Adventures with Liz

Aloha...for real: Days 1 and 2

Well, I’m in Hawaii.

I had planned on updating earlier and on a daily basis for this first part of the trip, because I thought since we were staying in a dorm, we would have internet access. However, you have to be registered at the University of Hawaii in order to log in and use the internet; there’s not even a guest option like UD has. So I’m in this nice little internet café just down the street from our dorm that has all-you-can-drink coffee for a dollar. And unfortunately (or maybe fortunately for you silly people who actually read this), my updates will be less frequent than I had planned.

The first day was just a lot of traveling…and I do mean a lot. It was great times though; I had everything anyone could ask for on an airplane journey: obnoxious kids, drunken teenage girls, tons of turbulence, motion sickness, etc. Not to mention I had no idea what I was doing. But somehow I survived and made it to Hilo. And I got to watch House on the plane. After an exotic group dinner at Pizza Hut, we returned to the dorms and everyone went immediately to bed.

Our lodgings aren’t exactly first class, but they’ll work. We’re staying in a dorm at the University of Hawaii, Hilo. On the outside, it looks like an older motel…all the rooms open onto balconies. Two two-person bedrooms share a bathroom. Right now, I’m rooming with all three Katies on the trip. Makes things easy for me. So far, we’ve had ants in one girl’s bed and a traveling cockroach that we finally killed last night. Oh, and there’s no air conditioning. I know, I know, you feel so bad for me, suffering here in Hawaii. Shut up. Who asked you anyway?

The time difference is killer; I was up at 5:00 a.m. yesterday morning. Class started at 9:00 a.m. And I don’t mean fake class. I mean real, genuine, hardcore lectures that lasted for three hours. We learned all about tsunamis and tectonic plate movement. More on that later. After lunch, we went snorkeling. It was slow going at first; it takes a lot of mental motivation to overcome the idea of breathing with your face in the water. And the ocean was so cold! I heard that by the end, my lips were blue. But we saw some pretty amazing fish. We’re going back today…hopefully there’ll be more sun so that we can really see how colorful everything is.

The picture at the top was the view from the beach. This picture is of a couple of us exploring the volcanic rock that forms natural break walls.



Last night finished with dinner and a movie called “Violent Hawaii” that talked about volcanoes and tsunamis and whales. Now it’s another very early morning and we have a full day ahead of us.

Finally, since this is an educational trip, I thought I’d include some things I’ve learned so far:

1. If you’re traveling on a plane, your feet WILL swell and your toes will look like sausages. Wear sandals for comfort, but tennis shoes if you think you’ll be grossed out.
2. The time difference between Hawaii and home is 6 hours.
3. When they say everything is bigger in Texas, they are not kidding…the airport was huge! I had to run to my next gate just to make my flight.
4. Texas is not actually all deserts with bull horns. The areas we flew over were very green and lovely and there were a lot of trees. That’s why stereotypes are stupid.
5. If you’re worried about missing your significant other/fiancé/spouse, DO NOT travel to Hawaii. Your plane will be filled with couples either just engaged and on their way to get married in Hawaii or just married and on their way to their honeymoon. All the girls will show off their big, shiny new diamonds and the couples will cuddle and make out in front of you the entire flight, tripling the effects of motion sickness and missing your significant other/fiancé/spouse.
6. A tsunami is not just one wave, but a series of waves.
7. More people have died from tsunamis in Hawaii than from all other natural disasters combined.
8.I’ve seen what plumaria looks like (yes, like from Bath & Body Works).
9. All of the Hawaiian Islands were created by volcanoes.
10. The Pacific Ocean really is cold!

Alright, that’s all for now. I miss you all terribly. No, really, I do, I swear. It’d be way more awesome if some combination of my family, friends, and Michael were here with me. And probably if there were no cockroaches.

Look for another post in a couple of days!

posted by Liz @ 2:01 PM