It’s finally here! Eight months, 6,282 words and 11 pages later, my Hawaii paper is done. This is a monument. And also just a recollection of my times in O’ahu.

The Very Beginning

I barely know how to begin or write about my time there. The whole experience was one of those things that creep in slowly without your knowledge until it becomes a part of you. There wasn’t a “BAM” or “lightbulb” moment in the whole trip. Maybe that’s why it was so different from any trip I’ve ever been on: it was merely life. It was living; it was feeling; it was caring; it was needing. It was laughing and crying. It was learning and sharing. But I must start somewhere.

I’ve heard the beginning is the very best way to start. So I’ll make the beginning of my trip at the O’Hare airport at 7:30am with Kara, my traveling partner and roommate for the next 13 days. Oh, and I’d only met Kara once previously. So here we are two minors, mere acquaintances really, standing with our luggage in an airport not sure what direction to go. We were directed to a specialty frequent flier security line. I’m thinking that it must be a mistake, but they let us through the line. We didn’t have to take off our shoes, coats, belts, take anything out of our bags or go through the body scanners. Heaven in an airport. We boarded the plane, took off and tried to get comfortable for the 8 1/2 hour flight to Honolulu, Hawaii. The flight was perfectly average. But on the way down, things got interesting. It was Kara’s first time on an airplane and apparently she wasn’t feeling too well. All I remember one moment I’m trying to get a view out the window and the next Kara fumbling around in the pocket of the seat in front of her for one of those little blue paper bangs. If there is one thing I’m a wimp about, it would have to be throwing up. Even after my Mongolia experience when the whole team’s breakfasts, lunches and dinners burst out of them like a water through a fountain I still can’t deal with vomit well. So I just sat there and said, “I’m sorry I can’t help. But are you okay? I just can’t look.” Yeah, I’m a jerk. Kara mended herself well though, and before we knew it, we had landed.

“Baggage claim B” was to be the rendezvous point for us and Joanna, our friend we were meeting. I was looking around for her when I heard familiar footsteps running behind me. I smiled, turned, and hugged Jo. I hadn’t seen her in a month and I hadn’t realized how much I missed her until then. After hellos were exchanged and leis were given to Kara and me, Dawn and the kids arrived at the airport.

I was going to spend two weeks with three kids. For me that was strange and kind of scary. I’m the youngest in my family, and I had hardly ever spent time with kids. I don’t know how to deal with them. If there was a little kid in the room, I would normally place myself in the opposite corner. So I was nervously curious to meet these kids and their mother. Dawn came out of the minivan and gave me a big hug. I knew that we would get along perfectly well from that moment. There was something about her smile and the way she said things that made me overcome my judging forethoughts and embrace this loving woman who would become my Hawaii mama.

Then I met the kiddos: Ellie (5), River (3), and Jack (1). I didn’t have to be told that Ellie was the oldest. I could tell. The way she asked me to sit over there or not sit here, and the way she explained things said “oldest” all over it. Over the whole trip, Ellie proved herself the oldest again and again by expressing her opinion on things and having a particular idea in mind for how things should get done. She would tell me how to properly set the table and explain to me how to brush her hair. In River, I saw myself. I saw her run around the grocery store and all of us go running after her and grab her hand in an attempt not to lose her. She would allow you to hold her hand, but she made it clear she didn’t need that. She didn’t need me or anyone else. Well, of course being 3 she wasn’t independent, but she was happy just being with herself and doing things herself and didn’t feel the need for approval from anyone. She was carefree and imaginative. She had the cutest smile and a giggle that immediately brought about a chorus of laughter from whomever was within earshot. I only remember her crying once and that was when she lost the game hot potato. After that, she refused to play it again because she didn’t want to lose. I saw my stubbornness and my mentality in general in River. Jack is the happiest baby I have ever met. All you have to do is look at him with wide mischievous eyes and he would laugh away. All three of those kids really got to me. They all taught me things about myself and about the world that only the illogical minds of children can teach.

