Enjoying a Slow Summer Afternoon

Summer as a student can be wonderful. No classes, no assignments, no worries about upcoming exams — just three months of relaxing and spending time with friends. Simply, freedom.

There are many highlights during this time of year: vacations, little adventures, festivals in nearby towns (and getting lost along the way without caring one bit). What’s not to love about those special summer days? The ones we’ve planned for weeks, the ones we talk about daily — the Saturdays circled in our mental calendars even when we’ve lost track of what day of the week it currently is.

But then there are the ordinary days. The ordinary afternoons with no plans at all, the hours where simply nothing happens. The two thirds of summer that don’t seem to matter… What do we do with those?

It’s easy to fall into the simplest solution when faced with those long, empty afternoons: scrolling endlessly through social media, watching video after video, staring at the TV for hours just to fill the time — relying on a screen for endless entertainment. But while those options feel appealing in the moment, they rarely make one feel fulfilled.

This summer, I decided to stop using my smartphone and try to live every moment of each day, no matter how ordinary it felt at first.

Beach, Sea, Cards

Living on the coast, the plans for a hot, sunny afternoon often write themselves, almost like a ritual. Walking straight to the beach, struggling to get in the water at first, then enjoying a refreshing swim after feeling the heat of the day.

Then comes the stretch of doing almost nothing. Lying on the towels, sunbathing, almost falling asleep — the type of memory you recall during the most stressful exam week.

And just as the quiet starts to feel still, I’d pull the cards out. They replaced the phone I’d usually reach for: no messages, no mindless scrolling. From that point on, the rhythm of the afternoon was set.

Hours of baiting opponents in Mus, and even more time waiting for the perfect card in Chinchón. By the end, the cards had become the real stars of the afternoon.

Me, showcasing a very unfortunate hand of a game of Chinchón

Shade, soda, olives

On afternoons when the sun is shining but the heat is still bearable, we would often end up in the shade of a small local bar. Nothing too fancy — just a couple of tables outside, a parasol, and locals walking around.

We would sit down, and one of us would go to the bar to bring back the usual: a glass of soda for everyone, along with a small plate of olives to share.

Then the conversations would begin. We would talk about everyday life, update each other on what had been happening lately, remind one another of upcoming events, throw around slightly unhinged ideas, and debate whether the latest shows of the season were brilliant or terrible. And all of this, of course, happened with a deck of cards on the table.

Somewhere between shuffling the cards and teasing the dealer for losing count of the dealt cards, someone would casually throw an idea into the mix:

“You know, we should go to the hills this weekend. We haven’t done the usual route this year.”

That was all it took. A small idea in the middle of an ordinary afternoon would suddenly turn into one of the most memorable days of the summer.

Hills, Views, Camera

On a sunny but comfortable morning at the end of August, I got ready for a small adventure.

Over breakfast, I told my father about the plan for the day. In response, he handed me a cheap DSLR camera he had bought years earlier for a vacation and told me to go out and take plenty of pictures.

When I arrived at the meeting point, four of my friends — and a dog — were already waiting at a small plaza, preparing to climb up the hills and walk all the way to the next town.

We started by walking toward one of the highest points of our hometown, and before we knew it, we were already climbing the hillside.

Green fields, farms, animals, the rustling of trees, fresh air — everything about it felt refreshing. It was a completely different atmosphere compared to an ordinary morning or an average day spent in town.

Camera, Moments, Discovery

I may not be a photographer, but every now and then I would take a quick step to the side, pull the camera out, turn it on, bring my eye to the small viewfinder — focus, beep, click, snap.

That’s where I fell in love with it.

I didn’t know the basics of manual mode, nor what half of the buttons actually did. Yet the little sounds, the tactile click of the shutter button, the viewfinder framing the scene, the slight delay before the photo was taken — all of those details felt incredibly natural compared to using a smartphone camera.

By the end of the day, I had taken hundreds of pictures: the views, my friends, and the dog.

After hours of walking and a heavy feeling in our legs, we had finally done it. What had started as a casual idea had turned into one of my favorite days of the entire summer.

University, Return, Reality

As September arrives and university life slowly surrounds me again, I find myself wondering how to continue the “challenge” that had felt more like a pleasure than a challenge at all.

In theory, I could keep using the MP02, and as much as I would love to, reality quickly sets in. During the academic year, having a device connected to the internet becomes almost essential. Emails, class announcements, and the virtual pass required to access the library are all part of everyday student life.

Unfortunately, the MP02 is not a suitable everyday device for these needs.

And so, after all those fulfilling moments, the SIM card returns to my smartphone. The MP02 is turned off and placed back in the drawer for most of the year.

But after all those richer ordinary days — and that one special day that grew out of them — I can only say:

See you next summer, MP02.

- Erlantz Garate