen I am actually paying attention to the history around me and just taking it all in. Obviously, if I have my phone on me and see something I really like I will take a picture of the memory, but it is not my main priority anymore. Make sure when you go on walking tours in other cities or countries you actually pay attention to what your tour guide is saying without the presence of a phone, then you will actually know what you are looking at and the history behind it, and you can take pictures after! This will make each city you visit more meaningful.
Even though living without any Internet access can be frustrating and we haven’t been able to use Google to help translate our Italian homework or figure out the Italian train system here (which I have learned through experience can be VERY confusing and can cause those who don’t show up early to sprint to the train as it is closing its doors), I’ve learned more without it. Take advantage of not having constant access to the Internet- it will help you immerse yourself into your host city’s culture and, overall, you will get more out of your abroad experience.
Follow Her Campus UConn on Twitter or Facebook to learn when Hayley writes about her next adventure!
All images taken by Hayley Babineau