From the airport, we drove to the house. A turn and farther up, another turn and farther up we drove. The houses were packed together with nothing but a few plumerias and hibiscus as boundary lines. All the garages were underneath the houses so when we arrived at the house, we pulled into it. Jo’s, Kara’s and my room was on the same level as the garage, so in essence, we got our own level of dominion. As I pulled in my suitcase, I saw laying on the full bed two baskets stuffed with macadamia nuts, chocolate, tea, and plumeria hair clips. Dawn knew how to welcome girls. After changing from our long pants into shorts, Dawn showed us around the house and then we showed ourselves around the street. On our barefoot self-guided tour, we walked on all the different types of grasses. Our Midwestern feet tingled with excitement at the feel of the foreign undergrowth. About the time we circled back, Timothy got back from work. The two little girls ran up to give their daddy a hug; I carefully observed and waited.

Timothy is the type of person who likes to discuss everything and try to figure everything out. He’s interested in different options and input, and will drop almost anything to have a discussion. If you agree with something, he’ll want to know why. If you don’t, he’ll want you to elaborate. Nothing was too small to be analyzed, even dinner seating arrangements or tomorrow’s lunch plans. We all had many conversations about biblical matters, doctrine, preaching vs. bible study and other everyday matters. Although I would probably find the extent of discourse exhibited there exhausting on a regular basis, I thoroughly enjoyed it for the time I was there. Probably because I’m the youngest in my family, my opinions of theological matters are not usually sought. I enjoyed defending my opinions and thinking about things I had never thought about before. I enjoyed forming arguments on the spot and deciphering what others were saying.

This, of course, took me my full time in Hawaii to figure out as did the characters of the others in the family. At the inception of my acquaintance with Timothy on that first glorious day in Hawaii, I wasn’t sure what to think about him or rather how to act around him. I’m in that awkward stage where I’m no longer a child, but not fully an adult. Some things I have a genuine right to say, and other things are completely out of line. So I’m stuck in the middle. Thankfully, I got through the whole time without offending anyone – at least to my knowledge.

There was something freeing about meeting total strangers, people who had never met me or my family. Their sole impression of me was based on me. Nothing my sister had done, nothing my brother said, nothing at all. I had complete control over their impression of me. I could set for myself new standards and a new stereotype if I wanted to. I and I alone was responsible for me. I found that thrilling.

I find myself unsure how to continue this account of Hawaii. Things are all jumbled in my head and I fear they will appear so as I try to shape them into words and trap them down on paper. Yes, jumbled they will be. As jumbled as Rob-bert and “put it in the corner”. Those jumbled, wibbily-wobbily, “don’t touch the mustache” moments are Hawaii and trying to organize them would be wrong. So, reader, I apologize for all the oranges and birth marks in the remainder of this overture. There’s more where that came from, believe me. I’ll try to explain as best as possible, but if you don’t understand, it’s time to flip.

In Which Strangers Become Family

Let me see, first full day, Dawn, the kids and us girls went to Pearl Harbor and the Arizona Memorial. It was a solemn start to our adventure, though I’m very glad we went. However, I don’t believe there is much to say about going there. If you’ve been there, there’s no point in me describing it, and if you haven’t, you most likely don’t care enough to read a paragraph about what it was like.

But something that day is worth talking about. And that is the U.S.S. Bowfin, a submarine that Kara, Jo and I walked through. Yeah, it was just your average sub with small rooms and hobbit sized doorways, but in that sub, I think we all began to hang loose. We got the vibe of each other and began to mesh. And started cracking jokes. Also on the sub, Joanna and I took our first swing video. We decided that at each place we visited we would take a shot video of us dancing and then put them all together. And I’m so glad we did. Just wait. But back to the sub. I think that submarine did for us girls what it did for its crew way back when: it brought us together. And it only took 40mins instead of a few months.

