Koke Hanau Kaulana

boost my brain energy and give me a bit of inspiration to fill my friends and family in about my time in Hawaii since my last post. Usually I have to wake up at 8 in order to get breakfast on the weekends, but today I woke up at 9:30, and walked to the dining hall hoping I could at least get some orange juice or something. I walked into the kitchen, and Chef asked me if I wanted one of the scones she was baking for the Fall Fest  (a desperate last minute attempt for the financially suffering YMCA to get some money). You have no idea how good it was. I'm so glad Chef Dorothy likes me, otherwise I would have been stuck with Cheerios or a piece of toast or something like that. Speaking of Dorothy, she and her husband took James and me to dinner last week. We all drove down to Moe's in Pearl Ridge and had a burrito. Dorothy decided to adopt me as her on camp daughter (James is her on camp son), and she offered to buy us both books at Border's after we ate. I felt like I was at home. It was great.

Back to my work experience, I had to perform a rescue on the Alpine tower the other day. We spent about 20 minutes trying to convince this little 7 year old, David to let go of the tower so that we could lower him, but he just wouldn't do it, so I had to go up and rescue him. After I did, he followed me around all weekend and talked to me like I was his hero. It was absolutely adorable. 

I had the day off yesterday, so James and I decided to take a hike up the mountain. We got just about to the very top, but we couldn't get any further because there was only rock face, and I don't free climb. It was an absolutely beautiful view. I have today off as well, but its raining like crazy (it starts raining a lot during the winter). Tomorrow is Fall Fest, meaning I will be working on the alpine tower for 8 hours in a row, with no break, unless it gets rained out, which I am hoping it does. I really wish I had a car so that I could discover some more of the island, but i'll have to wait til Kyle has a day off too. I am planning a skydiving outing for James, Kyle, Peter, me, and maybe a few other people next sunday. I cant wait. Skydiving in Hawaii has got to be amazing. 

Well...the countdown has begun. I will be home in 15 days. I'm so excited to see everyone and get a job that pays me. Im starting to base my life around my credit card bills, which is not a lot of fun.

Whaddsdascoops

To start, the title of this means "whats the scoop" or "whats going 

on" in Pidgin--the local hawaiian slang.

So, amazing news. The minute after I posted my last blog, I got a call from the casting agent for Knight Rider. She asked me to be at the shoot within the hour. I got dressed, found a ride and got to the Turtle Bay Resort (one of the nicest on the Island), and went straight into hair and makeup. Then onto wardrobe. Seriously, hair, makeup and wardrobe. How awesome is that? Then I went on set. The first scene took place in a restaurant in Washington D.C. I have no idea why they decided to film it at a resort on Oahu, but oh well. The second scene took place at the beach club outside of the resort. After I got into a second outfit and visited hair and makeup once more, i headed to the beach party and was paired to be with a guy named Reid. He was really nice, and actually reminded me of the Hawaiian version of Matt from Wesleyan. We basically stood and talked the entire time, and tried to manipulate ourselves so that we would be in the view of the camera. It was awesome. We both tried to point out the famous people and didnt recognize them, but later we used his iphone to find out that it was actually most of the actor's first principle parts. It was still awesome though. I cant even describe it. Hopefully Lost will call when they start filming. A few of the other extras had been recurring roles in Lost, and told me I had a really good chance of them calling me, cause they really needed new faces. They told me it probably would be for more than an extra too. Im not going to get my hopes up, but that would be absolutely amazing. So...look out for me in season 1, episode 12 of Knight Rider, which i think will be out around christmas.

So, onto other things. I had Wednesda

y off this week, so Kyle and I went to Waimea Bay. The beach had no swimming signs all around, but there were a ton of people body surfing anyway, so Kyle and I decided to join them. The waves were huge, like 7 to 9 feet! It was extremely intense. My jaw hurts from hitting it on the sand a few times. We took a break for lunch, then headed to rent some body boards, thinking it would be a bit easier than body surfing. So we went back out to Waimea and body boarded, and it was crazy. every once in a while, i would see a huge wave and panic. My theory was that when there was a wave bigger 

than like 7 feet, i swam as hard as i could toward it, so that i could avoid being in the break, cause if you were anywhere infront of th

e break, it would take you down no matter what. Oh man. it was crazy. Today that same beach was closed because someone spotted a shark there. eek.

