Since I was young, I have begun to see my life as a cycle of breaking my knowledge boundary, only to discover more and more of the unknown. That is not me complaining about the endless journey of my discovery; in fact, learning experiences have made up many of the highlights of my life so far. Here are my top 5 best/most memorable learning experiences, ranked by yours truly:
- Learning fine arts (Kindergarten – Grade 7): Asian parents ADORE extracurricular activities. For their kids, that is. Thankfully, I encountered my perfect fit as early as when I was in kindergarten. Sketching, drawing and painting classes felt like breaths of fresh air and chance to freely unleash my creative mind–things that I constantly craved while spending dull times at school. Even though I eventually gave up further pursuit in fine arts, a pen and a piece of A4 paper, till this day, is still all it takes to put a smile on my face while have me disappear for three hours.
- Learning how to make videos (Grade 2 – Present): My father was a photography and film-making enthusiast who taught me everything he knew as soon as I learned the workings of fancy 2000s electronics. I had since made a few edits here and there, but nothing too extraordinary. The breakthrough came after I had arrived in Canada and started watching YouTube for breakfast, lunch and dinner (will get to this later). I truly realized the immense potential for one of my proud hobbies, and have been passionately practicing my craft ever since. Right now, my goal is to post bi-weekly videos for the rest of the year.
- Learning how to cook (Freshman – Present): For whatever reason, this was not of my concern at all in the summer of my high school graduation. Forced into a corner with no choice but instant noodles, I started picking up frozen dinners, followed by frying pan comfort food, basic cuisine, and, after a mountain of failures and doubts, dishes that may have a shot at Instagram features rather than r/shittyfoodporn exposure. Half-forced learning can bring out pleasant surprises, too.
- Learning English (Grade 10 – Present): I set the start of this journey at Grade 10, not because I had not been taught a single letter prior, but because it was pretty much limited around basic vocabulary and grammar. Almost no mainland Chinese student could arrive and survive in an English-speaking country without basically having to re-learn the language, but I was determined not to turn myself into yet another example on the wall of the stereotype. Everyday, I would spend 7 of my 8-hour break from school soaking in YouTube content, studying the difference between the way I and “they” speak, and randomly muttering sentences I had not fully mastered over and over again on the street until I could not tell the difference. I could go on and on, but in short, through mere reasons of proving a stereotype wrong, I have essentially gained myself command over one of the most useful skills in modern society, had never and probably will never again show as much passion or commitment on a subject.
- Learning the lessons of life (Birth – Present): Before I go on, does this one count? It is something that everyone has to learn, though the actual experience, of course, comes with great variation. I see myself as someone who has always been half-a-step slower than my peers, whether in terms of maturity growth (facing it) or “growth” (masking it). In order to “catch-up” and “fit better in life”, I gave up some great qualities that made me stand out at a young age: critical thinking, composure, chastity, and most importantly, naked love, respect, and honesty. Thankfully, through countless nights of rehab and reconciliation, I am back on-pace to dust off my morbid needs for attention and peer-recognition, pick back up and make the love and morals the identity of my ecosystem again. Still a long, long way to go, but I have never, in my life, felt closer to reaching Alfred Adler’s concept of a holistic, self-consistent person.
Thank you very much for your time! Oh, and please also check out Zedd, who is actually studying from China right now: https://latenight11.opened.ca/post-1-learning-motivation-and-theory/
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