"Pancakes."--(Lynch, Hartman, Barna)
"I'm gonna get home and be like...now what do I do?"--Clare (Batesville Bulldog)
"What class is a shrimp in?"--India (Batesville Bulldog)
"What would happen if sea cucumbers grew out of our fingernails?"--Suzie (Whiteland Warrior)
"I wouldn't make a good woman." --Parker Tall (Batesville Bulldog)
Our trip name is Huakai 2011. Well...thanks to our wise and wonderful teacher, Monica, she informed us that because we left out the 'okina in Huakai, our shirts really say SEA EGGS. So, that is just wonderful. It should really read Huaka'i I believe. First off, before I start describing our Tuesday, I just want to say how wonderful these kids are...they are all currently sitting in the lounge together working on their lab for tomorrow. As soon as they get home at night, they get to work. It is just precious. :) Well, some of them are on Facebook and Skypeing their boyfriends, but you take what you can get. On Tuesday the students had class in the morning. They learned about sponges, cnidarians, echinoderms, annelids, mollusks and arthropods. After class and lunch, the group left for the Mo'okini Heiau. This is probably one of the most memorable experiences of the trip. The students get to visit the most famous heiau on the Big Island. This particular heiau was built for King Kamehameha in 400 A.D. According to Momi Mo'okini Lum, the high priestess in charge of taking care of the heiau, the heiau was built in one night by forming a human chain that was 14 miles long. The rocks that the ancient Hawaiians used to build the heiau came from Pololu Valley, which was the next stop of the day. The hike down to Pololu is a LOOOONG one, but we are able to take advantage of the best photo opps of the trip on the way down. At the bottom of the valley is a beautiful black sand beach. The beach was the site of their wave lab. After the long trek back up the mountain, the kids were off to Hapuna for another beautiful sunset dinner at Hapuna Beach. After sunset, we then traveled on to Puako where they explored some tide pools. For most, everything they are seeing, collecting, and touching is completely new and foreign. The night brings a combination of anxiety, excitement, and fear as they explore the tide pools.
