We hear the phrase “Tahiti-time” quite often around here, usually as a justification for a delay in departure or in getting class started or something of the sort. I think it’s rude, honestly. There’s a lot I can’t do if I have to be ready for class to start at any minute. I can’t go for a swim, I can’t leave the immediate vicinity, I can’t commit to any lengthy games, I can’t even shower. And they don’t do us the courtesy of letting us know when things are running behind schedule, they just show up at eleven instead of ten and begin their obnoxious countdown.
Teacher Chris (TC) – HUSKIES!! CLASS DOWNSTAIRS IN 10 . . . 9 . . . 8 . . . 7 . . . 6 . . .5 . . . 4 . . . 3 . . . 2 . . . 1
Everybody – Scrambles to the living room from all corners of the house
*Class begins*
*Approximately 2 minutes later*
Silvia – Walks down the stairs to join the class
TC – you’re late
Silvia – Weren’t we supposed to start at 10 though?
TC – It’s Tahiti time . . .
Silvia – Oh. Then it looks like I’m right on time.
Everybody – laughs
Now all I want is a little Tahiti time, and I don’t mean I want to be back in Tahiti. Although that would be great too. . . I just mean that everything was so easy, so slow, as close to perfect as I’ve ever experienced anything to be. But Tahiti really wasn’t perfect, especially in the moment, but, as the saying goes, hindsight is 20/20, and I now realize that perhaps it was the flaws that made it extraordinary.
No internet for a month doesn’t seem too hard to me. I’m hardly ever on my phone anyway, but I should at least try to call home. I decide to make the trek to the post office with some others to connect to wifi, and we manage to only get a little lost along the way. Upon arrival, we all purchase wifi cards, only to realize that the wifi is incredibly sluggish. We’re lucky if our messages send at all, so calling is not an option, especially considering that we’re periodically booted off the network with no explanation. I hope my mom doesn’t miss me too much because it looks like she won’t be hearing from me for about a month.
It’s hard to imagine what you would do without internet access, without a phone to glance at in awkward moments, or just to fill the space. Upon reflection, I realize that internet access is a crutch. Even with my good friends whose pure and simple presence I enjoy, I find that we often pass the time by looking at memes together. I wouldn’t have considered myself to be attached to my phone before, but I now realize how much I do rely on my phone for entertainment, how much we all do.
Here, none of us have internet access so we’re forced to rely on each other for entertainment 24/7. We’ve naturally fallen into a routine of spending every spare moment playing games. I haven’t played a ton of games like this before, but it’s been a blast. So far, I’ve perfected my karaoke skills (not really), learned lots of new card games, been stumped by many riddle games, played some intense rounds of UNO, just endless games. I think I’m the worst at Egyptian Ratscrew. I am eliminated easily by Tbone and Sylvia every time, but I keep playing for some reason.
And those low-effort friends? The ones you can just laugh at memes with? Here we lay our towels out on the beach, star gaze, and just talk. It’s after dinner and, as has become habit, I ask Geraldine if she wants to go out to the beach, and soon enough all five of us are down here. Others join us for a bit and head back inside, but the five of us lay here for hours. Being engulfed by dark, with the twinkling light of the stars far off, is beyond serene, beyond peaceful, and even more so when shooting stars move through the night sky. All our walls come down and we have real conversations. Under the stars these strangers quickly become easy friends.
Upon return, I’ve found myself frustrated and overwhelmed by the internet. Texts I’ve haven’t answered, my eternally overflowing inbox, a never ending to do list, and a constant connection to all of these demands. Demands coming from every direction imaginable. Which demands do I accept, and which ones can I reject? I don’t think I can handle them all. I think I was better at this before I studied abroad, but now I know what life can be like without these demands. Don’t get me wrong, Tahiti wasn’t entirely free of demands, just the unnecessary ones it seems.
I don’t think it’s necessarily about getting away either. I’ve been on road trips and visited family before, but something about the ‘get away’ that Tahiti allowed was different. I’ve been trying to find that here, but I just can’t seem to do so. I just want some ‘Tahiti time’, even if it is in Seattle, even if it is in my own apartment, but how can I do that? How can I make time slow again, how can I make it free of pressure, how can I make it that light again?
Esme is just a student doing life. Excited by learning and exploring all things. Loves laughing.
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