Back to 1983

For my “Back to 1983 For A Day”, I chose to do it while I was on my one world week trip to Italy. I was limited on my technology use to begin with, and of course there were so many other great things to do in Italy instead of using technology. I didnt find the challenge too hard to complete, because every summer, I spend weeks at a time on a mountain at summer camp. Last summer, I spent five weeks as a counselor, with no electronics besides a radio, and occasional phone call. During my challenge day, the conditions were similar. We had no phones, computers, TV’s, gaming or anything modern.

Throughout the entire trip, my friends and I would get up early, and go explore various cities in Italy, instead of sleeping in and using technology, like we might on a weekend at home. The experience was somewhat liberating, and made me stop and look around at the world we live in, without technology. On my chosen day, we were in Rome. Holly, Libby, Dani, and I woke up and explored the area near our hotel, and we also did some gift shopping. Christian and I later went on a walk to find kebab, a delicious Turkish sandwich. We came across a famers market, and explored all of the Italian fruits and meats.

Later in the afternoon, we met up with our entire group. Everyone had been doing their own thing, but we all communicated by setting up meeting times and places, and always ensuring we were on time, there was never any technology involved. From there, we trekked to the Vatican City. Instead of listening to Ipods, everyone talked and admired all of sights. I took pictures with my film camera, as my digital had broken the day before. (I also happen to know that my brand of film camera was established in the 1980's!) So I still managed to capture memories, while not using any modern camera technology! Once we made it to the Vatican, we all began to walk through the grounds. Everyone began to get separated, and at one point, we lost Libby! There wasnt a way for us to call and meet up with her, but as we walked towards the Sistine Chapel, we found a group of our friends taking a break, and Libby was there. Even though we couldnt instantly meet up with her using technology, we all still found each other.

After we walked back from the Vatican, Holly, Libby, Dani and I spent our time before dinner by going on an adventure. We traveled across the city with only a paper map, some x’s to mark the spot, and word of mouth about a piercing shop. After searching around, we managed to find the small shop without the help of google maps, or a GPS; a must when I am unsure of where I am at home. I was proud that we could still find our way around a foreign country without technology.

It wasnt hard for me to give up technology, especially in such a beautiful setting. The hardest thing for me to give up was my Ipod, because that was really the only thing I used on the trip to help me fall asleep. By the end of that packed day, I didn’t even need it. It was also hard for me to give up my digital camera, but I was left with no choice, and I was excited to experiment more with the film camera I brought along. The least difficult piece of technology was TV, there just wasnt a need for it. If it came down to seeing the season finale of Jersey Shore, or spending my day in Rome, the choice would be easy.

During my day back to 1983, I adventured through Rome, saw a famous chapel, found a piercing shop, and managed to stay connected with the group without phones. Entertaining ourselves was never a problem, because Italy has so much to offer, on and off the beaten path. I spent my time outside, walking, and enjoying the city, and before I knew it, my day without technology was done. My only surprise was although we were in a big city, similar to San Diego, we didn’t need gadgets to keep us occupied. I was also surprised/proud that without a GPS, or the internet, my friends and I managed to come across a piercing shop. It was a great trip, and an enlightening day without any technology.