Thursday, July 9, 2009
So I'm sitting at the beach. Thinking thinking. And I just realized that I don't want college to end. I've been having so much fun these past 3 years, learning so much about myself as well as my faith. Who would want this to end? The work has been moderate and the livings been easy. God has just blessed me in so many ways. Now thinking about my future, I'm not sure what to do. But I'm beginning to think it might be here. Im so happy. I feel so at home, like I belonged here all along? I really want the next 5 weeks to slow down.
not a dull moment.
contrary to newbury park, or possibly even santa barbara, i must say, i haven't even felt the slightest bit bored here in hawaii. it's really quite amazing. not that i get bored easily, but that i'm enjoying myself so much that in both the slow and fast times, i'm very content.
monday. looking back to that night, it was rather fun for the start of the week! especially since i normally don't go out on mondays, period. after having class all day, it was a nice change of pace. monday was the first day we attemped the dining commons. ohh boy. haha! i've heard that we're spoiled over at ucsb, so i was a bit nervous that i wouldn't like the food. we met up with nina bonina♥ and the rest of epic summer project. gosh i love those guys. haha. they were all so friendly, and all so funny. some of the guys tricked me about their age. whyyy does this always happen? haha. i think it goes along with being gullible.
anyways. after dinner, we met up with matt and nicole and went to waikiki! it'd been a long time since i walked the "strip". haha. it was funny because becca and i have only referred to the strip as in vegas, so hearing it called the strip at waikiki was interesting. it was pretty cool, there were sooo many tourists! i felt like a local compared to them. haha. they were amused by almost everything. maybe i am becoming a kama'aina afterall. (; anyway, i was on a mission to find some bathing suits! unfortunately, i was unsuccessful, but becca came away happy with a beach bag she'd been looking for. :) haha.
after the strip, we headed to dave and busters! we had met up with matt's friend who ironically had the same first and last name as him, and since you need to be 21+, the other matt helped get us in! yayyy. haha. i must admit, it was pretty dead there on a monday night, but soon people started to show up in the gaming areas. we ended up winning over 1000 tickets. ho shoots! pretty good, ya?
then we went to zippy's! they're basically a plate lunch place that's open 24/7. i'm lovvvinggg all these 24/7 places on the island. not used to this! anyway, i had a delicious midnight snack, and then it was time for moi moi (sleep).
tuesday. NO SCHOOL! yess. gosh i love that we only have school every other day. so awesome. ♥ anyway, we decided to try our hand at the bus today. SO confusing! haha. there are sooo many lines, sooo many pickup spots, and sooo many times. haha. i must've called the info line like 8 times. no joke. but, we finally figured it out, and got there a-okay. (: ended up shopping at ala moana!!! amazing mall. SO big, we didn't even get around the whole place. haha. butttt, what i did get to, were the surf & bathing suit shops. i bought 2 bathing suits, muahahaha. i haven't bought a bathing suit since freaking high school, so i thought i deserved a suit or two. plus, they were much cheaper than the average bathing suit. ship it, holler! (that was for you, grant) that was pretty much the highlight of that shopping trip for mee. :) then we got back and went to dinner with aunite bettie, cathy, emma, suzie, dudley, and coltrane. kincaids! so good. it was really nice of them to treat us. so thenn, we came back to our dorms and actually ended up hanging out with some hall mates/guys from the floor below (some were actually on the football team!). it was nice to actually meet more people in the dorms. as friendly as the people are, the dorm has not put on any events or activities that facilitate meeting people. so that was pretty cool.
wednesday. second day of school. went by ever so slowly, but that's all right. we met a nice guy from the basketball team on our way out of class! it surprised me (in a good way) that he just walked right up to us and introduced himself and we talked all the way through campus. i still continue to be amazed by all of the nice people here. i wish everywhere could be like this!