Family camp was this weekend. There was a haunted house on Friday night and I got to be the vampire. It was awesome. I made fake bites on my neck and everything. I must say, i have some mad skills with making stage makeup wounds, even when all i have to work with is puffy paint and acrylic paint. My bite looked pretty realistic. Unfortunately, i forgot to take a picture that includes the bite, but i did get pictures in general. We made 4 kids cry, so the director declared it successful. haha. I met a lot of cool f

amilies and pretty much worked the climbing wall and alpine tower all weekend.

Oh yea, so I also got netflix since ive been here, and i finally wore down and rented Grey's Anatomy. Now I am addicted. I love it. I also got Ugly Betty and its pretty awesome too. 

Not much else to share. I have tomorrow off, but i dont know what im doing. And tuesday we have a staff outing to Pearl Harbour, which I havent been to yet, but i hear its awesome. Im kinda bummed though, cause that means i cant follow the election stuff, and Im pretty into it lately. I think ill just be on the phone with Diane the whole time, having her give me a play by play. I sent in my ballot about a week and a half ago...my vote may be useless to KY, bu

t hey, its the principle behind it. I really should have just registered in HI, then i would know my vote meant something. Oh well. 

Its started to have a bit of an autumn feeling here, and Its perfect. Thats the one thing that i really really miss about KY

, the fall. But, since tuesday, it has smelled a little like fall in the air. I think it also helped that we were doing a lot of "fall" activites with the family camp, like bobbing for apples and painting pumpkins and stuff. I was invited to Chef's house for thanksgiving. I was one of the few selected. Once again, i am proud to be on the good side of the kitchen staff. The swedes werent invited, cause the kitchen doesnt like them, ca

use they have been kinda rude. As Dorothy (Chef) said, "I only invited those of you that I like (which is like 3 people), and I really dont care about the rest. The are swedish, thanksgiving doesnt mean anything to them anyway."

Im starting to get excited about christmas. For those of you who dont know, I have been given a rule in my life by several people that I am not allowed to listen to christmas music or watch christmas movies until the day after thanksgiving. But guess what? none of those people are here, so I started about a month ago....Now I am super excited. I think the idea of coming home for the first time in three months just adds to the excitement and wonder of the christmas season. Ohh...im sooooo excited. 

Aloha! and A dey see yu lata (a bit more pidgin)!

I'm starting to get a little homesick. I've downloaded skype, so that I can video chat with family. It got me a little more homesick seeing my actual home and my actual home. Its so different just talking to someone than it is seeing them as you are talking to them. Its pretty cool, but it makes me miss my family a lot more. 

I do really like working here in Hawaii, its really fun, but I miss having  a job that makes me money, or having a job where I get to go to my own house every night, or living somewhere that doesnt make me pay a thousand dollars to go visit my friends or family. 

Well, on to the more upbeat things. Bailey gave me a task for the week--take 20 original pictures of you doing things--in other words--stop 

google image searching the thi

ngs that I do, and posting random pictures of random people doing the things I do. So, i dont think the week is quite up since i received that task, but I did get a few original pictures. Two of which will replace the picture from my Waimea Bay post, since I actually got some pictures of me jumping off of the huge rock. 

Also, I auditioned for the part of an extra on Night Rider last week, it was hectic to get there, since I dont have a car and the audition was about an hour away. My boss had told me that I could use his car, and I told him the specific time i needed it and he said it was perfectly fine, but I went to get the keys and he was gone. He had taken his c

ar to the grocery or

 something and wouldnt be back for an hour. I had to be at the audition between 11 and 2, and it was about 12, 

so I had to find another way to get there. I asked around, but no one had a car that would make it that far (the beauty of north shore vehicles--they only get along the north shore). Shestin told me I should try asking Roy. Roy is a director who I dont really know that well, an

d I was highly doubting he would lend me his car--especially since it is the newest car that anyone owns on camp. Shestin told me that I might as well try. So, I went to Roy's office and here is how the convo went:

Me: Hey, Roy...I have a question to ask you, and I completely understand if you say no....

