Today was Monday. Ugh. Well, I went to Robotics class and I learned about the history of technology and gave my presentation. Then I did Biophysics and coded with Python some more. We came back from lunch and we worked on our idea for our final project. We have decided to do something that will help with life sustainability on Mars. We are going towards the side of agriculture. Then we worked on our robot obstacle courses and I feel proud of how much I accoplished today.
Today in Robotics we learned about bits and bytes. They were kind of interesting because we got learn the history of how the first inventions were not pleasing to the eye and difficult to use and how technology evolved to what it is today. In biophysics we learned about energy and how temperature affects it and we started learning Python, the coding language. I have alway started learning Python, but either the teachers aren't good so I don't learn anything, or the classes I go to get cancelled. So it felt good to actually learn what goes on and how this language functions. Before we were learning C, and when looking at the two languages, you can see the similarities and differences which are quite intriguing. After classes my friends and I did a scavenger hunt. We had to take creative photos with the landmarks we had to find, which made the game really fun. We started 20 minutes late because Jasmine and I had to convince for other people to join us, but the fact the we had to rush to get our pictures really got my adrenaline running. When we came back,two RA's checked our photos. At the the nightly meeting we found out that we won and got three small cakes that we all shared. Overall it was is really fun day.
Today we didn't have class since it's Saturday. Everyone went to the Farmers Market except for me because my dad was coming to visit. He decided to visit because he is going to India tomorrow and wanted to see me before he left. So he picked me up and we both went to Target so I could buy the things I needed and didn't have (like a seat cushion for my bike and a new helmet!!!!). After that we ate at an Indian restaurant call Punjabi Dhaba. After that we came back to the dorms and he gave me everything he brought from home that I asked him to bring. We said our goodbyes and he left. After that everyone came to the BBQ at the Rec Pool. While eating my whole cluster and I played Mafia as we bonded. Later, we swam in the swimming pool. After it got cold, my friends and I got out of the swimming pool at we played frisbee as a cluster. Then we went to the dorms and I took a shower and went to bed because I was exhausted. As a cluster, we really got to know each other today, and that felt really good.
Today was a slow day as well because I had Robotics lab the WHOLE day. Since we were cramped up in the same room for hours, we got two ice cream breaks by our very generous professor. We had to make our robots do certain tasks, and it got very frustrating because the robot did something different every time since we were working on carpet. But since I like doing this kind of things, it was fun for me. The only thing that I don't like about the class is that we get a lot of homework. All the other clusters barely get homework, but we get loads, so while we're doing the after class activities planned for the day, I'm planning in my brain how early I'd have to leave to have enough time to do my homework and get enough sleep because I'm physically exhausted during the day. What I don't really understand is that our professor tells us to go outside and socialize, but gives us homework and presentations that prevents us from doing so. Tomorrow I have TWO presentations, and a pretty easy page of homework due. Anyways, today we played sardines in a very confusing building. The building has stairs and corridors that lead to nowhere, or end up leading you in a circle. The point of the game is that one person hides and everyone has to find him/her. Once you find them, you hide with them. and slowly everyone gathers and you are bunched up in a corner like sardines in a can. After the time limit is over, the people who couldn't find the person have lost. That's about it.
Today was kind of a slow day for me. Robotics was nice and easy, and I was really proud of myself that I understood what we were doing in Biophysics. We finally get to use our bikes now, which has now cause a new set of problems. FIrst, my bike seat hurts so much that it is hard to sit on it. Second, the helmet keeps pinching me in the chin, and is lopsided. Actually, that's all my bike complaints. We had to sit in a lecture today, and it was kind of boring. I tried my best to pay attention, but ended up zoning out. We got ice cream afterwards and that felt so good because it was a hundred degrees outside and I almost died from the heat. I watched the movie Now You See Me in the lecture hall. That was fun, except the plot twist at the end didn't really phase me since I have already seen the movie. Overall, I am just glad that I have adapted to this new environment so quickly, because one of my fears was not being comfortable here.
Today was very tiring for me physically because we could not use our bikes. I am so excited for tomorrow because that will change and I won't be as tired and I will have so much more time to do things. In the Robotics class, what we were doing was not hard, but what really frustrated me was that since the carpet was bumpy, I couldn't get my Lego car to do what I wanted it to do. This really made me behind, but I got it to work at the end. In the biophysics class I was very confused, because although I have experience in robotics, I don't have much experience in coding. Majority of the math stuff we did in that class I didn't understand, but fortunately I sat next to two people who had experience in coding and they knew what they were doing, so they helped me a lot. Dory, a girl who was helping me, had a lot of experience in coding, and said I could ask her for help anytime. When I got back to my dorms and rested my feet because they hurt a lot. Then I showered because I felt very sticky from the heat. I went to Downtown and ate ice cream at Good Scoops, where I ate Lavender and Geranium flavors, which was quite interesting. My friends and I took a different route so we would know more routes around Davis. On the way back to our dorms, we saw an egg head, and we made a deal with each other that we will take a picture with every egg head on campus.
Today was the first official day of the COSMOS camp. I met my professors and the people who will be teaching me and helping me ameliorate my skills throughout the program. I woke up at 5:45AM so I could take a shower before the crowd came in. It was kind of effective. The first class I went to was for Robotics and it was interesting. I got to know my teacher. The next class I went to was for biophysics. Although it wasn't too bad, it got kind of boring and repetitive. I went to a seminar to learn how to use the library. I stayed awake the whole time to respect the teacher, but as I looked around, everyone around me had dozed off. After that I went to my last class of the day, where we started building cars out of Legos and programmed them to do simple functions. I was a bit slower than the kids because I messed up in one part of the car, so I had to take it apart, but it was fun. I like doing ROBOTC because that is what I learned in school so I feel comfortable with it, but I know that I will eventually have to do something else. The professor gave us a lot of homework, which was kind of tedious to do because we had to write directions to places step-by-step. But I understand the point of the homework because with coding you have to do everything in order and list everything, and never assume anything. I got to relax when I got to the dorms because I got to just sit down and make friendship bracelets and lanyards. Overall, my whole day was very busy and tiring. Hopefully it won't be as tiring as it goes on because we will eventually be able to ride our bikes and not have to walk everywhere in the scorching sun.
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