Sophomore Manson Tung, who spent March 25-April 2 in Switzerland and Germany on the school’s trip, contributed these travel blogs.
Selfie has entered the lexicon of everyday vocabulary for my generation. A visual example of narcissism, this much-maligned phrase has its own song, and is now even included in the Oxford English Dictionary.
Most of the time selfies are ridiculous and useless, but this trip has taught me a very important lesson. Selfies are some of the most reliable vacation photos.
Case in point: yesterday when I went to the castle at Heidelberg. I found myself on a stunning balcony jutting out over all of Heidelberg, all by myself. Without any nearby persons, I was left with just one option to get myself into my own photos: the selfie.
While I had been dreading this moment for the whole trip, the photos I took surprised me. The lighting hit my face just right because, after all, I was the one taking the photo. I could also immediately decide whether I liked the photo. In fact, it’s often easier to just not take the photo at all when you’re behind the button. Finally I was spared the dreaded question one must ask (“Hi, can you retake that photo?”) when a photo doesn’t turn out correctly.
While another person taking a photo is still preferable, a selfie shouldn’t be one’s last resort. It can be a time, photo, and vacation saver.