last night was crazy fun though. we left kinda late, so i was dead tired by the time we got home at 3AM (!), but mann was it fun. we went to a karaoke bar--that's car-a-oh-keh, not kari-oki. haha! we went with matt, nicole & a bunch of their friends. i'd never been to one, so this was allll new to me. we enter a room, and there's this large table in the center, with padded benches on either side, all facing towards a blaring screen of flashing lights, and korean drama videos. words highlight across as eager participants sing along to their favorite tunes. if that doesn't sound amazing, i don't know what does. haha. we spend a good two hours there, singing along to backstreet boys, brian mcknight, spice girls, all the favs. if you haven't tried this, i recommend going! anyway, after karaoke, we went out to eat. lots of fun. met nicole's friend named dot, and he freaking treated us all. unbelievable!!!!! once again, i am amazed at how nice people are here. that act was truly an example of jesus. i was quite moved actually.
anyway, that was a really long entry. haha. so much has been happening. i feel like it's an adventure everyday! no, but seriously. today we're going to the beach, so i should probably go get ready for that. hope all is well back on the mainland, i miss you all ♥
-nickayy.
monday. looking back to that night, it was rather fun for the start of the week! especially since i normally don't go out on mondays, period. after having class all day, it was a nice change of pace. monday was the first day we attemped the dining commons. ohh boy. haha! i've heard that we're spoiled over at ucsb, so i was a bit nervous that i wouldn't like the food. we met up with nina bonina♥ and the rest of epic summer project. gosh i love those guys. haha. they were all so friendly, and all so funny. some of the guys tricked me about their age. whyyy does this always happen? haha. i think it goes along with being gullible.
anyways. after dinner, we met up with matt and nicole and went to waikiki! it'd been a long time since i walked the "strip". haha. it was funny because becca and i have only referred to the strip as in vegas, so hearing it called the strip at waikiki was interesting. it was pretty cool, there were sooo many tourists! i felt like a local compared to them. haha. they were amused by almost everything. maybe i am becoming a kama'aina afterall. (; anyway, i was on a mission to find some bathing suits! unfortunately, i was unsuccessful, but becca came away happy with a beach bag she'd been looking for. :) haha.
after the strip, we headed to dave and busters! we had met up with matt's friend who ironically had the same first and last name as him, and since you need to be 21+, the other matt helped get us in! yayyy. haha. i must admit, it was pretty dead there on a monday night, but soon people started to show up in the gaming areas. we ended up winning over 1000 tickets. ho shoots! pretty good, ya?
then we went to zippy's! they're basically a plate lunch place that's open 24/7. i'm lovvvinggg all these 24/7 places on the island. not used to this! anyway, i had a delicious midnight snack, and then it was time for moi moi (sleep).
tuesday. NO SCHOOL! yess. gosh i love that we only have school every other day. so awesome. ♥ anyway, we decided to try our hand at the bus today. SO confusing! haha. there are sooo many lines, sooo many pickup spots, and sooo many times. haha. i must've called the info line like 8 times. no joke. but, we finally figured it out, and got there a-okay. (: ended up shopping at ala moana!!! amazing mall. SO big, we didn't even get around the whole place. haha. butttt, what i did get to, were the surf & bathing suit shops. i bought 2 bathing suits, muahahaha. i haven't bought a bathing suit since freaking high school, so i thought i deserved a suit or two. plus, they were much cheaper than the average bathing suit. ship it, holler! (that was for you, grant) that was pretty much the highlight of that shopping trip for mee. :) then we got back and went to dinner with aunite bettie, cathy, emma, suzie, dudley, and coltrane. kincaids! so good. it was really nice of them to treat us. so thenn, we came back to our dorms and actually ended up hanging out with some hall mates/guys from the floor below (some were actually on the football team!). it was nice to actually meet more people in the dorms. as friendly as the people are, the dorm has not put on any events or activities that facilitate meeting people. so that was pretty cool.
wednesday. second day of school. went by ever so slowly, but that's all right. we met a nice guy from the basketball team on our way out of class! it surprised me (in a good way) that he just walked right up to us and introduced himself and we talked all the way through campus. i still continue to be amazed by all of the nice people here. i wish everywhere could be like this!
