Week 5: 1/29-2/4

Sunday: Whale Watching

Getting a chance to relax and go out on a boat for whale watching is a great way to spend a Sunday morning. I woke up at 7 am in order to go whale watching because the best time to see the whales is in the early morning. It was really nice to relax and spend the day on a boat. The entire time I was on the ship I stood at the Bow looking for whales, laughing and hanging out with my friends. (And yes of course we did the Titanic pose while up there, we would have been crazy not to J). We did end up see two whales from a distance but only got a glimpse of the blowholes. It was still a neat experience to kind of see the whales and to know that they are so close to shore. Along with this, on the way back to the dock, we went along the coast and saw hidden waterfalls and little inlets that can’t be seen from the island. It was really pretty. I think my favorite part was just getting to be back out on the water; it was so relaxing. After whale watching, my friends and I actually made it to Brunch. Brunch is my favorite meal at the dining hall. They have all you can eat pancakes, eggs, meats, bagels, fruit, waffles, really any kind of breakfast food you can imagine. After brunch we got together and worked on some homework and relaxed the rest of the afternoon.

Monday: Canoeing

It was just a normal day of classes. I went to class, ate lunch with my friend Michaela, did some homework, worked on my marine science renewable energy project with my friend Elaine and took a walk. After that I went canoeing again. Today was the first pretty day I have had while Canoeing and it was amazing. The waves were calm so we were able to paddle past the break wall into the Pacific Ocean. It was a really neat experience. After canoeing I got dinner with my bible study and we hung out for a little while.

Tuesday: Classes and Lab

Today was my second day getting to work in the lab and I got to run through a practice set by myself. I also got to learn how to input the data set into excel and what it all means. After doing lab work I went paddling with the canoe club in my favorite canoe Pono. Chris, who is one of the guys from paddling, showed me some new techniques to practice and to get better at while I am here. After that I came back to school grabbed dinner and did some homework.

Wednesday: Free Lunch

Today was a normal day, I went to classes, did homework, studied for my Aquaculture Exam on Friday, went to BCM’s free lunch- which was delicious we had homemade curry, took a walk, ate dinner with my friends and hung out for a little while and then went to sleep. Wednesdays are usually my catch up on homework and sleep day so I don’t do a lot of fun and exciting adventures.

Thursday: Lei making

A favorite activity of mine and one of my goals while I am in Hawaii is to learn how to make lei’s. Today, my RA La’s held an activity where he taught us how to make a Hilo braided lei using one leave. My friends, Alexa, Elizabeth, Deana and I went to the session. It was really neat to learn a new technique to making lei’s. Each time I have practiced, I have gotten better at making them. After making lei’s, I studied more for my exam and went paddling again. When we finished paddling my friends and I went to BCM for dinner, small group discussions and worship. It is one of my favorite nights of the week! We also signed up for what I think is going to be one of my favorite adventures of the semester…White roads. Read my blog next week to find out all about it!

Friday: Lava flow in ocean. 1 month

It’s hard to believe I have been here for a month. Can you believe it? A MONTH!!! Time sure does fly when you are having fun! This last month has been a real adventure and I have started to step more and more out of my comfort zone. Never would I have thought I would go cliff jumping not once but twice, rock climb up the side of a cliff to go do the cliff jumping, get a chance to swim with sea turtles and do so many other incredible activities. In order to celebrate my time here my friend and bible study leader Emma took Alexa, Stefanie, and I to see the lava that is flowing into the ocean. The hike is about an hour away from us so we left around 4:30 in the afternoon and got there around 5:30. We then made the 2 hour hike, around 4.5 miles, out to the observation point. We had to walk out over the old lava fields to see the lava. By the time we got out there, it was pitch black and you were able to see the lava flowing into the water. It looked like a firehose sprung a leak and was just gushing out hot molten lava. We sat there for about an hour just looking at the lava. It was absolutely INCREDIBLE! It just blows my mind that I was able to see it! We then made the hike back and arrived at the car around 10:30 pm. We were so hungry after the hike and the fact that we forgot to eat dinner before we went so we stopped at McDonalds and got pineapple mango smoothies and fries. We made it back to campus around midnight. I had just enough time to shower and pack my bag for my trip to Waipio in the morning.

Saturday: Waipio Valley and Cherry Blossom Festival

Today’s adventure to Waipio Valley was a blast! My friends and I all were able to get into the same van, and it also happened to be Kailah’s van and she is pretty awesome. We were jamming all the way to the valley. All of us were dancing, singing, laughing and have a great time being crazy. When we got to the Valley we spent some time taking pictures at the look out and then began the journey down the hill. It was about a 2-mile hike down the nation’s longest and steepest road. The whole time your knees are bent so that you have some balance. You are not allowed to take a car down the road if it isn’t 4 wheel drive. I can’t imagine driving down that hill in the first place it is so scary!! When we got down to the bottom of the hill, we followed the road through mud puddles but at the end of the road was an incredible view. As soon as we got over this little hill you could see the ocean and it was breath taking. The wave were huge and had about a 10 foot swell, there were palm trees with tons of coconuts, a pretty black sand beach and when you looked to the left or right you could see the walls of the valley! It was just INCREDIBLE! (I seem to say that a lot but it is so true.) We spent about 3 hours exploring the valley. My friends and I walked along the beach, did a little photo shoot, had a dance party with the amazing Kailah and Lucile, two of the van drivers and the ones who gave me the nickname Maddie, and walked to the river that flows in the valley so we could see the mountains behind it. When we were done exploring we hiked back up the steep steep hill. Lots of my friends raced up the hill to try and beat Kailah and Lucile up, but I decided to take my time and not kill myself. So I was the last one up the hill and the only one who was not bright red and dying of breath. Everyone got up the hill in about 45 minutes, but I took just over an hour so I wasn’t that far behind either so it was a win win to me! After the hike in Waipio Valley, we went to the Cherry Blossom Festival in Wimea and relaxed for an hour under the shade of a Cherry Blossom Tree. After eating some amazing food and relaxing we headed back to campus and had another dance party in the car. When we got back we all went to dinner as a group. When I made it back to my room I crashed and slept for about 12 hours. I needed to catch up on some sleep apparently.

#WhaleWatching #Canoe #Lab #FreeLunch #Leis #LavaFlow #WaipioValley #CherryBlossomFestival