That day, we started what was to be the unofficial, unsaid system for the remainder of the trip. Get up, make breakfast, eat, clean up, pack lunch, go on various activities, come back home, make dinner, eat, clean up, stay up and have a blast. It was odd for me to dig into a stranger’s cupboard and fridge and start cooking as if I owned the place. I think I felt like I needed an invitation, but apparently I didn’t. And I think I like that. Only guests need an invitation; family just kind of shows up and does stuff whether you like it or not. I got used to cooking really quickly. The first few days it was more like an afterthought, “Oh, right and then we all cook.” But once I got used to the mindset, it was one of my favorite things each day. Kara and Jo and I would just scurry about the kitchen cooking this and cleaning that and having a grand old time. There’s something about doing productive things that bring out people’s best – or worst – side.

The next day, we went to Iolani Palace, the only royal building on American land. It was a beautiful building with a great tour. I think I would like to be woken up like a Hawaiian king, slowly, to the sound of music, and to the increase of light as the shades are opened. Lovely beginning to the day. After the tour we had a picnic lunch on the grounds of the palace to the sound of the Hawaii National Band. I’m not sure how it happened, but sometime after we had finished eating, River was on my back and Ellie was on Joanna’s and we were chasing each other around the big banyan trees. All of a sudden, a thought pushed its way through to my conscious: “I can’t wait until I and my friends have kids and we all play together”. Then I mentally stopped in my tracks and examined myself. “Woah… Was that really me thinking that?” I realized it was me – a slightly changed me, but me all the same. That took me aback for quite a while.

Next we went to the Art Museum. We looked through some classic paintings, played in a few courtyards, and then made our way to Modern Hawaiian Art. Scary place that. Decapitated dolls, busts that looked like Frankenstein’s monster, and queer bee children. However, I found Modern Hawaiian Art completely fascinating because of the descriptions of each art piece. I was struck by the pain and twisted minds of the artists. I was slightly horrified that the human mind could even think of such grotesque outputs. But mostly I was struck by how much these artists need Jesus. I had a longing to go and talk to these people whose soles were a patch work of torn paper, full of mismatched pages and pieces that shouldn’t belong. I needed to see these people and realize they are people. Not just messed up artists, but people. In their art they express the hurt we all feel, the rejection, the standards we can’t meet, the social norms that make us less human each day. Curious, I felt more emotion and pain over a naked watercolor than over the tears of the Arizona. Perhaps that’s because those modern people are so incredibly real. They’re living a life that might as well be death. They are lost, but they can be found. And that tore me apart.

Every dinner in Hawaii, we started by singing There Is a Name I Love To Hear, a hymn. Before I went to Hawaii, I was not really familiar with any hymns. Given I knew a few, but hymns weren’t something I regularly listened to or sang. Hymns are almost all Timothy and Dawn listen to, so I picked up a few while I was there and actually rather enjoy them. The words of some of them are just beautiful, while others I consider merely fun. When I came back, I actually did something I never thought I’d do. I was irritated and upset and so I searched my house for a hymnal (I found out that we do indeed have one at my house) and I began to sing. As I sang those songs that so many Christians before me had sung, I sang away my irritation. In fact, I sang my way right into a good mood. There is a place for all things of all ages. Over the week in Hawaii, Kara, Jo and I huddled around the piano and sang hymns together. I will always remember those times.

Learning About Love

Saturday brought a family day at the beach. But before that. Joanna got a call from her mother. All of a sudden Kara and I heard Jo say, “REALLY?” Turning to us she said, “Ryan’s engaged!” All three of us were just standing in our room packing our beach stuff thinking, “What?” After a few comments between Kara and I, we heard Jo say, “Well I hope he loves her.” We bust out laughing. There couldn’t have been a more perfect “Joanna” reaction.

The ride to the beach consisted of discussing Ryan’s engagement and listening to Cheaper by the Dozen. I love the beach. So much. I was incredibly eager to get into the water. Some things will probably never change. When I was 2 and couldn’t even swim, I would jump into the pool in my neighborhood and lash about in the water trying to swim. Thanks to my mom’s attentive eye, I’ve made it to 15. At that beach in Hawaii, I ran into the water with Kara who had never been to ocean before. There’s always a few things that I have to relearn when swimming in saltwater. 1) no splashing 2) no opening your eyes under water 3) bring chap-stick.