Roy: Uh...Yea?

Me: Is there any way that I could borrow your car?

Roy: Uh...No.

Me: Okay, thanks anyway.

(I start to walk out the door)

Roy: Why do you need it?

Me: I have this audition in town for a part of an extra in a tv show.

Roy: Am I your last resort?

Me: Yea...But really, dont worry about it if you dont want me to. I understand.

Roy: I never do this.

Me: Okay, thats fine.

Roy: I'll go get the keys. Just remember that this is the only time. I dont want to ruin your chance at an oscar.

So, I got the keys and drove into town. Went to the audition, which consisted of going in, getting a digital picture taken, being asked a couple of questions, then leaving. I got back to the car and couldnt f

ind the keys, so i started freaking out. I emptied my purse and searched for them but they were nowhere to be found. finally I noticed that there was hole in the side pocket. The keys had slipped between the outer layer and the lining of the purse. it was a close call. Well, I dont think i got the extra part, cause they were supposed to film today (or maybe by chance they postponed because of the storm coming through), and I am going to

 blame it on the fact that I had to work that morning so there was no way of me looking my best and making it on time, so I looked very much like I had been running around all morning, which i had been doing. Yea, Ill blame it on that. But, I am still in the casting agency's casting pool for extras, which is pretty cool. I am also in the extras casting pool and the speaking part casting pool for Lost. The woman I talked to from Lost was awesome, and i talked to her for like half an hour, so I'm hoping she remembers me when she receives my resume and head shot. They are supposed to be filming a lot in November, so hopefully ill have a good chance of at least being in the background, especially since they film a lot here on camp and that would be super convenient for me, since I dont own a car.

So, onto other things.  I went 

to dinner and a movie with two of my friends last week, Kyle and James. We ate at Ruby Tuesdays. Kyle really wanted to go to Chilis, and thank god James hates chilis, cause I do too, and I didnt want to be the one to tell Kyle that there was no way I was going there. So, Kyle settled for Ruby Tuesdays. The thing I love about kyle is that he is super positive about everything. It was so funny when he ate his pasta and react

ed like it was the best thing he had ever eaten. He describes everything by saying "this is bomb." Its ridiculous. We went to see the movie Quarantine, which was absolutely awful, but James and I agreed that it was worth spending the nine and a half dollars to see Kyles reaction. He was freaking out every ten minutes and screaming like crazy. It was hilarious.

Sorry about the awful transitions with this post, but im just kinda writing whatever pops into my head.

I went into Waikiki with Kyle the other day, and it was 

awesome, where else can you go to a big city, and there is a beach right there, inbetween two concrete buildings. the thing about the concrete buildings is though, they are really nice and clean. Its a beautiful city. The shops are absolutely awesome. There are a ton of surf shops, and the clothes in them are amazing. Im probably going to end up going back before i leave and get some christmas presents for people from there. Kyle and I also had the best shave (not shaved--they call it Hawaiian Shave Ice here) ice--it was ice, with mango sorbet and fresh mangos ontop. It was soooo good. You have no idea. We also had really cheap chinese food in China town that was awesome as well. I was really proud of myself on my trip to waikiki, because as much stuff as I wanted to buy, i only ended up spending 30 dollars. I feel like that was an amazing feat. 

Ive been hiking 

to Ka'ena point a lot with kids, and got an awesome picture of a monk seal, it was only like 10 feet away. 

Oh my goodness it was cute. 

So, thats all I have for to

day, Id rather not keep rambling on, since I already did so much and its probably gotten boring. Ill try to keep up with my blog a little better from now on. I miss all of you!

Lo'ihi Pule (Long Week)

As promised, here is a new post.

Its been a crazy week. We had two big schools here this week, as well as an intercession camp. Here's how my past week went....

