early (or late) hours of the day? I couldn’t blame them. Even if some students decided to spend hours skyping in town or watch movies alone in their room, to most it didn’t seem as fun as the alternatives: diving for paua (abalone), swimming at the beach, kayaking or paddle boarding, biking around the farmland, coffee runs, or epic sport and board game competitions.

Without constantly looking at our phones or computers, the days felt longer. We were more present in our reality, we spent more time outside, were more connected to others around us, and we realized we had more time for fun if we didn’t spend hours on YouTube or social media. It was a blessing we might not have chosen for ourselves intentionally, but that we benefited from none-the-less.

This sense of hom...

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