We rented boogie boards and I thoroughly enjoyed riding the waves. We also made Iolani Palace in the sand with the girls. That was when it happened. Yes, we had put on sunscreen. But that didn’t matter. That mere 30 minutes occupied making Iolani Place took its toll. Thanks sun. For days afterwards we were all in pain. I found it not at all pleasant to lie on my back. And poor Jo’s thighs were as red as a tomato. On the way back from the beach, we went to Crepe No Ka ‘Oi for the best crepes ever. And they were. I had an Italian crepe for dinner. Dessert crepes were hard to choose from. In the end, we ordered one with coconut, pineapple and macadamias and Daniel’s Choice: pure Nutella, Reece’s Peanut Butter Cup and banana heaven. Incredible.

Sunday was full of new experiences since it was my first time going to an assembly church. I was quite curious to see exactly what it was like. But before church, we had to get ready. Looking through the closet, Kara was stating her opinion on the dresses she saw: “Oh, that’s pretty, cute,” and as she came to mine, “well this is… Interesting…” At the time, I don’t think she realized exactly to whom the dress belonged. But I found it hilarious. Then there was a story of a little boy explaining his sister’s rash on her cheek by saying, “It’s because she rubs her face and says I’m so beautiful.” Over the week we all commenced to rub our checks and say “I’m so beautiful”.

But to continue to the meeting. The people of that church were the prime example of what the family of Christ should act like. Although I don’t think I could ever get used to head coverings, remaining silent during service, or staying seated while singing, I can’t argue with the type of character the people of that assembly had. I am glad I had some practice with a hymnal at the house before meeting that Sunday. I think I picked up a bit of sight reading in those two weeks. During the bible study, Jo, Kara and I took a nap and learned “Thank You Lord” in Japanese. There is a huge Japanese community in Hawaii and most of the people at the assembly were Japanese.

After service we joined some people from all the assemblies for a picnic at a park. I was tired and wasn’t too thrilled about the idea, but then when we pulled in I realized, “Ah, yes, we’re in Hawaii. All the parks are on the ocean.” This park was on the west side of the island, and I got to watch the sun set into ocean. It was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen. Before the dinner of pizza, Pringles, dried eel, Coke and tea, we sang “Thank You Lord” in English and Japanese. It was incredible hearing people praise God in another language. It was a reminder that we’re not alone. It took me back to the Mongolian countryside for just a second. Beautiful is the only word to describe that evening.

Monday was a pretty chill day. We slept in – which by the way was fabulous and much needed – and then went to the mall. We got several things at Ross and some food: Auntie Ann’s pretzels and these amazing passion fruit bars from the Cookie Company. Those helped us stay up even longer the next night.

Ah, night. The nights in Hawaii were incredible, as I’ve already alluded. The internet was an interesting story. Dawn and Timothy only had wifi on their phones and so whenever we need… or should I say wanted… to go online we would have to create a hot spot with their phones. However, there was only so much data each month and since it was the end of the month there was a limited amount. So NETGEAR became our friend. NETGEAR was the unprotected wifi of the neighbors that got us through the week. At certain times of the day, if I would sit with my back against the farthest wall of the house then, and only then, NETGEAR would give me the two bars needed to go online. We all looked like the prime example on 20th century teenagers sitting and typing away all pressed against the wall.

Around this time in the week, Kara and I realized that we hadn’t gone in the back yard yet. It was a small yard with two terrace-like levels because of the house’s location up on the mountain. “We must do that”, we thought. And then, “wouldn’t it be funny if we spent all our time here and didn’t even make it to the back yard?”

