By Bob Krauss
Advertiser Columnist

It's not easy being 19. Kentaro Nakahara arrived here three months ago from Japan to find his dream. He wasn't quite sure how to go about it, so he started at Tokai University Pacific Center on Kapi'olani Boulevard.

After enrolling in school, he tried surfing in Waikiki Beach. With no money for lessons, he learned from his friends and by closely watching other surfers. But he still can't stand up on the board. Then he joined the International Soccer Team of Honolulu, which practices in Ala Wai Park in front of his school.

Kentaro is a great fan of the Honolulu bus system because it helps him explore the off-campus world on a low budget. But he hasn't quite mastered how the system works.

Gathering up his courage, he set out on an around-the-island adventure and got off at Turtle Bay to look around. When he got back on the bus, he made a mistake and found himself going back the way he came. He never made it all the way around. And now, the bus drivers are on strike.

Imagine yourself fresh from the family cocoon with the whole world to explore — and you don't know how to do it.

"I think I want to try a lot of things," he said. "I want to get a lot of experience. So I selected a school abroad."

So far, so good. But there are pitfalls on the road to experience. What if something you know you don't like turns out be entirely different from what you thought? For example, Kentaro said subjects that don't turn him on include science, politics and history. But he had a great time on a field trip to the Hawai'i Maritime Center.

"I thought you didn't like history," I said. "That's what the Maritime Center is, history."

"Oh."

He said he'd like to be an actor. But he's never performed on stage.

"So how do you know you want to act?" I asked.

"Movies and television," he answered.

Kentaro is smart enough to know that he should sample a lot of subjects in college. It's that huge, fascinating world outside of class that has him bewildered. When you're shy and don't speak the language very well, how do you go out and explore?

He did crank up the courage to play guitar at his high school graduation and for a program at Tokai. Mostly, he just strums and sings for friends. It's not his dream, just a hobby.

I asked him how he intends to pay the rent when he gets out of college? "I'll get a job." At McDonald's? "No!" Parking cars? "No." Taking people around the island on a tour bus? "I have no idea."

He's curious but timid. Do you have a bike? "Yes." Why don't you ride the bike path around the Ala Wai? Your bicycle can take you all the way to Diamond Head. A new thought, a little terrifying.

I'd forgotten what it's like. Smothered by indecision. Eager yet afraid. Peer pressure holding individuality captive.

"Don't get discouraged," I said. "It took me years to find out I'm a writer. I thought it was just play."

Reach Bob Krauss at 525-8073.