6 months with a "dumb" phone

I didn’t have a cell phone until I was 16. When I did get it, it was one of those pay-as-you-go ‘track’ phones. Not very fancy and definitely not as cool as my friends’ Motorola “Razrs.” I had that precious little ‘brick’ until right before my sophomore year of college when my dad finally caved and got us on a family plan with Verizon. Somehow my brother convinced my dad to let us have smartphones. I was shocked. Not only did we now have a cell phone plan, but we had SMARTPHONES. It was way more than I ever expected considering my dad’s reluctance to adopt new technology (he really should be Amish, but I digress).

When I first came to Thailand as a student, the program had us get cheap ‘brick’ phones for security purposes. I kept mine and brought it back with me to use this time around as well. It’s been a trusty little phone and I’ve really enjoyed being free from the temptations and pressures having a smartphone brings. I’ve also enjoyed the incredibly long battery life and how inexpensive it’s been for me to have a cell phone.Unfortunately that time has come to an end for me. My trusty little brick doesn’t have the ability to hold more than 3 things in it’s calendar at a time. As I’ve become more involved with work, resulting in more meetings, I felt it was time to invest in a smartphone to help me keep on top of meetings, Thai lessons, time-sensitive tasks, as well as fun/social/personal activities.

Old faithful vs. the smarty 

Even though I have a fancy new phone and data plan, I am fairly determined to keep up with the habits I’ve developed over the last 6 months. Not that I didn’t have any sort of self-control before when I had a smartphone, I just want to remember what it’s like to not have one … I don’t want to be so closely tied to my phone. I don’t want to check it every time it buzzes. I don’t want to have to use the 3G … keeping that use to a minimum and just connecting to WiFi in places I can. I don’t want it to become a crutch when out in public by myself or when waiting for a friend. And I never want to inappropriately use it when I’m spending time with someone.

I think that may be one of the biggest things I’ve noticed since not having a phone … how often people turn and are distracted by their phones, even in the presence of other people. I’m sorry I’m not interesting enough to hold your attention when you get a text message, but at least I am physically right here! I’ve always tried to be sensitive about using my phone in the presences of others/when I’m hanging out with people, but it’s something I want to be even more thoughtful and respectful of now that I have a smartphone again.

Not to bash technology in this post ... I am thankful and excited with the prospect of being able to communicate with people back home via texting apps like What’s App and/or LINE, and I can’t imagine how difficult it was to maintain relationships before improved technologies … I find being a world away makes it hard enough. I just want to make sure that I am also present and invested in where I am physically located.