At Last

Tuesday was one of my favorite days. Tuesday, after a few words of caution from Dawn, Kara, Jo and I piled into the minivan by ourselves and headed off to the Polynesian Cultural Center on the other side of the island. The other side of Oahu was only about an hour and a half away from Pearl City. The time was well spent listening to great music and learning a bit of Japanese. Everyday drink coffee. Or I drink coffee every day. Well I did in Hawaii. Except for that day I drank hot chocolate… That was interesting. But back to Tuesday. Any car trip in Hawaii really isn’t that bad because eventually you either get to the ocean or the mountains or both. After a bit of plain fields, we made a turn and there was the ocean. We lasted probably 10 minutes of driving past beautiful beaches before we just pulled over, kicked off our shoes and excitedly made our way towards the water.

It’s hard to fully convey the beauty of that scene. I felt soaked in the miraculous wonder of the place. The best way to describe it might be color. Blue. So blue. Deep blue. Entrancing blue. Enticing green. Smooth white. Engulfing yellow. Pure color. True.

After snapping a few photos and watching some surfers, we moved on to a rocky shaded part of the beach to have lunch. The spray of the water would occasional reached us and sprinkle delight onto our picnic. We set the mood with La Vien En Rose (which is dubbed the picnic song) and At Last by Etta James.

It just so happened that there was a hobo living right behind us under a ledge of rock. He just sat there on his phone for a while and then left. Kind of sums up the trip in a way: a fantastic time with unexpected things popping up right behind us.

To the cultural center we went. What a cool place. There were several reenactments with dances and shows. There was a riverboat show where people representing some of the islands of Polynesian would do a cultural dance. Sounds neat, right? Well I was expecting lots of sweet, smooth hula music. There was some of that, but some of those dances were almost scary at first. The women would shriek and jump about on these little boats and the men would slap themselves to create a rhythm and shout really loudly. We visited Samoa, Hawaii, Kingdom of Tonga and maybe one other island exhibit. Oh, man, some of the shows were hilarious. Interactive is da bomb. Hey Korea!

After exploring a bit and playing the ukulele, we were ready for dinner. But one of the workers said we should catch the last canoe ride. Why not? We decided. So slightly unwillingly, we got into a canoe, grabbed a paddle, and headed down river with our guide. We made light conversation with our guide and found out his name was Feehe (really have no idea how to spell it). Feehe was from the Kingdom of Tonga and was going to business school in Hawaii. On our way back, after some giggles, Feehe asked where we were staying on the island. After he heard we were an hour away he said, “Oh, too bad. We could have had a picnic on the beach with my friends sometime.” We all said how sad it was that we were so far thankful for the excuse (picnic with strange Filipino college age man and his friends! Sketchy…). But at the same time I thought how cool it would be. Just chilling on the beach with people I had never met. The world could be such a wonderful place!

Then the splashing started. I don’t know who started – it was probably Kara – but I’m pretty sure we were all pretty soaked once we got out of the canoe including Feehe. Then the best part of the story. Jo and I decided to take our swing video by the canoes since we had had such a grand old time. There was a Hawaiian band playing nearby and that in itself would have made for a great video. So Jo and I danced. After we started Feehe came over again and said, “You swing?” And I’m over here like “Heck yeah!” I explained how I was a swing instructor and how we all knew how to dance. “Well”, Feehe said, “I dance at college in modern dance class.” Like the day could have gotten any more amazing. Then in some Polynesian language, Feehe told the band to play something we could swing dance to. So here we were, swing dancing in the Polynesian Cultural Center in Hawaii with a guy named Feehe from the Kingdom of Tonga to a Hawaiian band playing a swingable music and just because we had decided to ask his name. How amazing.

Part of Your World

Wednesday was grocery shopping time. I spent a lot of time with the girls that day. One thing that sticks in my memory is playing with the girls outside one of the stores (we weren’t allowed in because we weren’t military). After playing hot potato and a few sad tears from losing, the girls crashed – on my lap. Two sweet girls sleeping in my lap – it was a wonderful feeling. Once again I found myself having motherly instincts. And something else… joy? Yes I had joy.