Sunday-Monday: Kyle, James, Claire, and I (somewhat illegally) camped out on the northwestern most tip of Oahu. As soon as you get to the end of Farrington Highway (the road Camp Erdman is on), the paved road turns into a dirt road, so bumpy that it seems they could run dirt bike competitions on it. From the end of the road to Kaena Point is about a 2 mile walk, over bumpy dirt roads. We were hoping someone in a four wheeler would st

op and pick us up so we wouldnt have to walk to the end, but no such luck. We climbed through some crazy bushes, 

trying as hard as we could to avoid centipedes. I still have scratches on my legs from the crazy climb. We hung out and watched the sunset, then just stayed up talking for a while. We set up a tent on a concrete bunker but didnt realize how big the tent was til we took it out of the bag. It was absolutely huge, and bright blue. Thank God no helicoptors, otherwise we probably would have been forced down from our camping spot, since we were camping in a state park. We woke up to sunrise, which was amazing, and then we headed back to camp.

Tuesday-Thursday: Crazy week, two huge schools came and I worked a lot, but it was still fun. I'd rather not relive any of it through writing though, so ill keep on to...

Friday: My birthday was wonderful. In the morning I led international games, where we played Captain Midnight and The Pony Game. Unfortunately, both of those games include a lot of running and screaming. Since my voice was already going, I ended up having to speak with my lungs. My abs are killing me because of it. My friends took me out to dinner at a Mexican bar called "Cholos," it was a lot of fun. I opened presents from the family after that and they were all perfect. I even got some Kettle Corn popped fresh from mom. It will probably all be gone soon. I got some awesome boardshorts, a cute purse, some money, some card games, and a few other things. They were all exactly what I wanted. :) Three of us hung out on the beach after dinner and just talked all night. It was really cool cause there was a full moon, so It was still bright outside. Everything looked bright blue. It was amazing.

Saturday-Sunday: Alpine Tower Training. It was a little frustrating, since I already know how to belay, but I had to go through it anyway. I got a few awesome things out of it though. First off, I climbed the most difficult part of the tower (the vertically hanging logs). I got a huge gash on my leg from something on the tower, but it was totally worth it. Secondly, I got 2 free lunches out of it. One of the part timers decided to go into town both days for lunch and invited me along. He was really interesting and had his business pay for my meal since he needed to spend more money for his business by the end of the year, so he was finding excuses. Third, I also met a guy who is a stunt man/cliff diver/film location manager who got me the hook up to the LOST casting studio. He gave me the number and told me they are looking for new faces, so I will be calling ASAP to make an appointment. So even though the training was kind of boring, I got something out of it. 

Monday: Today is my day off. I am supposed to go surfing, but the waves are like 10-14 feet, so I will probably just stay on the beach. I wish I could take on huge waves like that, but Im not about to risk it.

Ko'u 'A'ahu (My Costume)

Not much to say at the moment, but I do have a few pictures (ones that I took myself, not taken off of "google images"). The first few are from my day off yesterday. I went to the mall in Pearl Ridge with a few friends and we rode a monorail from one side to the other, because it made us feel like we were in Disney World. This is a picture of an actual tree too--it looks like its painted, but its not. It was awesome. Then, my friends who speak spanish as their first language were invited to go talk to a middle school spanish class. I was taken along, because I had no other way to get home, so we went there, the whole class spoke Spanish, and  I barely understood what they were saying (even the 8th graders). It gave me a bit more incentive to learn Spanish. 

The other pictures are by request from courtney, to take a picture of my  "work costume." So, today after work, I took a picture of me in my work costume, which consists of the same red shirt every day (i feel like Doug Funny--I have about 8 of the same shirt in one drawer), shorts (which today I chose some man shorts that the other girls left for me--very comfortable, not the most attractive), and usually tennis shoes. My favorite days are they days I wear board shorts and flipflops. I love board shorts. They are super comfortable. 

Mua Noa He'e Nalu (First Surf)

Oh my. Yesterday was amazing! I got up at about 7 (as usual), and Kyle, Amanda, Wiking (pronounced Viking), and piled in the car. Wiking had one of the kitchen staff slice us a pineapple for the road. It was soo good. We headed out at about 10:00, getting to Haliewa around 10:15 so that we could rent some surfboards. We get to the store, and this sign was there... If you are having trouble reading it because of the glare or because you don't believe what it actually says, here it is:

Hawaiian Time Hours

Open: 9 or 10 

Sometimes 11

Mostly 12 or 1

Close: 5 or 6

Sometimes 4

Mostly 2 or 3

Closed for:

