Going into this trip, I was frickin pumped. Everything I was going to see, everything we were going to do, and the friendships I was going to make and strengthen made me so excited. However, I was really apprehensive about being so disconnected. I would say I am pretty addicted to social media and texting. I like to be connected, and I like to relay my days back to my friends. But what I’ve noticed in the 3 (possibly 5, there’s some debate because we skipped Wednesday) days we’ve been here that I do not need all these things in order to feel connected. I have realized on day 3 of being in Raglan that the only outlet I need is a journal and some quality time. On the first day of journaling I literally started off with, “I suck at being reflective. I am going to suck at journaling.” Later that day I continued on to say, “This whole thing scares me. I feel so disconnected, which I knew would happen. I need this break from social media, but I miss talking to my friends and family.” This whole situation stressed me out. Being on the other side of the world, in a whole different hemisphere, and not being able to connect with everyone from home? Stressful. It took me a few days to finally realize this, but everyone from home is right here. (Cheesy, I know). But I spent an entire semester getting to know these people in class. How could they not remind me of home?
Branching off of this whole being disconnected thing, I was really scared that we would all be put outside our comfort zone, with being in New Zealand and not having our phones, and we would all go to the people we were most familiar with in the group. I thought cliques would form. But honestly, from day 1, it was the exact opposite. Without our phones we became more self-aware. We didn’t have a phone to hide behind in awkward situations or during down time, so instead we would turn to each other to learn more about the people we are spending the next month. This has made me so incredibly happy. I thought this trip was going to be amazing, of course, but I also thought I would be stressed because of the disconnect. All the nervousness I had going into this has vanished completely within three days. I wanted to blog tonight because I want to challenge others to disconnect a bit too. Maybe delete snapchat, Instagram, or twitter. Take a step back and breathe. Don’t try and listen for the little buzz in your pocket. This adventure so far has made me realize all my anxiety and stress stems a lot from my phone. Waiting for that one text or snap back, and getting anxious when it says “opened” and there is no response, and going into this black hole of anxious thoughts. I have not felt this relaxed and content in such a long time. Especially doing this trip after the stress and turmoil of finals has been so good for me, and the I’m sure the same is true for so many others I am here with. Closing orientation here in Raglan, I am only more excited to see what else this trip can do to help me grow.
Also here’s some fun photos that have no connection to this, but show the connections we’re making. (Love you Mom here’s some goodies.)