Thursday was our day home. Because of Halloween, and because we were exhausted, Timothy said he would feel better if we stayed in that day. We did some much needed cleaning – three girls with long hair in a room for over a week… it needed it. But Thursday was also the day we had a birthday party. It wasn’t anyone’s birthday, but we wanted to dress up and have cake, so we did. When we went upstairs for breakfast the girls were in princess dresses with little tiaras on their head and their hair in braided crown. They were so cute. And then River looked in the mirror, rubbed her chin and said, “I’m so beautiful.” We all laughed hysterically.

We made some fabulous food. And then went down to make ourselves beautiful for dinner. Dawn had given us some old clothes she didn’t want and we all found a black dress that fit us perfectly. Those along with make-up and pin-ups. We looked good.

After dinner, we had a wedding with the girls. This was one of their favorite games. A wedding, in their mind, was the only time you danced. So playing wedding meant dancing. Right up my alley. We put on some classical music and I picked up one of the girls and waltzed around the room. Then we broke out Tobymac. Yes, I did teach a 3 year old how to fist pump and wipe her hair. And rock on. It was great. I’m going be an interesting mother…

The girls began to get sleepy, and we began to get slap happy. In the next 20 minutes Jo fell in love with a doll, oranges became associated with French kissing, and I called my mom to save me.

I got many souvenirs, several things to give away and other to keep for myself. I got two shirts in Hawaii – from Goodwill. What can I say, thrift shops are great! Besides, how cool is it to say, “Yeah, I got this shirt from a Goodwill in Hawaii.” Getting shirts at tourist attractions is way too mainstream.

Our North Shore Adventure

The previous Sunday, I had met one of the only teenagers in Ocean View’s assembly: Lisa. Joanna, of course, had known her for several weeks and had offered to take her senior pictures. Kara and I got to tag along for the fun. The day we went happened to be Lisa’s birthday. At Goodwill we had bought her a shirt and then we made her a card. Joanna, Kara and I had worn our new merchandise from the thrift store. Goodwill buddies! On our way to the north shore, we stopped at a few shops and walked along the road that runs basically parallel to the ocean for a ways. I’m really not sure how it happened, but we walked far from the car and ended up on the beach. After Jo had taken pictures and the light had run out, we headed back. We had planned to buy some ice cream on the way back, but apparently shops close at sunset on the North Shore. We took that as a hint and picked up our pace to get back to the car. Then, of course, it started to rain. Then Kara noticed a hole in her purse. The keys to the car and the key fob where gone.

Freak out time. It was dark; it was raining; it was sketchy; the car is a half mile away, and the key fob is over $100. We start taking out our cellphones and search the ground for the keys. A long five minutes passed of searching. Then we did what we should have done in the first place and had Kara check her pockets. The keys were there!

After we got to the car, we drove back to the beach and had a picnic dinner of cold chicken packets, fruit and string cheese. The van was kind of an awkward place to eat in because of the three car seats that had become a part of the car. We tried moving one, but with no luck. So I sat in it. That probably added to the awkwardness, but oh well.

Once we got back to Lisa’s town, we stopped at a strip mall and got ice cream. Ginger bread ice cream is amazing, FYI. Because of the rain and lights, Joanna and I took an awesome swing video. It was the perfect end to a wonderful day.

Soaking It All In

Waimea Bay was our destination on Saturday. Once again the whole family packed the car and drove off ready for sun and snorkeling. We made sure to lather up with sunscreen and reapply every hour. Into the bay we walked further and further down, I getting more and more excited to swim. Timothy asked the life guard what was the best place to snorkel in the bay and then Timothy told us we should talk to the life guard to get a better feel for the waters. Timothy also told us that if our goggles fogged up, we were to spit in them. I had snorkeled before and had heard this trick, but Kara and Jo thought it strange though they believed him. The lifeguard told us another way to prevent our goggles from fogging. He said to pick some leaves from a nearby plant that he showed us and then rub the goggles with them. We walked towards the plant and then Jo said, “Wouldn’t it be funny if he just told people to do that just to watch them go and make an idiot of themselves?” This thought was very hilarious, but seem so likely to be plausible that we all felt a little gullible rubbing the leaves in our goggles.