Big Surf Luaus no like work

Seriously. So we get there and the store is closed, its about 10:15, we decide to go and get some breakfast at the Haliewa Bakery, which has amazing cinnamon buns and pineapple iced tea. I love that they put pineapple in everything here. It just makes it taste so much better! After we went to the bakery, we headed back over to the surf shop to see if they were open, and they were. It was around 11, and we rented boards (only $10 for the whole day!) and tied them to the top of Kyle's car. Kyle and Wiking already have boards, so Amanda and I each got one. We rented the only two surfboards left to rent. Amanda's was a little shorter than a longboard, and it had a foam top, so its a little easier to ride. And I got a pink and white longboard. It was giant. I have a picture of me next to it, but it's on Amanda's camera, so I will post it soon. 

So, we went to the beach and ran right into the waves. The waves were pretty dead, but we got a few good ones every once in a while. Plus, I don't mind just sitting on my board in the ocean; it's very peaceful. I caught 2 and a half waves. The first time I fell off and as soon as I got my head out of the water, the board smashed me on the head. The half means that I got to my knees on the board, the other two were full standing for at least three or four seconds. I was very proud of myself, plus I had a blast. My arms are so sore, you can't even imagine how much you have to paddle when you surf. Its nuts. I have bruises on my hip bones from going straight through waves while they were breaking. My board kept hitting me, but it was totally worth it. Now I can proudly display the "Shaka," which is the surf sign with your thumb and your pinky out. I hope I get a chance to go again sometime soon. 

After we had our morning surf, we went to get an Acai Bowl, which is basically a smoothie in a bowl (made with Acai berries and other fruit) with granola, honey, and banana on top. It was amazing. 

We went out surfing again in the afternoon, watched the sunset at a really cool secluded beach (the picture at the bottom is of the sunset, and there was a guy board paddling--a mixture of canoeing and surfing) and then went to Haliewa Eats, which is an amazing Thai restaurant. It is actually the only restaurant I've been to yet, but out of the three times I've gone I have loved it. They have pineapple fried rice, oh man it is so good. If I haven't mentioned it yet, I love pineapple. 

I am so sore today. My arms are killing me. I was trained in the climbing wall and a few classes today. Someone asked 

me to climb so that they could belay, but there was no way my arms would let me today. But I did do well belaying and with the other classes. 

Now I am just sitting here resting and watching The Office (season 4), exactly what I need to relax. One of the cooks is letting me borrow her van tomorrow so that me and 3 of the girls I work with  are going to go to a mall in Pearl City tomorrow. I've had a lot of days off this week. Its great. I will only have two weekdays this week that I worked. Perfect.

P.s. As requested from Courtney, I will soon post a picture of me in my work costume.

Waimea Bay

I finally got off of the campgrounds on Thursday night. My friend Kyle took the new swedes, James' (a guy that works here from England) cousin who is visiting, and me to Waimea Bay. There is this amazing jumping rock there that I jumped off of at sunset. It was amazing! There is one side that most people jump off of, with only one rock that you have to avoid, and then there is a "local" side, with lots of rocks. We jumped of the side with one rock. We had to wait for the waves to come in so that we didn't bust our knees on the bottom, so there was an added nervousness from that. I don't even know how I jumped off of it, now that I think about it. It was pretty scary. Especially since we went off at night, and someone had spotted a tiger shark there only like a month ago. I figure that I might as well take some risks while I'm here, and it has been totally worth it so far. After we jumped a few times, we body surfed the waves. They were the biggest waves I have ever seen, and it's not even winter yet. They were about 10 feet high, which is bigger than it seems. I think I still have sand in my hair from riding those waves. Here's a picture of Waimea Bay. The local side is on the left. Can you even imagine that the waves get higher than this rock during the surf season? We also walked to the pipeline, where a bunch of the competitions take place, and it was pretty cool. This picture isnt of us, i just found it on google images, cause I forgot to bring my camera with me while we were there.

