Ever since I was three years old, I’ve been fascinated with the ocean. Fish, sharks, turtles, dolphins; if it lived in water, I liked it. A little later in life, I also became fascinated with Hawaii when my grandfather played a song from one of Israel Kamakawiwo’ole’s albums. When freshman year rolled around and an announcement was sent out about a trip that combined these two fascinations, I jumped at the chance. What I got out of it was more than pretty pictures and bragging rights.
The greatest thing about this trip is discovering that you are wrong. So many times, we make judgments before we ever experience something for ourselves. Although I find it hard to explain how, Hawaii was so much different than I expected. At first, I thought that the trip wasn’t living up to my expectations, and I felt almost cheated and deceived. I thought I knew exactly what I was getting into and felt overwhelmed when the classes and the work were harder and more intense than I expected. Now that I think about that, I have no idea why I felt like that. This trip was the best thing I have ever had the privilege to be a part of. From the people, the food, the culture, and the places, every aspect of this trip blew me away. I’m not a very sentimental person, but this experience literally changed my life, and I will never be the same because of it.
Before I get into my likes, dislikes, and declarations, I’d like to take a paragraph or so to talk about the people that made this trip possible. First, Katie Hartman, who sponsored Whiteland’s group this year. You have no idea how many memories and life lessons you’ve given the seven of us this summer. Even though you abandoned us to go to the freshman center this year and even though Suzie thinks you’re lazy, we all love you. Second, Taira Lynch, who teaches at Batesville high school. You’re literally the coolest person over the age of thirty I’ve ever met. You became a second Hartman to the Whiteland group and we all love you as well (sometimes more than Hartman). Thirdly, Uncle Dennis, Aunt Renee, Kumu Monica, and Mari: I can’t even begin to explain how much all of you mean to me. Without your knowledge, experience, and love for teaching, this trip would not be possible. All of the amazing experiences, impromptu tours, and in-depth explanations you offered to us are above and beyond what I would have ever expected. My only hope is that I will get to see you all again.
Since I had so many favorite experiences on this trip, it’s impossible to pick one as my absolute favorite. Each experience was unique and was the best thing I had ever done. However, I can point out some memorable ones. One of the ones that sticks out the most to me is our snorkeling labs. Before I got there, I was terrified of jumping into water and I definitely wasn’t the best swimmer. By being forced out of my comfort zone, I not only jumped off of rocks into water but also became a better swimmer. While in the water, we saw so much wildlife that most people will only see on TV. The most memorable animals I saw were parrotfish, urchins, sea cucumbers, and sea turtles. Another memorable day was when we went to visit the Mo’okini heiau, which is preserved by Auntie Momi, a Hawaiian priestess. There was so much history in that place that you couldn’t help but be amazed and changed in some way by it. More experiences that stick out to me were the impromptu trips to see the manta rays (we were unsuccessful) and our volcano day on Kilauea.
One of the scariest experiences on the trip for me was the night time tide pool lab. The rocks were sharp, my headlamp wasn’t facing the right way, and I kept slipping all over the place. I kept waiting to fall into a tide pool and on to an urchin, called wana by the locals. Ironically, the day time tide pool lab was one of my favorite labs. My group found things such as sea cucumbers, urchins, fish, worms, and an orange sea slug. It was really amazing to see so much wildlife in one place.
Many people who weren’t on the trip had the idea that this was a vacation; however, it was the farthest thing from it. Yes, we were in Hawaii, and yes, we did relax at the beach several times, but the trip was a lot of hard work. For half the day, we were in four classes at the school taking notes and listening to lectures; for the other half of the day, we were either out on the water doing a lab, hiking to a volcano, or going on cultural tours. There was so much information for us to learn and such a short time to do it. At the end of our seminar, we were all required to take a final to receive our high school credit. The final consisted of fifty multiple choice questions and two essays. One of my reasons for going on the trip was to determine if I wanted to study marine science in college. To my surprise, I discovered that I don’t. While it’s great to learn about all the wildlife and oceanography and the labs were amazing, I wouldn’t want to do it for a living.
My overall favorite aspect of the classes was learning about the culture. We had Hawaiiana classes on certain nights of the week. In one class, we learned about Hawaiian myths and legends, and in another, we learned how to hula. The classes helped us appreciate the islands’ history and its people much more than if we hadn’t attended them. To go along with the classes, we also attended places such as the Place of Refuge, the petroglyph fields, and several heiaus, which allowed us to experience the culture firsthand. Also, our teacher Kumu Monica would throw in some Hawaiian words during class. Kumu Monica takes part in a group of people working to preserve Hawaiian culture in schools by starting a Hawaiian immersion program. This program consists of students studying not only English, but also Hawaiian as a primary language. Pristine beaches, exotic resorts, and unmatched luxury: these are things that come to mind when most people think of the Hawaiian islands. While these things may exist and be the bulk of the reason people visit the islands, in mine and the local’s opinion, they do not represent the true spirit of Hawaii. The true aloha spirit exists in the personalities and generosity of the natives like Kumu Monica, and the way they strive to preserve their heritage amidst adversity. These people are what really keep the magic of Hawaii alive.
I’ve accepted the fact that I will never be able to describe just how much this trip means to me, and I will also never be able to tell all the stories I want to tell in just one paper. However, the one thing I would like to get across is that I felt homesick when I got back to Indiana. Hawaii literally became my home. I miss it every minute of every day, and I can’t wait for the day that I can go back. I feel a connection with the people and the places there that I can’t describe. I also miss all of the people that I spent the trip with, whether they be from my school or not. My advice to anyone going on this trip in the future is to enjoy every single second of it, because time flies. It will be over before you know it. There were nights that I was upset, and I regret being upset because I will never get that moment of the trip back. I also regret not spending as much time with the friends I made, because I now don’t get to see them every day. This trip made me laugh and cry (sometimes at the same time) and I will probably never feel as free to be myself as I was on that trip. Mahalo to everyone that made this trip possible. Hawaii, aloha nui loa (all my love to you).
