Hawaii 2011
When I first heard about our school offering the Hawaii trip, I knew right away that I wanted to go. A friend of mine from Roncalli had gone on the trip a couple years earlier, and he said it was one of the best experiences of his life. The day I received the information I immediately went home to tell my parents about it. I begged my mom to just go to the meeting and find out more about the trip. She sat through the meeting and finally agreed that I would be able to go on the trip as long as I helped pay. After a summer of working, fundraising, and help from my parents, I made enough money for the trip. One of my good friends Laura was also going to be attending the trip and we were ready to go!
One thing that I liked was that we had classes prior to the trip. I felt that this helped prepare us for subjects and information that we would be learning. We were one of the only groups who had previous knowledge of the majority of things we were being taught. I also thought that the classes helped the members of our group become better acquainted and establish friendships before the trip. Our matching shirts that we had made also increased our unity and Hawaiian spirit.
The night before we left, I could barely sleep. I was all packed and just lying in bed waiting to get the show on the road. Although I was extremely excited to leave, it was still a tad too early to get up and go to the airport. The flight to Hawaii felt like it took forever, but while we weren’t sleeping, there were a lot of things to keep us entertained. One of the most amusing moments on the plane ride was when Ms. Hartman got stuck sitting next to a non-English speaking woman dressed in a Pepto Bismol colored outfit. For the majority of the ride she was typing on an electronic translator trying to speak to Ms. Hartman and the flight attendants. Watching and listening to this was probably more interesting than the movie that was playing. Even though we had to sit through about nine hours worth of flight time, uncomfortable seats, and other annoying situations, the journey, or Huaka’i —originally Huakai which meant Sea Eggs —to our destination was completely worth it.
The sight while descending into Hawaii was the most beautiful landscape I had ever seen. The greenness of the islands surrounded by the deep blue ocean was exquisite. The closer the plane got the more detail I could see. My sight was absorbed by the masses of lava rock, palm trees, beaches, and flowers. It was the most incredible place I had ever set foot on, I was in awe.
Writing the previous paragraphs about the happenings leading up to our arrival in Hawaii was quick and easy, but I have a feeling that I could go on forever about the events that took place and the memories that were made while we were on the islands. The sixteen days we were gone were jam-packed with craziness. Each day was planned out and full of fun activities and learning for us to experience.
I think my absolute favorite activity that we did was the tide pools at night. It was incredible to see all of the unique creatures that live in such a small environment. There were hundreds of different animals living in the pools and they all had different characteristics. The most interesting organism I found was the Red Pencil Urchin. It was about eight inches in diameter and had red orange spines. It did not look like a living organism at all. It looked like a plastic toy that you would buy at a store. I found it wedged between two rocks outside of one of the tide pools. It was definitely the most abstract animal I have ever seen.
My least favorite activity was probably the Rocky Intertidal Lab. The organisms we were supposed to find on the rock walls were Limpets, Nerites, Periwinkles, and Sea Urchins. Those animals were not very interesting to me and were actually very small and hard to observe. Another downfall of the lab was that the waves were knocking us up against the rock which was not very enjoyable while trying to do lab work.
I have many memories from my time in Hawaii, but I think the most memorable moment was going to Mo'okini Heiau. It was truly an inspiring and life changing experience. Walking through the Heiau made me feel very calm and peaceful. I did not want to take any pictures because I saw it as a sacred and religious place, and felt it would be rude or disrespectful to do so. Hearing Auntie Momi speak about her ancestors and their religion was extremely touching. During the prayer and the placing of the flowers, I almost started crying. The importance of the place I was standing in was so overwhelming.
One thing that I did not expect about the trip was that I would get over my fear of the ocean. I’ve been in the ocean plenty of times, but never to the point where I could not touch. I’ve always had a fear of being in deep water where I can’t see what is under me. In the past, every time I have had to swim in deep water I panic and can’t breathe, so going on this trip made me very nervous. I also have an intense fear of sharks, so snorkeling was a big obstacle for me to overcome. There were times during our snorkeling labs when I did feel a bit of panic coming on. The big waves and having to tread water for so long was the main cause of this. I felt very accomplished and proud of myself when I was finally able to complete the snorkeling without even noticing that I was in the ocean.
The biggest lesson I learned on this trip was to appreciate Earth. God made this planet so beautiful and there are so many unique places. I have always wanted to travel. I have a goal before I die to visit every state, continent and at least three countries in South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. Going to Hawaii increased my interest in traveling even more. It is another state I can mark off of my list. I definitely plan on going back multiple times and hopefully visiting every island I can.
There is not one thing that I would change about the Hawaii trip, except possibly putting a bathroom somewhere near Crystal Cove. From start to finish, it was the most amazing experience of my seventeen years. Everything that happened on the trip, good and bad, was a blast and I would do it over again a million times.
Overall, the Hawaii trip was the highlight of my summer and the best vacation I have ever been on. I made many friends and learned so much about Marine Biology. Not only did I learn about marine life and the ocean, but I learned about Hawaiian culture and how everything began. Learning about this made me appreciate diversity and the unique people in this world so much more. I will always appreciate the time I spent on this trip and the people I was able to spend it with. All of the friendships created, tests taken, sights seen, places visited, lessons learned, and memories made will forever hold a place in my mind and heart.