I don't really have access to a car here, its kinda frustrating. In order to drive the staff cars, you must be 21, so I can only go out if someone who is 21 and has a hawaiian drivers license wants to go too. One of my friends has his own car though (kyle), so he has promised to take me some places. We do have staff bikes, though. They are not very good bikes, they always make a clicking noise, they barely ever shift, the brakes on one handle were shot, and the handlebars are loose. Not even considering that they are about 4 or 5 inches too short for me, so I have to use muscles that you shouldnt have to use so much when you bike. I rode about 15 miles to the nearest town, Haleiwa (pronounced Haliva), and walked around. It was such a cute little town. I made friends with the owner of a store and got 25 percent off of what I bought. I also got a snowcone, half pineapple and half coconut, but was a bit disappointed and confused, because the pineapple flavor is colored pink, and coconut is blue. I don't like to eat blue things. But i did anyway, cause it was really really hot. 

Not much else to report about at the moment. I don't work til after lunch, but at 4:00 til 10:00 i work in the camp store, so if i think of anything to add, I will.

I MISS YOU ALL!

The Internet Has Been Down...Bleh.

     So, it has finally been a week. The internet has been down for a few days, all of my "flat-mates"--as the Kiwi's have told me it is supposed to be said, rather than roommates) and I almost went crazy without it. I've missed three days of trying to connect a little more with this camp by watching the show Lost on ABC.com (unfortunately, I do not find it very interesting, so I commonly replace my time devoted to Lost with Samantha Who, which I find much more interesting). I have also been unable to update my blog, receiving emails through my phone telling me that its been a few days and I should probably get on top of it. 

   

 So, what have I done in the past few days? Let's see, I finally read "Everything is Illuminated" and loved it. I highly suggest it to anyone who is looking for an amazing read. I have begun to pick up bits and pieces from all of the crazy dialects around this place. I've started to speak a bit like the Kiwi's with the words that I choose; I have begun to go up at the end of my sentences like the hawaiian kids; When I give directions or tell people how to do things, I end my sentences with "Yea?" which seems to be a mix of Canadian and Hawaiian. I am not officially trained on the Odyssey or the Alpine Tower, but

I usually go help and have been told that I am basically trained, i just need to learn a few of the rescue techniques. I lead a few hikes. I taught my first class on my own today. It was archery--I have no idea how archery works, so I kind of just told the kids to hold it in whichever hand feels more comfortable, and do whatever, as long as they keep the arrow points away from everyone (I also made up a few games). A staff member here is going to be certified in lifeguard training soon, so hopefully I will be able to re-certify. I get to work family camps this weekend. I learned that Jack Johnsons, Inbetween Dreams, album cover is a picture of him under one of Camp Erdman's trees. He actually used to go to camp here and apparently he comes to visit sometimes. Fingers crossed. 

Oh yea! And two days ago, I picked and ate a banana straight off of the tree!

On a sadder note:

My boss, Barry, told us all that he turned in his letter of resignation today and he will be leaving in two weeks. Everyone seems pretty upset about it, even though some suspected he was going to leave too. He is absolutely amazing, and brings a lot of fun here. I obviously don't know him all that well, but he always brings a positive, humanistic feel to a conversation, which you don't always get with people who work in camps. 

Unfortunately another person has decided to resign as well. She told me as I was walking out of my cabin. She seemed really upset and let me know that she was going to leave, and I figured she meant she put in her letter of resignation, too, but then she said that she would be leaving tonight. She was the first person I met that worked at this camp (she picked me up from the airport) and I really liked her. She just seemed like she was here for the right reasons. She really wanted to do something for this camp, but unfortunately there must be some politics behind the scenes of this place that I have not yet had to face.

So, two people have resigned in one day, one is leaving tonight, the other is leaving in three weeks. All of the people I am living with will be moving out in a week and are going to Maui from tomorrow until Wednesday, and I'm left here. I wish I had come three months earlier so that I could have worked with all of them during my time here. We are getting one more volunteer, making two of us. There are international students as well, but they have separate housing and some of them will be leaving soon as well. Its making me start to worry that there is a legitimate reason that all of these people are leaving, and I just hope that I don't have to encounter that reason. We have a guy that will be taking Barry's position that just arrived here like a week before I did (Ian), and I like him a lot, so I'm hoping that will make my time better, but still...

This is crazy, I'm kind of freaking out. 

I'm thinking about going sky diving on Wednesday with one of my flat-mates. Maybe that will help me realize something.

