A phone-free day in Amsterdam:

I could live in Amsterdam.

From March 12th-18th, I traveled with my Cyberpsychology class for core course week. Core course week is when DIS students travel to a different city with their core course for a week, doing a mix of activities related to their course content. My class’s location was Amsterdam.

(p.s – while I have no pictures from this time, as I did not have my phone. please enjoy these pictures from other activities from the week)

On our second day in Amsterdam, we were tasked with exploring Amsterdam phone-free. A paper map with our professor’s number written on it in case of emergency would be our only means of navigation. I went into the activity excited. At breakfast, I looked up some flea markets in the area. I’m always on the lookout for cool jewelry so I thought this would be a good place to start. I set off with a few girls from my class. The flea markets were listed by name on that map so that was very helpful. My friends were much better at using the map than I was. I will admit that I was more of a moral support than an actual navigator.

On our way to the flea market, we made a stop at a fairy-themed store. The entire bottom floor was designed to look like a lush forest. There were various statues and trinkets. I really appreciated the commitment to the ambiance. When we arrived at the flea market, it was clear that they were still setting up. However, it was nice to look around. The clothes were laid out in piles and I saw a lot of potential in them. If I had more time to sift through, I definitely could have scouted some cool pieces.

After the flea markets, we found a small bookshop selling old postcards. On our way there, I naked a woman for the time. She appeared startled at first, almost apprehensive. A different person we asked later in the day had the same reaction. The shocked reactions made me wonder what they expected us to ask Some postcards still had their original correspondence from decades ago. While I didn’t pick anything up there, I wrote down some book names for future reference. We then wandered over to the Flower Market, a strip with a bunch of vendors selling things related to tulips. Bouquets, seeds, memorabilia, postcards – they had it all. This was one of the moments in which I had my phone. I so badly wanted to capture what I was seeing.

One of my friends wanted to go to the Rijksmuseum, so we headed there next. The entry to the Rijksmuseum was absolutely stunning. Some musicians were playing music from Harry Potter, and it echoed beautifully through the space. After she headed inside, the rest of us decided to end our phone-free time with a mini picnic in a nearby park. We picked up some strawberries, mini pizzas, and stroopwafels at the grocery store before making our way over. One thing I learned about myself this semester is how much I appreciate simply being able to sit in a good park. I’m convinced feeling the sun on your skin and watching the world go by is one of the best feelings in the world.