I like college because I get to do homework in the comfort of my own room, and everywhere I go on campus I don’t have to worry about whether or not I can do my homework there. I get to watch Netflix and I can watch Youtube videos without getting in trouble.
But at home, I live too far in the country to have access to the internet. The only internet I have at home is my phone data, but even that’s limited. I would run out halfway through the month. The funny thing was, I was okay with that.
I didn’t get to sit around all day and watch Netflix on those days I didn’t have school in high school. I didn’t waste away hours on Twitter or Instagram. I didn’t stare at cat videos until my laptop died. I didn’t have that ability.
It’s funny how I get gasps and the phrase “What do you do with yourself??” when I tell people the news. To put it simply, I respond with “I actually do things with my life,”
For example, I would make plans with friends. We would hang out and talk or maybe go drive somewhere and do something fun. When I’m with my friends, we don’t usually go on our phones or other internet using devices.
It’s really nice to spend time with people who make you forget about your phone for a few hours and not care about how many likes your last Insta post got.
I got to spend a lot of time with my sister, too. We would go out to eat or just watch old movies we always used to watch and just catch up.
There are also times where everyone is busy and I just hang out by myself. Usually, those are the times that most people turn to technology and social media, but I turn to reading. Reading isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I really enjoy reading, and I definitely wouldn’t read as much as I do if I was able to use the internet, and I definitely think reading is better for the soul than social media. I’ve also gotten better at keeping my room clean.
One of the downsides of not having wifi at home, especially during high school, was the fact that it made doing homework that required online work a lot harder. I got a lot better at managing my time because of it, though. I actually used my study halls at school and did my best to get my work done before so I wouldn’t have to stay late or mooch off of someone else’s wifi. Procrastination is the death of every student, and not having wifi surprisingly prevented that for me.
Overall I felt like I was leading a better life without spending all my time on the internet.
Even now that I’m at college and I have access all the time, I still don’t use it as much as I could, which I can definitely thank my past experiences for. I believe that the less time you spend with your nose pressed up against a screen, the happier you will be. That’s sure the case for me.