last night was crazy fun though. we left kinda late, so i was dead tired by the time we got home at 3AM (!), but mann was it fun. we went to a karaoke bar--that's car-a-oh-keh, not kari-oki. haha! we went with matt, nicole & a bunch of their friends. i'd never been to one, so this was allll new to me. we enter a room, and there's this large table in the center, with padded benches on either side, all facing towards a blaring screen of flashing lights, and korean drama videos. words highlight across as eager participants sing along to their favorite tunes. if that doesn't sound amazing, i don't know what does. haha. we spend a good two hours there, singing along to backstreet boys, brian mcknight, spice girls, all the favs. if you haven't tried this, i recommend going! anyway, after karaoke, we went out to eat. lots of fun. met nicole's friend named dot, and he freaking treated us all. unbelievable!!!!! once again, i am amazed at how nice people are here. that act was truly an example of jesus. i was quite moved actually.
anyway, that was a really long entry. haha. so much has been happening. i feel like it's an adventure everyday! no, but seriously. today we're going to the beach, so i should probably go get ready for that. hope all is well back on the mainland, i miss you all ♥
-nickayy.
Monday, July 6, 2009
back to school, back to school, to prove to dad that i'm not a fool.
disclaimer: for those of you who don't know what i'm referring to in the title of this entry, it's a funny line from billy madison. :) one of my favs.
anyway. that was my intro to my first day of school! man, this campus is large. i thought ucsb was really spread out, but going here, you practically need a car to get around to each building. and our dorms are pretty much the furthest point possible from my classroom. how convenient.
today i had 2 com classes. they'll be mon-wed-fri, so it'll be nice to have tues/thurs free. yahoo. hopefully i'll get in a lot of activities then. so far, i plan to surf, hike, go to northshore to see the sea turtles come out, shop, workout, and soak up all there is to do in hawaii.
first class today was all right. the prof was nice, but talked A LOT. haha. she took up the whole 2.5 hours! i've never taken a class that was more than an hour and a half that wasn't art. i guess that's what i get for taking a semester class in 6 weeks. haaa.
second class was better. the prof was really nice, and i clicked well with her teaching style. the only hinderance was that the class turned out to be something way different than what i expected. originally i thought it was going to be an international communication class, but it's actually about telecommunication. so i'm really hoping this is going to transfer. my advisor is out of the office for the summer, so we'll have to see!
oh! and let's rewind to last night. last night nina came over with robyn and we had a jolly good time. they're both so sweet. we ended up talking with this guy from ucla and even got into a conversation about god. it was so interesting to talk to someone about what the think and believe in regards to the Lord. it was also cool to hear from nina and robyn about summer project and what they've been doing! the Lord is doing some awesome things. please keep them in your prayers. hawaii needs jesus.
after being able to have a great conversation with matt about christianity, it was interesting to see how tolerant and respectful people are of each other's religions here in hawaii. while this is an awesome thing, and the people here have a lot of harmony between them, i think it makes it difficult to get the good news out here. it'd be truly amazing to see a movement started here. and that's what epic summer project is doing. :)
there are actually some summer start freshmen dorming in the same building as us, and i'm hoping to get to talk to them and even possibly share! we'll have to see how that goes.
anyway. i think i need to go & start my list of things to do while i'm here! haha. payyceee.
anyway. that was my intro to my first day of school! man, this campus is large. i thought ucsb was really spread out, but going here, you practically need a car to get around to each building. and our dorms are pretty much the furthest point possible from my classroom. how convenient.
today i had 2 com classes. they'll be mon-wed-fri, so it'll be nice to have tues/thurs free. yahoo. hopefully i'll get in a lot of activities then. so far, i plan to surf, hike, go to northshore to see the sea turtles come out, shop, workout, and soak up all there is to do in hawaii.
first class today was all right. the prof was nice, but talked A LOT. haha. she took up the whole 2.5 hours! i've never taken a class that was more than an hour and a half that wasn't art. i guess that's what i get for taking a semester class in 6 weeks. haaa.