After a delightful hour of swimming about and looking at fish, we were ready for a break. We all enjoyed the beautiful scenery for a while and then watched the kids so Dawn and Timothy could get away and snorkeling themselves. It was the first time they had been without the kids in years. Joanna and I made our swing video and then picked up the girls for some pictures. Now, River loved the water. She would run right into it, get salt in her eyes, rub it out and then continue splashing about. Ellie, on the other hand, wouldn’t go ten paces close to the water and would run further back when the waves crept up the sand. But when we would hold Ellie’s hand or pick her up, she would come closer to the water. Little Jack had to be kept off of the sand, and so Kara held him. At this time, Kara had some gum in her mouth and was blowing bubbles. Jack found this fascinating and would want to pop every bubble she blew. At each blown bubble getting steadily bigger he would get totally serious and look at it with wonder. Then he would reach out to touch it and when it would pop, he would laugh and laugh completely pleased.

With the sun sinking behind the cliff walls of the bay, the beach closed and we made our way up to the car. River was tired and was having a hard time climbing up the steep path, so I gave her a piggy back ride. I swear, after that week and that day, my muscles were so sore. Finally at the top, I wanted to get some photos of the girls before I left. River was more than willing. She gave me her gorgeous smile and then I told her to make a face. She didn’t know what this meant and so I gave her some examples. She caught on quite quickly.

For dinner we decided we needed to stop at a restaurant. The options were either sushi or McDonald’s. I was totally up for sushi because I had never stopped at an actually sushi restaurant before, but we couldn’t get sushi to go. Then I made the mistake of saying that I had never had a meal at McDonald’s before. I found myself with a Big Mac in my hand with the expectation of me eating it lingering about. It actually wasn’t too bad. But I was hungry. It was slightly painful eating meat with the knowledge of what had been done to it, but I got over it. So American.

So Long

Sunday. My last full day on that beautiful island of rainbows and sunsets. Of course the morning consisted of church. Good stuff. After service, Jo, Kara, and I gathered around the piano and sang a few hymns including several with particularly high notes in them (those make me happy). I found out later that I am now referred to as “that girl who can sing really high” in Hawaii now. I’m very much okay with that.

Sunday afternoon was the time we did the typical Hawaii vacation stuff. We walked along Waikiki Beach and visited the shops. That beach, compared to the others, I didn’t like very much. Don’t get me wrong, it was a beach, so I freaking loved it. But Waikiki seems somehow less real than the other beaches I went to. There was more concrete and garbage. Not to mention people. The beach itself was also much smaller. But I thoroughly enjoyed the tall buildings of the city less than 10 feet from the beach. It’s basically my dream: big city, beach.

One thing I did not expect at all was the high population of homeless. Because of its year-long warm weather, Hawaii is a hot spot for hobos. One cardboard sign I appreciated was: won’t lie, want beer. Pretty sure that guy got more money than any other. In the public restrooms, there were two homeless ladies doing dishes and talking about the latest neighborhood gossip just like any other women would. I found myself wanting to be a part of this little homeless clique. There is a sort of beauty in the idea of sleeping under the stars every night and not really owning anything… A kind of excitement.

But the sun was setting and soon it was time to go. So with one last swing video, I said goodbye to the last day I had in Hawaii.

Of course, the way back doesn’t seem as interesting as the way there because I was so tired and the excitement of flying was gone. One thing that did happen was daylight savings, though. Thanks to that, and dead phone batteries, Kara and I almost missed our flight. Thanks to Dawn for waking us up before the crack of dawn. As morning came, Kara and I were lifted into the rising sun and made our way across the sky. I would also like to thank the hostess for finding my sweater for me and that nice middle aged man for making Kara’s bag fit in the overhead bin.

Then we were back. My mom picked us up, and we drove home. Kara left the next day, and I was left to ponder through everything that had happened and everything I had learned and to write this.

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