Culture Shock
Aloha!
I am in Kona, Hawaii now and I arrive safely after 10 hours of travelling by plane. Registration took a good few hours, and the time difference was a little rough the first few days. The air smells so sweet here! I have started classes and have a few textbooks to read, but so far I haven't had too much homework. My offical schedule should be set up next week, although I got my required volunteer work set up today. I have to do 10 hours of volunteer work each week. Apparently, it is the hottest in August and September in Hawaii, and very humid. It should get a bit better in a few days though. Today at 5 AM I woke up to the sound of pouring rain. It rained for several hours so it wasn't very hot today. I've been to different beaches about 4 times already, and the water is quite refreshing, although very salty! The first weekend in Hawaii the school leaders took us out to Mile 88 with waves over 6 ft. tall. It was a lot of fun, but very easy to get pulled under in rip currents. The only waves I had been in were in Californa, and nowhere near 6 ft. fall! Apparently the waves at Mile 88 are quite small in comparison to some other beaches we will be visiting. So far cafeteria food is ok (since there are a lot of Korean students here, there is rice at every meal) but because it has been so hot lately I don't feel very hungry at meal times. My three Korean roommates and I just spent about an hour going over some Korean words and phrases, and then I taught them some English things. I think that the diffierent cultures and worldviews are really wonderful, and it will be great to get to know everyone better. The local Hawaiians are very friendly I think. The lava rocks are all over the island, but on campus, they look more like a nice landscape job. There are geckos are all over campus, and even in our dorm rooms! It's like having a pet that you don't have to take care of. Except, you can't play fetch, or even catch them! There is a lot to do in Hawaii aside from school, so I imagine there will be more adventures to tell you in the future.
Cheers,
Amy
I am in Kona, Hawaii now and I arrive safely after 10 hours of travelling by plane. Registration took a good few hours, and the time difference was a little rough the first few days. The air smells so sweet here! I have started classes and have a few textbooks to read, but so far I haven't had too much homework. My offical schedule should be set up next week, although I got my required volunteer work set up today. I have to do 10 hours of volunteer work each week. Apparently, it is the hottest in August and September in Hawaii, and very humid. It should get a bit better in a few days though. Today at 5 AM I woke up to the sound of pouring rain. It rained for several hours so it wasn't very hot today. I've been to different beaches about 4 times already, and the water is quite refreshing, although very salty! The first weekend in Hawaii the school leaders took us out to Mile 88 with waves over 6 ft. tall. It was a lot of fun, but very easy to get pulled under in rip currents. The only waves I had been in were in Californa, and nowhere near 6 ft. fall! Apparently the waves at Mile 88 are quite small in comparison to some other beaches we will be visiting. So far cafeteria food is ok (since there are a lot of Korean students here, there is rice at every meal) but because it has been so hot lately I don't feel very hungry at meal times. My three Korean roommates and I just spent about an hour going over some Korean words and phrases, and then I taught them some English things. I think that the diffierent cultures and worldviews are really wonderful, and it will be great to get to know everyone better. The local Hawaiians are very friendly I think. The lava rocks are all over the island, but on campus, they look more like a nice landscape job. There are geckos are all over campus, and even in our dorm rooms! It's like having a pet that you don't have to take care of. Except, you can't play fetch, or even catch them! There is a lot to do in Hawaii aside from school, so I imagine there will be more adventures to tell you in the future.
Cheers,
Amy