second class was better. the prof was really nice, and i clicked well with her teaching style. the only hinderance was that the class turned out to be something way different than what i expected. originally i thought it was going to be an international communication class, but it's actually about telecommunication. so i'm really hoping this is going to transfer. my advisor is out of the office for the summer, so we'll have to see!
oh! and let's rewind to last night. last night nina came over with robyn and we had a jolly good time. they're both so sweet. we ended up talking with this guy from ucla and even got into a conversation about god. it was so interesting to talk to someone about what the think and believe in regards to the Lord. it was also cool to hear from nina and robyn about summer project and what they've been doing! the Lord is doing some awesome things. please keep them in your prayers. hawaii needs jesus.
after being able to have a great conversation with matt about christianity, it was interesting to see how tolerant and respectful people are of each other's religions here in hawaii. while this is an awesome thing, and the people here have a lot of harmony between them, i think it makes it difficult to get the good news out here. it'd be truly amazing to see a movement started here. and that's what epic summer project is doing. :)
there are actually some summer start freshmen dorming in the same building as us, and i'm hoping to get to talk to them and even possibly share! we'll have to see how that goes.
anyway. i think i need to go & start my list of things to do while i'm here! haha. payyceee.
update 2: learning how to be a kama'aina.
July 5, 2009
Everyday just keeps getting better.
Yesterday was the fourth of july. My cousin Suzie and her husband Dudley hosted a barbeque! We got to meet all the neighbors, and eat island food. Can I just tell you, I had some of the BEST food I’ve ever eaten last night! SO good. The barbeque wasn’t the typical haole mainland food, but instead we got to eat some real Hawaiian flavors. We had poke on wonton chips, with avocado and the Japanese fish cakes that are in udon with furikake. NOM NOM NOM! We also had lychee stuffed with cream cheese and macadamia nuts, huli huli chicken, homemade California rolls, and more. I was in HEAVEN. I’ve been loving the food out here. I love tropical fruits, so I’ve been able to eat a lot of that—and SO fresh! I was stuffed.
After eating and mingling, we lit fireworks! Apparently it’s legal over here, so they have boxes full of the stuff. I’d never lit one off before, so it was quite exciting & scary at the same time. Haha. I had so much fun though!
I think the thing that has impacted me the most thus far is the strong sense of family and community here in Hawaii. All the neighbors are like one big family, and within that the family unit is even closer. Everyone looks out for one another, and genuinely cares for each other. So different from California! In California, it seems to me that people generally look out for themselves and their own family. Nobody greets you randomly on the streets, nobody cares. I’m truly struck by the love these people have for each other here.
Last night was also an amazing experience, because Rebecca and I made our first friends. Suzie and Dudley have some next door neighbors with kids our age! A guy named Matt and a girl named Nicole (or Nicky too!). Nicole is in the same grade as me, and matt is just 17th months older—just like my brother and I. How ironic. Anyway, it was really nice to talk to people our age. Matt even goes to UHM, so it was nice to be able to relate on that level. They were so kind to us—and they had just met us! It was really refreshing to meet such nice people. We all exchanged numbers last night, which leads me to today…
We weren’t sure what we were going to do today, but Matt followed up and gave us a call. Rebecca and I ended up walking down to Puck’s Alley—a neighboring area with food and shops and such. It was pretty cool, and not too far of a walk. We met Matt there and he picked us up to take us to the Ala Moana mall. One of my favorites. :) We had lunch at Genki Sushi, where they had sushi on conveyer belts! It was SO cheap. I think I had 4 plates, and it only totaled out to be $12. I’m hoping to go back there again soon. Matt even said that this place was expensive compared to others. We then proceeded to go to our much desired destination: the beach. Matt was kind enough to bring along some surf boards for us too!
