Gen Y, Social Media & Being 20

Thinking about life without social media tends to be eerie. Generation Y has grown up with it; it has sadly become a part of our everyday lives. I would be lying if I said I didn't check Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and my 3 email accounts on my phone before I even crawl out of bed each morning.

It's sad.

We, Generation Y, have become so accustom to living uh....socially without actually being social. We feel like it is necessary to ALWAYS be connected and if you are not, it can feel like something is wrong! I used to think my parents were crazy for not understanding how awesome it was to be connected to all of your friends at once with just a couple of clicks. But my parents were right (per usual), we're the crazy ones! Our privacy is completely gone. You can have a conversation with a complete stranger and not even know what they look or sound like....and we think that this is normal. It's not. It's creepy. It's cool. It's lonely.

Just imagine what it would be like without all of these social media platforms. Being 20 years old and unplugged from social media might mean that you could actually meet some really awesome people around you; people that we don't talk to because we are so connected to that damn freakishly small handheld computer...


Now to the point.....

Social media has caused a problem for Gen Y. We ALWAYS want to be talking to someone and for someone to be giving us some sort of attention. I mean connecting with people is so extremely easy, right? I have this problem myself (obviously since I'm writing about it). I never give myself time to reflect on social situations.

This hurts relationships on all different kinds of levels, from new friendships to maybe even the person you are seeing. There never seems to be a moment when one is completely alone, because we will always have our phones, computers, iPads, etc... All of the technology and social media make us feel like we need to be connected to each other at all times...and it is horrible. It has the complete ability to make one anxious. It causes rips and tears in relationships that most likely would have never been there if it weren't for social media and the level of technology we have been "blessed with."

The social media generation, Gen Y, needs to start giving themselves time to think away from all of the screens. The people and the relationships that matter are NOT going to be the ones that thrive off of social media and technology. The relationships that matter the most are with the people that give you the time of day and share the "gift" of face-to-face communication. The virtual conversations that Gen Y puts themselves in will come and they will fade quickly, but the quality time spent with others will not.

Gen Y has a lot of work to do... Get away from all the hustle and bustle of social media. No matter what anyone says, we all know that we "creep" on who is communicating with who and it can become a slight competition to have the best virtual relationship with someone. I mean come on, it's no secret that everyone checks out people's top 3 friends on Snapchat.      

Get off the constant texting, social media and other crazy technology and get out and have real conversations with people. Those are the relationships that will stick and matter in the long run...not the texting fling you have for a month or two in the virtual world.

A Verse To Get Through A Tough Time

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Prov. 3:5&6

Trust && Push Ups

Do you ever get those late night thoughts where you wonder why you cannot solve all of the world's problems?  Okay not really, but I feel like I come up with some really great analogies when I am extremely exhausted and basically delirious.

This thought came to me as I was almost dozing off last night...so casually around 2 a.m.

It was a thought about the strength of relationships.  Relationships of all kinds can be so fragile, especially new ones that are just starting to blossom.  Being a 20 year old college student, it is a time of many "trial" relationships.  To cut to the chase my analogy was this: Relationships are like doing a push up.  When your strength is weak, the push up will not be successful.  Just like in a relationship! When the trust is weak, the potential success of the relationship will diminish quickly.  In order for a push up to be successful you need to work up that strength.  The strength will not always come right away, in fact it will rarely be natural.  This is true for relationships as well.  Strong trust needs to be worked on.  It can not be perfected right away; just like a push up.

Once upon a time I used to trust too easily and would just end up getting burned.  Now I tend to have a hard time trusting others when forming new relationships.  But it's like a push up!  It takes time to build up that strength/trust.  And it can only get better from here on out..!

Back in the Frozen Tundra

Traveling to Kaua'i has been one of the best experiences of my life.  I got to meet so many great people on that island that I will never forget.  My favorite part of being on the island of Kaua'i was working with the students from the Kekaha Learning Center.  Most of the students that attend Kekaha are from Niihau, also known as the "forbidden island."  Today, only about 50 people live on the island of Niihau.

Working with the students from the Kekaha Learning Center was a life changing experience.  The children had so much to offer and made us ohana instantly.  We spent three days with them, which was definitely not enough time in my opinion!  I worked with a group of 5th graders, who blew me away with how smart they were!  They kept asking me about what it is like back home and what snow is like.  I told them they are not missing out on much!

