Hawaii

05/09/07

ALOHA!!! We spent our day (yes, only a day…a little less than 14 hours actually) in Honolulu yesterday. The first and most surprising thing I saw was a woman holding a sign about free shuttles to Walmart. The most shocking thing was that she was speaking English. Strange right? I know, we’re back in the States where English is the most prevalent (though not the official might I add) language but it really was strange hearing someone outside of my social bubble speak to us in English.

We went to Burger in Paradise and had the biggest cheeseburgers ever! The best thing was the tap water though!!! We haven’t had tap water in three months and they have been scaring us the entire time so we have even ran from ice cubes and washed vegetables. The beach was right across the street so after lunch, we headed over and stayed there for the rest of the day. It was a relaxing break from studying for our upcoming finals. They begin tomorrow. The water was perfect and clear as could be. It rained about once an hour but it was my favorite kind of rain, the sunny kind. I have the goofiest tan line ever.

The most difficult thing was the conversion rate. Back to the U.S. dollar. It’s about 100 pennies to the U.S. dollar, crazy I know! It was ridiculously expensive. I can’t believe I’m home in a week. I can’t wait to see your smiling faces.
In contrast to the rest of the ports, there was no poverty, no deformities, no begging, no hungry children playing in the streets. Instead, I saw beautiful beaches, surfers, obesity, tap water so clean we could drink it, gorgeously tanned bodies, palm trees, ABC stores – about two per street block – and American cars equipped with steering wheels on the left.

For dinner we went to a Mexican Restaurant. We wanted to go to a Luau but it was going to cost nearly fifty dollars so we passed. The food was great! Closest thing we’ve had to Mexican food in three months.

I found myself fighting the urge to bow with a thank you, a Japanese custom, or give a thumbs up to a car that allows us to cross. I think the ‘thumbs up’ is the most universal sign of approval; at least it has been for the ports we’ve visited. So when I come home and bow to you all instead of saying thank you or give you kisses on both cheeks as a greeting to signify my “singleness” or try to bargain a cab ride from $50 to $5 or eat with my hands food I should be eating with a fork, just bare with me…I’ll come around and be “Americanized” with time…but hopefully not too soon ;)

I’m very sad to leave the people I’ve met on the ship. They are hilarious and crack me up on a daily basis. I don’t know what I’m going to do now that I won’t see them every single day, morning and night. I wish I could bring them all home so you could meet them all but I have plenty of video for you to watch. Granted it probably won’t be as entertaining as I find it but it will give you a face and person to the names I’ll say.

I hope everything is well and I will see you all sooooo soon I can’t even believe it! Love you guys!