Last weekend, I participated in a weekend retreat in Windham, Vermont. This retreat was called the” My Midd Retreat”, an opportunity for freshmen to speak about their life so far on campus and get to know a group of other freshmen.  I took this opportunity to participate in my media fast for my Digital Media Literacy class – boy was that an experience.

My media fast began at 9 P.M Friday September the 27^th and ended on 9 P.M of September 28^th. The activities that were held on Saturday during the retreat were all activities that required no use of technology. We went for a hike; we were outside of the cabin for about 3-4 hours. It was honestly so amazing. The scenery was amazing. The only “technology” that accompanied me was my friend’s camera’s as he took pictures of the entire journey.

@ Ben Hoskin (Class of 2017)

I think that the environment that I was situated in allowed me to separate from technology. It would have a bit more difficult for me if I had been on Campus. My friends would have tried to communicate with me to meet up for breakfast, lunch and dinner. All of the plans I make are revolved around my phone, I don’t think I would have lasted an entire 24 hours on campus just because my phone has become such a pivotal part of my social life on campus. I didn’t even have internet in the cabin at Windham. And even though they offered less than amazing Wifi, I turned off my phone and it stayed off until Sunday Morning.  I think that it was the best choice to apply to this program, and the timing could not have been better.

@ Keenia Shinagawa (Class of 2017)

I will say that I am glad that I chose to do my digital media fast during this weekend because I almost extended the fast on my own. It was a beautiful experience to be able to connect with a group of freshmen and our student facilitators on a more personal level. I didn’t even feel like I needed my phone with me. The entire time I was immersed in activities where I was connecting with other freshmen, in a non-superficial level. The scenery was breathtaking and I even went stargazing for the first time in my life. All of this happened because of the environment that I was placed in – no, I didn’t like the insects – but, the scenery, the people, and the disconnection from texting and the crazy drama that is the “internet,” made the sacrifice of my phone all the more worth it.