After spending time with them I now know my Hawaiian name, the alphabet and numbers in Hawaiian and "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes!"

Now that I am back in Minnesota I value my time spent in Hawaii even more, not only because the weather was great but because I know that our class will always have an impact on the students of Kekaha's lives and they have left a large impact on our lives as well.

Until next time Kaua'i! 

Aloha & Mahalo!

Next Stop: Kaua'i

Good internet/wireless is darn near impossible to find in Hawai'i.  So this will be short and sweet!

Sunday was our last day in Oahu, looking back at it now those two weeks flew by!  Now we are on the island of Kauai and the atmosphere is SOOO much different!  But in a good way!  It is nice to lay in bed and not hear people screaming outside at 3 in the morning and sirens whaling every 10 minutes because you are on the Waikiki strip!  The Waikiki area was great, but the ability to relax in Kauai is perfect.

As of today I will be back in Minnesota in 10 days!  I can't tell if that feels like a short amount of time or a long time.  Time will tell.

Tomorrow is our first day working with a charter school that serves children from the Niihau, also known as the "forbidden island."  It will be definitely be something that I have never experienced before and I am very excited for that opportunity!

Also, in case you're wondering gas is $4.39 a gallon on the island of Kauai.  That's the highest gas price in the country!

Aloha and Mahalo!

When a Minnesota Girl Goes to Hawai’i!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!  2014!

So far Hawaii has been absolute paradise, I mean that is what they call it right?!  It is currently full day 3 and all of us are basically in love with Hawaii.  The temperature today is close to 90 and it is sunny without a cloud in the sky.  I’m happy that this trip is filled with a bunch of great people.  There are 26 of us on the trip from 4 different universities and so far everyone seems to be getting along great, which is awesome!  So far we haven’t done much besides lay out in the sun on Waikiki Beach and walk around the main strip in Honolulu.  I had no idea how many designer stores there were here!  It’s crazy!  The only bad thing about this trip so far is that I have spent $200 on food already.  Food is ridiculously expensive here.  Every time we go out it costs around $20…and that’s with ordering water!  So at least I am staying hydrated while saving money…and calories.  My roommates and I bought a gallon of milk at the local ABC store and it cost $10.69!  Which is insane!  A box of cereal is almost $9 as well. 

So far the biggest difference between Hawaii and the Twin Cities is the insane amount of diversity everywhere you go!  Yesterday while walking the strip, my roommates and I helped a Korean couple with minimal English find a bus station.  They were on their honeymoon so that was cute!  After we did that, we headed over to the International Marketplace.  It was a special day to go to this market because it was the last day they would ever be open….EVER.  After talking to some of the vendors, they said it was pretty bittersweet.  The good news is bargaining was super easy!  I got 50% a bracelet for my mom just because they were trying to get rid of all of their stuff!   

Since last night was New Years Eve, a bunch of us decided to go down to the beach and watch the fireworks to bring in the New Year!  It was fun, but man was the beach crowded!  Getting out of there was a new challenge all on its own.  Our group ended up getting split up, but no worries because we all made it back all right. 

Today we are doing our first big adventure as a class!  We are about to hike to Diamond Head in a couple of hours!  I’m super excited!   

That’s it for the meantime, but the adventures of Hawaii J-Term 2014 have only just begun!  Stay tuned for more to come! 

    

A New Kind Of Adventure....HAWAII!

Next Sunday (a little less than a week from today!), I will be on my way to Hawaii!  I will be in Hawaii for the whole month of January while participating in an Intercultural Communication course with the University of St. Thomas Communication and Journalism program.  I'm super excited and will definitely try to keep this updated along the way!  For the first half of the month I will be staying in Oahu and in Kauai for the second half of the month!  To say I am excited to have this experience is definitely an understatement.  Here's a couple of places I'll be visiting: 

 Diamond Head-Crater that formed from a volcanic explosion that occurred 300,000 years ago!

View from the top of Diamond Head: 

On New Years Eve we'll be watching fireworks from Waikiki Beach: 

Hawaii Supreme Court: 

Pearl Harbor:

Kalalau Trail: 

Nuuanu Pali Lookout: 

Smith Family Garden Luau: 

I need to get to packing, but stay tuned for many Hawaiian adventures!