Oh ye of little faith. Of course I was going to mention Facebook on this list of killing time activities. How could I not? As much as we all pretend to hate it, let's not forget that it has become an almost essential free resource for the modern traveller to keep in touch with home. If you ever find yourself a little homesick, a moment or two on Facebook will bring you crashing back down to the reality that home never changes, and you are in fact missing out on nothing whatsoever.
To be honest, it was pretty hard to find my top fives things I like about Facebook. I could, quite easily, find the worst things about Facebook, and probably go further than five. But, with the aim of keeping a positive outlook, let's not lie. Facebook is useful, and we all find ourselves on it far too much from time to time.
1) Curiosity: I'm starting wit ha brutally honest one; one which some people don't care to admit. I've also put it in a more polite way, so in other words, curiosity means just being down right nosey. We all have friends of Facebook that we added when in school, or maybe at an old job. But, in recent years, have lost touch but still find them popping up on our newsfeeds. On several occasions I have dished out a bit of gossip to current friends of mine, about friends long gone. The question 'How did you know that?' pops up, and shame passes over the face of the divulguer; 'Errmmm....Facebook.' But don't lie, you bloody love it.
2) Keeping in touch: Of course, the main purpose behind social networking. However, it works all the more sweeter when you're a few thousands miles away from your most precious ones. When I first arrived in Vancouver and struggled a little with missing home, totally unlike me whatsoever. If I hadn't have had the people at home to tell me to stop being silly, it would have gotten worse. However, keeping yourself fully informed about home gossip can make you lose focus of your travels, so beware.
3) Reconnecting: Similar to the last point, but ever so slightly different all the same. I recently noticed more and more pictures of travels from some uni friends of mine, Katie and Sam, popping up on my newsfeed. I hadn't spoken to either of them since we finished Uni back in May 2009; regardless of the fact we all lived together, we just lost touch. But I just had to talk to them when pictures from India appeared, as it was a place I thoroughly enjoyed. After a long conversation, I found out that they had just recently decided to settle in China. I have to say, when I find myself heading that way, I can't wait to catch up in person.
4) Parading your achievements: Don't lie, we all do it. Especially to let the people we dont talk to anymore know that we're actually doing something with our lives.
5) Birthdays: One of the reasons we can all agree on why Facebook is amazing; it helps us remember people's birthday. For all of those out there who don't have their birthday displayed of Facebook, you are cruel, give people a chance! Also, I quite like to say a Happy Birthday to someone I haven't spoken to in a while. Such a simple gesture but a kind one nonetheless.
So there we have it, then end of my series of time wasters. However, I encourage you to use these wisely. They could lead you to utterly waste the precious time you have spent so much money and energy to make it to. But used wisely, and they can be your saviours.
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