It's normal for one not to think of buying a phone once the one you have is still functional and without fault. We don't see any need to prepare for the unexpected because we believe in being careful.
My few months' journey to Bauchi wasn't just a journey but one filled with fun and lots of experiences. The journey, which all started like an amazing one, suddenly turned into an unplanned expense after my phone was stolen. It's obviously impossible to stay disconnected for long without reaching out to the people that matter in my life, so getting a new phone became an unplanned plan that I needed to execute.
The turning point in my journey was when that phone was stolen. At that moment, everything changed. I was depressed because of the loss of all the valuable information stored on the device—all my files, contacts, photos, songs, and much more. Losing that phone meant losing the long-distance connection I had with my family and friends, and that alone weighed heavily on me emotionally. It felt like I was cut off from the land of the living.
In that state of confusion, I arrived in Bauchi, where it was another story entirely. I sat in one spot, trying to figure out how to reconnect with my people to inform them about what had happened. That required me to build an instant relationship with strangers, and language became another barrier. Many of them found it difficult to communicate in English. Fortunately, I found a few who understood and were happy to offer their assistance.
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It was not just physically draining but also emotionally exhausting, trying to navigate a new environment while dealing with the worry of being cut off from digital life.
It was the most stressful experience I have had this year. The absence of not holding my phone for a day felt like losing a significant fragment of my past. It made me realize the importance of always backing up important information straight to my email. This was a habit I hadn't learned before, and I learned it the hard way.
I stayed roughly a month plus before I was able to purchase a new phone. I had some savings set aside for emergencies, and that served its purpose when this issue occurred. Without that, I could have been without a phone for much longer, making an already stressful situation even worse.
From this experience, I learned so much. One is the importance of backing up vital information. When this occurred, I realized that unforeseen circumstances are inevitable, but having this habit of backing up data helps us not lose everything after losing a phone.
Additionally, I learned to always be alert and watchful of all my belongings when traveling. I was completely carefree, forgetting that I was in an unfamiliar environment, and that created an opportunity for the thief to achieve his aim without stress. Another thing I learned was to know when my phone should be on silent and when it shouldn't be. My phone was on silent mode when it was taken from me, making it even more difficult for me to track it when I tried dialing the line. If my phone had been on loud mode, maybe the identity of the thief would have been revealed.
The whole experience taught me the importance of knowing when and how to use phone settings to prevent such incidents. Reflecting on my experience, I'm grateful I understood the importance of emergency preparation and the need to always back up my files. Though I went through mental and physical stress, that experience helped me learn something vital.