Photo captured in 2015, while studying abroad in Kaikoura, New Zealand.
When I was in college, I studied abroad for a semester in Kaikoura, New Zealand with 21 other students from schools across the United States and Canada. We lived in a quiet, charming, beachside farm community in a wooden house called The Old Convent.
This experience was one of the most joyful times of my life. Part of my joy came from exploring one of the most beautiful countries in the world, where there are more sheep than people. But another aspect that made my experience so rich was the intentional disconnection from devices within our community while we live amongst and learned beside each other throughout the semester. When I and the other students first arrived to New Zealand, we created a community contract in which we all agreed on ways we would refrain from using technology in order to foster community. For instance, the only time we would watch a movie was when we were doing it all together and we agreed to not use our phones at mealtimes. We also needed to bike fifteen or so minutes into town to get WIFI so there was naturally little temptation or need to use our phones altogether. The only thing I remember using my phone for was listening to music while running or getting ready.
Never before or since have I been part of community that fostered so much creativity through relationship, and I believe this is due to the fact that our devices were not distracting us. I laughed so hard everyday, often close to tears, and I always look back on this whole experience with utter delight. Anyone who knows me well, knows that I light up when I talk about my time in New Zealand. The picture above is one example of the laughter that came from being connected to one another apart from our screens. The Old Convent where we lived often had open windows, which not only let in the gloriously fresh air of New Zealand, but also countless flies that buzzed around our heads. One day, while a group of us were sitting together in the living room, we decided we wanted to get rid of the flies and so we made up a game. We set a timer for a minute or so and took turns seeing who could kill the most flies with a rolled up newspaper. We were laughing hysterically and I'm even laughing now as I write this. I am proud to say that I killed the most flies. (I'm very competitive).
Honestly, there is nothing like connecting with people face to face. Screens have their place but there is so much storytelling and laughter that comes from engaging with one another apart from our devices. Deeper relationships can be fostered by putting down ours phones and turning off our TVs.
Photo captured on the road outside The Old Convent building where I lived in New Zealand.
Photo captured of a sheep in the rural town of Kaikoura, New Zealand.
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