BROTHERS AND SISTERS, ALOHA!

I can't tell you how many times I've heard that phrase. Probably a thousand, and it still isn't old. E komo mai, welcome to my new life in Hawai'i! I'm trying to learn some new Hawaiian words on the internet... but maybe I should take a class next semester. There aren't many English-to-Hawaiian translators out there (no Google or anything) so I just have to search for a word and hope for the best!

Hawai'i is beautiful. Hawai'i is warm. The people are nice. The pace is slow. On a bad day, just go to the beach. The temple "Meditation Grounds" offer public beach access just a short walk from my room, so I'm on vacation for a few hours each week. 

I could get used to this. 

I like my classes a lot, with the exception of my coaching class. They probably should have said something about the class only dealing with soccer online. I know the basics now, and how to set up a practice and everything. I still don't like soccer. I can say it for real now because I've played a little. Nevertheless, if you need help getting a soccer D License, I can help you out. By the end of this course I may get one just for kicks and giggles, because that's all this class is preparing me for. 

My new favorite place is the beautiful Waimea Bay. I have yet to jump off the rock, but I hear it's pretty cool. This is the perfect place to wave jump--but beware the breaking zone, it can get really nasty. Getting beat up by the ocean is something you have to put up with, though. It takes excellent timing and practice to avoid getting sucked under, spun around and slammed into the sand. Beware the sand package that will inevitably fall out of your shorts when you come home and take off your suit. The Resident's Office is closes early on Saturdays and is closed Sundays. You may have to be careful about tracking sand around your room for a few days. The best thing is to hit the showers first thing when you get home (yes, even before the caf, even if you're starving) to at least rinse most of the sand off of your body. There will be salt and sand in your ears and hair for another 48 hours or so, no matter how persistent you are. I like to think that I've learned every nook and cranny of my body thanks to all the sand.
Get used to this little guy, because these baby cockroach guys are just about everywhere. At first, it's terrifying and gross. About twenty of them later, it's just annoying. Ants are traipsing around the floor and the walls as well, but they're much easier to find, kill and control. The best thing to do is leave shoes and rolled-up magazines sitting out for quick killing. I even have a designated bug notecard that I used to scoop them before I flush them (just in case they somehow have babies on their person, if they're really big guys). I've only seen one big one (probably an inch and half) and she wasn't in my room. Her name was Mama Tika. We hope that Papa Tika is long gone, because Michaela never found him. <insert Psycho shower music here>


I'm headed to the caf to eat now, but expect more about living in Hawai'i later this week!