Learning on Vacation
This past weekend, my family went on a trip to the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin. I’ve always loved going to the Wisconsin Dells, and my family has been going for a quite a few years. I love the large pools and slides and the fun indoor activities that they always have. Whenever we take these trips, I always have something that I learned while on vacation. This trip was no different, though the lessons that I learned were a little bizarre.
Lesson One
On vacation, I learned that a world turned upside down can be a good thing. Kalahari Resort has an indoor ride called the 360 Revolution. As the name might suggest, after being strapped into a seat, the ride flips you upside down, spinning the circle of seats around as it does this. The past few years my family visited the Kalahari, my sisters went on the ride, but I chose not to because I didn’t like the idea of being suspended upside down. This year, however, I was talked into it.
It was one of the most terrifying things I had done in a while, counting the recent speeches I have had to give in school. I was just focusing on the fact that the ride wouldn’t last very long, and once it was over I would never have to do it again. And, as I expected, when it began, it was horrible. I felt out of control and I didn’t really enjoy the feeling of being flipped around and held upside down. I was very relieved when it was over.
But the next day, I was surprised that I wanted to do the ride again. I suppose I was curious as to what the world would look like if I had kept my eyes open and whether knowing what to expect would help me enjoy the experience a little bit more. So, still a little nervous, I tried the ride again. I kept my eyes open this time, and watched the world flip and spin around me. It was exhilarating. I thought that I would hate the ride, but I actually enjoyed it once I stopped worrying and simply enjoyed the experience.
Lesson Two
The second lesson I learned while on the way to and from the Kalahari was to always keep my eyes on the road. Recently, I obtained my driver’s permit, which means that I can legally drive a motor vehicle with an adult over 21. It means that I passed the written test given by the state, which asks questions about street signs and right of way, but really fails to prepare young drivers for the little, simple things about driving. For example, how you should never get distracted by the person in the passenger seat adjusting the radio and forget to keep the car pointed straight at the center of the lane.
I’d like to say that nothing horrible happened because of this mistake of mine. The car drifted off the road for a moment, which was a bit of a shock, but there was no collision or accident. It was, however, a strong wake up call as to how easily something bad could happen while behind the wheel of a car. The instance was something that my family and I were laughing about soon after, but it also taught me an important lesson as well.
Lesson Three
Lastly, my entire family learned this vacation that a twenty inch pizza is larger than we think. It was the second night in the Kalahari, and we didn’t want to go out to eat, so my parents went downstairs with my younger sister to get a pizza to bring back up to the room. When they returned, they carried two twenty inch pizzas. I don’t think any of us calculated how large twenty inches in diameter truly is. To give you a hint, it is much larger than our family of six could eat. And, we got two of them. So, we’ll be having Kalahari pizza for the next few months.
Three Things Learned
I learned a lot this vacation. I learned that sometimes, having your world turned upside down isn’t such a bad thing. I learned that it is very important to always keep your eyes on the road in front of you. And lastly, my entire family learned that a twenty inch pizza is much larger than you might think. Overall, the vacation was very entertaining and full of discovery. It was a vacation that I will remember for a long time. See you next week!
“Reprinted from Hagel Publications, Inc. dba as Courier Newspapers”