Rebecca wasn’t feeling so well, so I ended up learning how to surf with Matt. Although I didn’t exactly get to catch any waves since they were too small, I did learn a lot about paddling, sitting, and turtling! Haha. It was really nice being out there and just drifting in the waves. We went out REALLY far. The furthest I’d ever been! Paddling was exhausting. I’m pretty sure I’m going to be sore tomorrow. We spent several hours out there—the water was perfect. After our trip to the beach, Matt kindly took us to get some shave ice! Wai’ola shave ice is SO good. We had had some yesterday, but it’s so cheap you could have it everyday.
Tonight I’ll be meeting up with my friend Nina, who is out here on summer project! I’m really excited. We actually live very close to each other :) Just down the way! Should be fun. I think we’re gunna go get some yogurtland..mm, nom nom nom.
Hopefully these entries aren’t too long, but I’ve had a lot of experiences and a lot to say in the past few days! Hope all is well at home on the mainland. I’m pau [don’t’ know if this is correct grammatically, but I learned pau means finished in pidgin!]
Everyday just keeps getting better.
Yesterday was the fourth of july. My cousin Suzie and her husband Dudley hosted a barbeque! We got to meet all the neighbors, and eat island food. Can I just tell you, I had some of the BEST food I’ve ever eaten last night! SO good. The barbeque wasn’t the typical haole mainland food, but instead we got to eat some real Hawaiian flavors. We had poke on wonton chips, with avocado and the Japanese fish cakes that are in udon with furikake. NOM NOM NOM! We also had lychee stuffed with cream cheese and macadamia nuts, huli huli chicken, homemade California rolls, and more. I was in HEAVEN. I’ve been loving the food out here. I love tropical fruits, so I’ve been able to eat a lot of that—and SO fresh! I was stuffed.
After eating and mingling, we lit fireworks! Apparently it’s legal over here, so they have boxes full of the stuff. I’d never lit one off before, so it was quite exciting & scary at the same time. Haha. I had so much fun though!
I think the thing that has impacted me the most thus far is the strong sense of family and community here in Hawaii. All the neighbors are like one big family, and within that the family unit is even closer. Everyone looks out for one another, and genuinely cares for each other. So different from California! In California, it seems to me that people generally look out for themselves and their own family. Nobody greets you randomly on the streets, nobody cares. I’m truly struck by the love these people have for each other here.
Last night was also an amazing experience, because Rebecca and I made our first friends. Suzie and Dudley have some next door neighbors with kids our age! A guy named Matt and a girl named Nicole (or Nicky too!). Nicole is in the same grade as me, and matt is just 17th months older—just like my brother and I. How ironic. Anyway, it was really nice to talk to people our age. Matt even goes to UHM, so it was nice to be able to relate on that level. They were so kind to us—and they had just met us! It was really refreshing to meet such nice people. We all exchanged numbers last night, which leads me to today…
We weren’t sure what we were going to do today, but Matt followed up and gave us a call. Rebecca and I ended up walking down to Puck’s Alley—a neighboring area with food and shops and such. It was pretty cool, and not too far of a walk. We met Matt there and he picked us up to take us to the Ala Moana mall. One of my favorites. :) We had lunch at Genki Sushi, where they had sushi on conveyer belts! It was SO cheap. I think I had 4 plates, and it only totaled out to be $12. I’m hoping to go back there again soon. Matt even said that this place was expensive compared to others. We then proceeded to go to our much desired destination: the beach. Matt was kind enough to bring along some surf boards for us too!
Rebecca wasn’t feeling so well, so I ended up learning how to surf with Matt. Although I didn’t exactly get to catch any waves since they were too small, I did learn a lot about paddling, sitting, and turtling! Haha. It was really nice being out there and just drifting in the waves. We went out REALLY far. The furthest I’d ever been! Paddling was exhausting. I’m pretty sure I’m going to be sore tomorrow. We spent several hours out there—the water was perfect. After our trip to the beach, Matt kindly took us to get some shave ice! Wai’ola shave ice is SO good. We had had some yesterday, but it’s so cheap you could have it everyday.
