Submitted by Caleigh Bauer on the 2020 spring semester study abroad program in Rome, Italy…
When traveling abroad for long periods, problems are bound to arise. I’ve heard plenty of stories about people losing luggage, getting belongings stolen, and missing flights. However, I never thought these things would happen to me during my time abroad. After all, I am a fairly seasoned traveler and I am familiar with the culture here. So you can only imagine how I felt when I realized my phone was missing.
On Wednesday, I decided to take some time to wander alone around Rome since my friends were in classes and I had some free time. I figured I would do some shopping. I window shopped around a few stores and then decided to head to a shop to buy some school supplies. I used maps on my phone to get there, but when I was leaving and about to pull out my phone to map back home, I realized my phone was missing. After searching the store everywhere, I finally gave up and found my way home. I used find my iPhone on a friend’s phone and found out that my phone was turned off and last seen on the other side of Rome- it had definitely been stolen.
While disappointed, I was grateful that I was able to get home safe and still had my wallet and important documents. All in all, things could have been a lot worse. I found that the best thing for me in this situation was to just remain calm and focus on the good things. My advice to any traveler: always (even in small school supply stores) be vigilant. Remember that problems happen and to remain calm.
Not having a phone is definitely not the best situation, but on the bright side, it might be good to be unplugged for a week and really live in the moment. Of course, with a friend with a phone for maps and emergencies.