In all seriousness, between school and the office where I am working as an intern, I 

barely have time for

entertainment. When I do, however, I take it seriously. Once or twice, I manage to get out of the city
and indulged myself in secluded areas where Internet service and its distracting minions like social
media and advertising emails cease to exist. My latest sweet escape was my trip to Binh Ba island last
summer.

Binh Ba was one of the four deserted, yet beautiful islands located in Khanh Hoa province, Vietnam due
to little exposure to tourism. This, however, would change drastically within the next few years since
Binh Ba had been drawing lots of attention thanks to positive feedback from those who had wandered
there. I went to Binh Ba alone just to take a break from the fast-paced city life and to have time
to contemplate myself, which I rarely did with people around. It had been an intriguing 2-day journey
full of surprises. That was the first time I traveled alone, first time riding on a speedboat, first time scuba
diving and first time having dinner with a life jacket on my back and crystal clear water as my dining
room. Additionally, seafood here was a bomb which came in different kinds and varieties. People I met
during my stay at a villager’s house were ultra-friendly and helpful, both locals and visitors whom
shared their stories as though you were their long-lost friend stopping by to catch up. And there was
nothing better than enjoying great company over a nice meal and bonfire.

Binh Ba left an unforgettable impression on me where I learnt to appreciate precious moments with
those I cared about and be grateful for whatever life had to offer. Life is tough but it would be lifeless
without it toughness.

Doing new things

Why do you think some people like doing new things?

Some people would say it’s part of human nature. If we had never tried new things we would never
have made any progress throughout history.

Personally, I think it’s because doing something different is interesting.

You get to see new places, meet new people and learn something, and if it’s something difficult maybe
you have a sense of achievement at the end.

Maybe we don’t always enjoy doing new things, but it’s always good to try something you haven’t done
before.

I think many people are curious - that’s why they do it.

What problems can people have when they try new activities for the first time?

Well, they may feel nervous of course, or they may have problems doing the activity.

Some things need a little skill and practice to do well.

I remember the first time I went horseriding – I was hopeless, I couldn’t control the horse and felt very
uncomfortable at first, but after a while, I began to enjoy it.

Do you think it’s best to do new things on your own or with other people? Why?

That depends on the person.

Some people like to do things on their own to meet different people and extend their social network, or
maybe because none of their friends want to try the same activity, but they do.

Other people only do things with their friends or family because they feel more comfortable doing it
when they are with someone they know.

In my case I don’t mind, I’ll try something new on my own or with friends if they are interested in doing
it too.

Learning new things

What kinds of things do children learn to do when they are very young? How important are these
things?

Kids learn all kinds of things, like sports and other skills.

Of course, they also learn all the new things they do at school as well.

Doing new activities when you’re a child is important because you learn what you like and don’t like
which can be important in the future for you.

It also helps develop your personality and learning how to overcome problems.

Do you think children and adults learn to do new things in the same way? How is their learning style
different?

No, children and adults learn differently.

I think children have much less fear; they just try something without thinking about it so much.

As adults, we are much more rational and tend to consider things much more before doing them.

We think about why we might do something or not, if it’s a good idea or not, the benefits, the risks, etc.
Children have a much more adventurous spirit naturally, and maybe they’re more curious than adults,
they have very enquiring minds.

Some people say that it is more important to be able to learn new things now than it was in the past.
Do you agree or disagree with that? Why?

I’m not sure. We’ve always had to learn new things.

Maybe nowadays it’s more important to learn new things quickly, faster than before, and maybe learn
more new things in our lives than our parents or grandparents had to.

The pace of life and the rate at which new things are introduced is much faster, thanks to technology.

I think we have to learn to deal with more changes in the way we do everyday things nowadays.