Tonight I’ll be meeting up with my friend Nina, who is out here on summer project! I’m really excited. We actually live very close to each other :) Just down the way! Should be fun. I think we’re gunna go get some yogurtland..mm, nom nom nom.
Hopefully these entries aren’t too long, but I’ve had a lot of experiences and a lot to say in the past few days! Hope all is well at home on the mainland. I’m pau [don’t’ know if this is correct grammatically, but I learned pau means finished in pidgin!]
update 1: kaimuki!
July 3, 2009
After arriving in Hawaii yesterday a bit earlier than anticipated, we were kindly picked up by the local shuttle service and dropped off at our auntie’s house in kaimuki! Although the weather was surprisingly cloudy, the weather still managed to be as hot as ever. I believe it was about 86 degrees when we got off the plane! After that, Rebecca and I spent a few hours just chatting and listening to all of our Auntie Bettie’s faabbulous stories. Haha. She is so funny. I could talk with her for hours on end. Or rather, listen to her. (; Then, our second cousin Cathy and her daughter Emma came back! We were very excited to meet them. The last time we saw cousin Cathy might’ve been 15 or so years ago, so I didn’t even remember.
We talked for a bit, then decided to go to the local mall for dinner. Ironically, we ended up choosing to eat at California Pizza Kitchen to eat. Haha. And to think we thought we were getting away from home! It was good though. I’m always down for CPK. By the time we got home, becca and I were exhausted. So we went to sleep. By 10:30! We are champs.
Today was even better. I awoke to the gleaming sun at approximately 7:30am. Not bad (for cali time). I thought I would’ve slept longer, but now that I think about it, I spent most of my 2 flights yesterday sleeping, so in actuality I didn’t lose that much sleep at all. We chilled out a bit, ate breakfast, and you wouldn’t believe it, but we fell asleep AGAIN! Haha. So we took a quickie nap before we were off to the Bishop museum!
Cousin Suzie was kind enough to let us use her membership to get in for free. [Upon exiting Rebecca and I noticed that an adult ticket was a whopping $15!] I was quite excited. If you don’t know already, I am absolutely OBSESSED with Hawaiian culture. So naturally, this would be the perfect place to take me. And not only that, but I love museums, and I love art. The museum featured just about everything you’d want to know about the history of the Hawaiian Islands, Polynesia, volcanoes, surfing, and Hawaiian royalty. I was amazed. I could’ve spent all day there!
After that we stopped by cousin Suzie’s house to pick up Auntie Bettie. Which was too funny, because as we walked into the house we noticed her little body stretched out across the couch, fast asleep! Apparently she had taken some Benadryl for her allergies and it made her tired. Haha. Anyway, cousin Suzie’s house was a sight in itself. I actually remember it from 5 years ago simply because of it’s incredible view of the ocean. I’m looking forward to visiting it again for tomorrow 4th of July barbeque!
Following the short visit to cousin Suzie’s, we took her son Coltrane and finally got to go to the beach! I love that at 6:30pm, you can STILL go to the beach. I would never think to do that in California, but here in Hawaii, the beach was still as busy as ever. The water wasn’t quite as warm as I would’ve liked it to be, but hey, who’s complaining? Haha. I hope I’m not spoiled by the time I come home!
So the FUNNIEST event thus far happened tonight. Maybe, just 30 minutes ago! We’re finishing up dinner, and Rebecca spots a fatty cockroach from across the table. She screams. Haha. and I, having never seen a cockroach before screamed as well. But we knew we HAD to kill it. Cathy suggested just forgetting about it, but Rebecca and I insisted we kill it. As usual, I assumed my regular bug killer role. [in my apartment, I’m typically the one that kills the spiders. Especially for jenn. ;)] As we were debating how we would kill it, Aunite Bettie comes in to see what all the fuss was about. She went on to say, “I’d kill it, but I have to get it in a place where I can shoot it!” Now, imagine a cute little elderly woman saying this with such vigor. Rebecca and I were dying. Haha. this was not a time to be laughing! Anyway, I had the fly swatter in hand, ready to go. The only problem was, it was hidden between the dishes. We needed to get it out! So Rebecca and I made a deal that if she moved the dishes, I would kill the beast. Agreed. Rebecca slowly removes the dishes, and just runs for the hills! Then I started after it. WHACK WHACK! My arm was shaking. I nailed it a few times, and it ended up falling in between the counter and the sink. The fight was not over yet. I managed to give it a few choppys in between and out it fell. Cathy, Rebecca, and I simultaneously SCREAMED for our lives!! There it was, out on the floor, still half alive. I decided it was game over. I smashed that little stinker and that was that. By the end of the whole thing, we were all laughing so hard that our abs hurt. I was even crying! It just reminded me of what a thrill it gives you to kill/overcome your fears. Too funny. I hope I don’t see another cockroach roaming around… we can’t handle all that high anxiety!
