I was also able to meet a whole team of people that were really awesome. The team from University of Buffalo was, I think, the most fun and enthusiastic team on and off of the field. While we played them, although we were competing, everyone was laughing and joking with each other. We had a great time. Towards the end of the game, we were lining up in the endzone right after a point had been scored and we had a full-out dance contest with them from across the entire field without any music playing. After we had finished playing them, we still cheered them on as they played against other schools and vice versa. We danced at each other in greeting and just had a great time together. Meeting their team was a highlight of my weekend.

At the hotel we stayed at on Friday and Saturday night, I met two girls from another frisbee team. They were staying at the same hotel and we all had the same idea- the hot tub was the place to be after 5 long games of ultimate frisbee. Katie and Shelly had a totally different experience from our team at this tournament. They played on a mixed team- boys and girls together. Because they were on a mixed team, we never got to play them, but it was really nice meeting people regardless of whether or not we were playing them.

Overall, I had a great time at the frisbee tournament and I was able to meet a lot of new people who had really fun personalities and a great sense of humor. It was a fun experience to meet new people because whenever we play at tournaments, we will be able to remember their team as the ones who we had a lot of fun with.

I spent the day at a Ultimate Frisbee tournament here at College Park. The hours went by while I was playing frisbee without a problem. Then after, we went out to eat as a team. I didn’t have to arrange anywhere to meet up with people to eat or calling friends from high school to catch up on life. Later, I went back to my dorm and completed my homework for the weekend. That was a pretty busy time too, especially because I had been at frisbee games all weekend long. I had a lot to catch up on.

Although it was a big change from what I am used to, it was nice not being reliant on my phone 24-7. I realized that having a cell phone is not necessary in day-to-day life. It’s really convenient to have and helps me everyday, but if needed, I could get by in life without one.

I remember when my mom first got her cell phone- it was such a special thing to have and useful in different situations, but not necessary for anybody. Now, if somebody doesn’t have a cell phone, they are disconnected from the rest of the population, especially at college. It is the one form of long-distance communication that is in my pocket everywhere I go. If I need to contact someone or someone needs to contact me, you just take out your phone, dial the number, and you can talk to them. However, turning off my phone for a day really let me spend my day having a lot of fun and being involved in what was going on around me. I spent my day in the moment and where I was instead of waiting on a phone call or a text.

While growing up, I have always been able to use the internet in my house. However, my parents always warned me to not assume things because there are people trying to trick you. When I was younger, I always regarded that as a joke. But now, I know it is a much more serious matter that you must pay very close attention to.

When I had just gotten into high school, I was talking to my friends on the internet, when all of the sudden, I got a message from a screenname I wasn’t familiar with. I knew it was one of my friends just playing a joke, but the idea that it could have been anybody was a little frightening. They had just been fooling around and I eventually found out who it was, so I did not make a big deal out of it. However, I later realized while looking back on it that anybody could do that. Anybody could pretend they know you and even talk to you and get information from you.

Now, I have a facebook where a lot more information about me is readily available. My name, birthday, high school, college, and email are available for my friends to see. Even though I do take precautions to hide my personal information from people I don’t know, I do worry that they may be able to find it online. It may be because someone else hacks into a system, or of a careless mistake I make.

I clearly remember one day when I was checking my facebook and I saw a new status update of one of my friends. It read something along the lines of “this person should not leave their facebook page up in the library after they left.” The person who got on the computer after obviously just wanted to draw attention to the fact that you must remember to keep your information to yourself and not be careless. The fact that they changed the status was harmless. However, it was more concerning to me that I could have or will forget in the future to log out of something while I am on a computer elsewhere. That one individual was kind enough to log that person out, but someone could take a lot of information about a person that way.

I have been very conscious recently about internet safety because I just got a online banking account for college. Although they take many precautions to make sure there aren’t any hackers, I know I must continue to monitor everything. My dad sat me down and reminded me of when one of my older brothers had to deal with a banking situation. Some online company billed him $10 or more every month, but he didn’t notice for a couple of months. He later had to go back and spend a lot of time talking to his bank and the internet company to get these charges reversed. It surprised me how easily the online company had taken over $100 dollars in less than a year. It made me realize how many precautions you must take and how you must monitor everything to make sure your own information stays safe.

I now try to be conscious of internet safety and take necessary steps in order to keep my personal information away from strangers, however much I may think that this stuff may never happen to me. I know that keeping my identity protected is not just a joke anymore in this internet-based society.