Aloha

First stop… Hawaii!

Aloha! I made it to my first port! Hilo Hawaii. I had my first field lab; it was for my art class. We went to a place called coconut island and were drawing all day. That part of my day was not so exciting but when it ended the fun began. I met up with a few of my new friends and we went downtown to find something to fill our bellies. We went to a place called puka puka, a tiny restaurant that had about 3 tables and we filled the whole place. We were all telling stories to get to know each other better and we couldn’t stop laughing the entire time! But then again I haven’t stopped laughing since I got on the ship. I am telling you, I am going to have killer abs after this trip. It is getting to the point where my stomach is so sore from laughing but I just keep doing it. After our wonderful dinner we walked down the street to an alcohol free bar called the Kava Bar. The drink they served was made out of kava root. They serve it to you in a coconut shell and it tastes like mud water. The reason why we were drinking it was because of the fun ritual that went with it. Before you drink you have to clap once, splash some on the floor, some over your shoulder, then drink the whole thing slam it down and clap twice. It was a very joyful place and the locals had great stories to tell. One of the locals we met was a musician that ended up helping us find our way to rainbow falls. Not to sound silly but it was so calming and a great place for all of us to relax at the end of the day. When it was time to sleep we all walked back to the ship and had ice cream along the way. It ended up being a great decision to sleep on the ship because many people got in a ton of trouble in Hawaii when they stayed in the hotels, and now they might be getting bumped off the ship. Instead of focusing on a cultural experience all they wanted to do was get intoxicated, which was very unfortunate. To me this trip is about learning and experiencing everything I possibly can in the time I have. I want to remember everything I do rather than not remembering because of a few drinks.

The second day in Hawaii everyone went to the farmers market where we tried odd looking fruits, natural drinks, interesting foods, and met interesting people. While we were eating our way through the market a bird decided to take a poo on my shoulder. It was pretty nasty but we all laughed. Apparently getting pooped on by a bird gives you good luck.
After the market we went to Richerdson beach, black sand and lava rocks everywhere. I saw three massive sea turtles but silly me forgot to bring my camera to where we were and I did not get any documentation. The beach was packed with Semester at sea kids all climbing the rocks and swimming in the ocean. It was a good entry port for the start of the trip, but I was having so much fun I forgot to go to the store to pick up some items for our long journey to japan.

Since our time was so short in Hawaii I never fully regained my land legs. The whole time I felt like I was rocking back and forth, but I am back at sea now and loving life. My ocean campus is the best place for me.