Anyway, so that’s our first 2 days. Haha. quite eventful you might say! Tomorrow we’re going to get up early and go to the beach before we move into the dorms. yesss, beach. :)
We get in at 1, and then unpack for a while, then off to cousin suzie’s 4th of july bbq! i am already having the time of my life. I’m getting a taste of my lifelong dream of living here, and I truly hope that I will someday be able to. Anyway, bedtime awaits! Aloha.
After arriving in Hawaii yesterday a bit earlier than anticipated, we were kindly picked up by the local shuttle service and dropped off at our auntie’s house in kaimuki! Although the weather was surprisingly cloudy, the weather still managed to be as hot as ever. I believe it was about 86 degrees when we got off the plane! After that, Rebecca and I spent a few hours just chatting and listening to all of our Auntie Bettie’s faabbulous stories. Haha. She is so funny. I could talk with her for hours on end. Or rather, listen to her. (; Then, our second cousin Cathy and her daughter Emma came back! We were very excited to meet them. The last time we saw cousin Cathy might’ve been 15 or so years ago, so I didn’t even remember.
We talked for a bit, then decided to go to the local mall for dinner. Ironically, we ended up choosing to eat at California Pizza Kitchen to eat. Haha. And to think we thought we were getting away from home! It was good though. I’m always down for CPK. By the time we got home, becca and I were exhausted. So we went to sleep. By 10:30! We are champs.
Today was even better. I awoke to the gleaming sun at approximately 7:30am. Not bad (for cali time). I thought I would’ve slept longer, but now that I think about it, I spent most of my 2 flights yesterday sleeping, so in actuality I didn’t lose that much sleep at all. We chilled out a bit, ate breakfast, and you wouldn’t believe it, but we fell asleep AGAIN! Haha. So we took a quickie nap before we were off to the Bishop museum!
Cousin Suzie was kind enough to let us use her membership to get in for free. [Upon exiting Rebecca and I noticed that an adult ticket was a whopping $15!] I was quite excited. If you don’t know already, I am absolutely OBSESSED with Hawaiian culture. So naturally, this would be the perfect place to take me. And not only that, but I love museums, and I love art. The museum featured just about everything you’d want to know about the history of the Hawaiian Islands, Polynesia, volcanoes, surfing, and Hawaiian royalty. I was amazed. I could’ve spent all day there!
After that we stopped by cousin Suzie’s house to pick up Auntie Bettie. Which was too funny, because as we walked into the house we noticed her little body stretched out across the couch, fast asleep! Apparently she had taken some Benadryl for her allergies and it made her tired. Haha. Anyway, cousin Suzie’s house was a sight in itself. I actually remember it from 5 years ago simply because of it’s incredible view of the ocean. I’m looking forward to visiting it again for tomorrow 4th of July barbeque!
Following the short visit to cousin Suzie’s, we took her son Coltrane and finally got to go to the beach! I love that at 6:30pm, you can STILL go to the beach. I would never think to do that in California, but here in Hawaii, the beach was still as busy as ever. The water wasn’t quite as warm as I would’ve liked it to be, but hey, who’s complaining? Haha. I hope I’m not spoiled by the time I come home!
