I arrived in Hilo a bit reluctant to learn anything at the age of 11. I grabbed my suitcase and plodded onto the bus. Its destination was the University of Hawaii-Hilo, where I was to attend a space camp called "Future Flight." A tale of two
learning experiencesThe next day, I headed to class and got a good idea of what was ahead me for the next couple of days. My fellow campers and I were told that from that day on, we were to be aliens from another planet. We had to pretend we were visiting Earth and trying to see if we, as alien life forms, could live on it.
Sure, it was silly, but it sounded like fun. Each class I went to taught me something different. Most of it was hands-on things. We didn't need a pencil or paper. My group built a car from a set of gadgets they gave us. We also had to make some sort of instrument that could pick up objects. Toward this end, we had a friendly competition to see whose invention could pick up the most rocks.
I also helped my friends build a car meant to be operated in the water. Later that week we went to the pool to have a race and see which car could make it to the other side without sinking.
We dug into the dirt and looked for fossils and tested the pH of the soil samples. During the middle of the week, campers hiked up Mauna Kea and had a fun time. Our mission was to collect samples at three levels of Mauna Kea. I was in charge of the water testing and navigation. It was sort of like a wilderness expedition. We used walkie-talkies and head gear.
At the last level we finished and ended up at a little museum. There, hot cocoa and bentos awaited us.
The rest of the week was total fun. We made lots more inventions and had many relays. We also shared our reports from our trip to Mauna Kea, explaining our findings and conclusions.
Despite of my reluctance before entering camp, I did my jobs thoroughly. Little did I know that I was learning. It came so easy, learning about science. You know what? I still remember everything I learned that week.
I'VE also had an experience quite the opposite of space camp. I joined the high school girls soccer team as an outlet for fun. I never knew all the problems that would soon follow it.
For some reason, I was so nervous I couldn't play to my fullest potential. I would be so scared that when the ball came toward me, I would swing my leg and miss it. There were so many more skilled players than me that I became intimidated. No matter how hard I tried to concentrate, I couldn't do it. I was afraid of being yelled at.
Once, I was wide open and someone passed my the ball. All I had to do was trap it and pass it lightly toward my teammate. Instead, I kicked the ball out of bounds. That got me a good yelling.
I started off not bad in the beginning of the season. The first experience of being yelled at totally freaked me out. I made mistakes one after the other. During practice, we would learn plays and I just couldn't focus. I tried memorizing them, but I guess I was too worried about what the others were thinking about me.
Sure, I learned some plays and some good tips for improving my playing skills. But I felt like a useless body on the team. So if I made a goal, I felt we weren't up against a very tough team.
I guess now I know I can't learn or function under pressure. I don't learn at all when people scream at me. It makes me upset and then I start beating myself up and blaming myself for mistakes.
Sometimes, people are just talented and able to learn anytime and anywhere. But I suspect more are like me, able to learn only when the environment is right.
I haven't given up on soccer. Maybe I'll have an easier time learning next year if I try out for the team. It should be a little easier now that I know what to expect.
Tara Kaneko will be a sophomore
at Castle High School in the fall.Rant & Rave is a Tuesday Star-Bulletin feature
allowing those 12 to 22 to serve up fresh perspectives.
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