So the FUNNIEST event thus far happened tonight. Maybe, just 30 minutes ago! We’re finishing up dinner, and Rebecca spots a fatty cockroach from across the table. She screams. Haha. and I, having never seen a cockroach before screamed as well. But we knew we HAD to kill it. Cathy suggested just forgetting about it, but Rebecca and I insisted we kill it. As usual, I assumed my regular bug killer role. [in my apartment, I’m typically the one that kills the spiders. Especially for jenn. ;)] As we were debating how we would kill it, Aunite Bettie comes in to see what all the fuss was about. She went on to say, “I’d kill it, but I have to get it in a place where I can shoot it!” Now, imagine a cute little elderly woman saying this with such vigor. Rebecca and I were dying. Haha. this was not a time to be laughing! Anyway, I had the fly swatter in hand, ready to go. The only problem was, it was hidden between the dishes. We needed to get it out! So Rebecca and I made a deal that if she moved the dishes, I would kill the beast. Agreed. Rebecca slowly removes the dishes, and just runs for the hills! Then I started after it. WHACK WHACK! My arm was shaking. I nailed it a few times, and it ended up falling in between the counter and the sink. The fight was not over yet. I managed to give it a few choppys in between and out it fell. Cathy, Rebecca, and I simultaneously SCREAMED for our lives!! There it was, out on the floor, still half alive. I decided it was game over. I smashed that little stinker and that was that. By the end of the whole thing, we were all laughing so hard that our abs hurt. I was even crying! It just reminded me of what a thrill it gives you to kill/overcome your fears. Too funny. I hope I don’t see another cockroach roaming around… we can’t handle all that high anxiety!
Anyway, so that’s our first 2 days. Haha. quite eventful you might say! Tomorrow we’re going to get up early and go to the beach before we move into the dorms. yesss, beach. :)
We get in at 1, and then unpack for a while, then off to cousin suzie’s 4th of july bbq! i am already having the time of my life. I’m getting a taste of my lifelong dream of living here, and I truly hope that I will someday be able to. Anyway, bedtime awaits! Aloha.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
no ethernet cord, no internet.
haven't had Internet for days! So I'm posting this via text :) I've been slowly writing about our experiences on word though, and will be sure to post with pictures and all once I get the chance! I can say though, that I am having the time of my life. Life here is amazing. I might never come back (;
Anyway, I'll post later! Aloha.
Anyway, I'll post later! Aloha.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
the journey begins.
just arrived in UTAH!
we are officially... further away from hawaii than we started.
instead of having a 5 hour flight, we now have a 6. but this is okay, because it was the more economical choice. :) and i'm alwayss down for saving money. thanks to my zeta bro, darrell, this all was made possible!
the flight was all right, i barely even noticed it because rebecca and i were so freaking exhausted from the lack of sleep we got from the night before that we pretty much slept through the flight. fine by me!
i'm really starting to get excited about hawaii now. i'm dreaming of the beach, literally. haha! i can't wait to get back to my normal tan (instead of remaining in the very sad pale state that i am currently dealing with).
when we get there, we're not sure what we'll be doing, but we're very excited to see our auntie betty. i'll update more as the day goes on. quiet time awaits!
please continue to pray for travel mercies :) mahalo!
we are officially... further away from hawaii than we started.
instead of having a 5 hour flight, we now have a 6. but this is okay, because it was the more economical choice. :) and i'm alwayss down for saving money. thanks to my zeta bro, darrell, this all was made possible!
the flight was all right, i barely even noticed it because rebecca and i were so freaking exhausted from the lack of sleep we got from the night before that we pretty much slept through the flight. fine by me!
i'm really starting to get excited about hawaii now. i'm dreaming of the beach, literally. haha! i can't wait to get back to my normal tan (instead of remaining in the very sad pale state that i am currently dealing with).
when we get there, we're not sure what we'll be doing, but we're very excited to see our auntie betty. i'll update more as the day goes on. quiet time awaits!
please continue to pray for travel mercies :) mahalo!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