A Whale of a Dream

I had a really weird dream last night. mom and I were out in the pool at our old house. We were in a little raft thing, and suddenly something bumped into us. It was a killer whale. It started to attack us, and it ended up biting me while mom tried to row us to the back door of the house...apparently in my dream, the water from the pool went up to the back porch. So, we finally make it to the door and go inside. The next time we looked out the window, there were like five killer whales in our pool, each of them larger than the previous. Somehow, our pool had a large filter in the back and the whales were getting through it. The whales that were too big to fit just hung out on the farm behind the house. Thats basically the end of the dream. I think it has something to do with the fact that I am going to be here during whale season, which means I get to sit on the beach and watch whales, and the whales are going to be really close to the shore.

On a work related note, I have begun my hula lessons and am going to be a pro. I found someone to teach me how to surf. I get to start working full on next week, after only sitting in on a few classes. Pretty exciting.

Just a quick one.

This is what I did today. It's called "The Odyssey." There is another things similar called "Alpine Tower." Intense, huh?

Here is my address:
69-385 Farrington Hwy
Waialua, HI 96791

First Day

 

So I arrived last night at about 6:00 PM, was picked up at the airport by 3 of the other workers here, and headed to camp. I fell asleep at around 9...I couldn't get myself to stay up any later (It was 3 AM KY time). I woke up this morning feeling refreshed and ready to start the day, then looked at my phone and realized it was 2 AM here...so I forced myself to sleep til 6. I completed all of my online training this morning, recieved my staff shirts, and will be helping with the campfire tonight. Everyone here is pretty diverse. There are people from New Zealand (referred to as "the Kiwis"), England, Venezuela, and Florida. 

However, I arrived here to find out that most of the people I have met will be leaving in two weeks, and the other group of volunteers should start arriving somewhat soon after. So, at least I wont be the new kid. 

I'm living in a cabin with 4 girls, all of whom are going to be leaving soon. 

I'm going to go play monopoly with them right now, so I'm done with this post. 

(The white house is where I am staying. the top two are the beach on the campgrounds and the other one is just a shot of part of camp)

Official Departure Date

It's official. I am leaving for Oahu on the 3rd of September and my flight back is on the 7th of December. I'm super excited and can't wait to get to work! I've updated my Tetanus shot, Hep A shot, and gotten a TB test. I wont know about TB til tomorrow, but I'm thinking I'm fine (especially since it is 2008 and I live in the US).

The Verdict

For anyone who didn't already know this, I have chosen to take a year off of school in order to look into transferring....I will definitely miss all of my Wesleyan friends a ton and hope to see them when I can. I have been applying for jobs in Hawaii and New Hampshire, jobs that seem like perfect fits for me during this time of my life

So, it is almost official. I have been offered a job on the Island of Oahu, Hawaii. As soon as the background check goes through, I will be able to purchase my plane ticket to the island (which the YMCA will reimburse). The job that I have decided to take for this coming semester involves being a camp counselor for a camp that the YMCA runs on the Northwest coast of Oahu. Teachers can schedule trips for their class to come and stay at the camp, Camp Erdman, for up to a week at a time.

According to the Camp Erdman, these are descriptions of the camps of which I will be employed.

"YMCA Camp Erdman has an Environmental Education program that is available for Elementary school students in grades K-6th. We also have a Leadership program that is designed for students in 7th-12th grade. Both programs offer educational, fun and challenging activities that will allow students to grow and learn in an outdoor setting."

So basically what I have gotten from the website and from talking to the man who interviewed me, I will be helping to teach children how to do a variety of things...Here is a list of things stated on the website....

Archery, Beach Ecology, The Beast (I'm really hoping that this is similar to the thing from "Heavyweights"), Botany, Endangered Species, Geology, Group Challenges, Kamani Nut Necklaces, Mauka Hikes, Nature Art, Orienteering, Bird Study, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Critter Safari, Animal Adaptations, Swimming, Cooperative Games, Map Masters, Astronomy, Night Exploring, Scavenger Hunts, Ropes Course...

There are a ton of other things that I get to do and teach as well, and I am SUPER excited about it. Hopefully my future posts will be much more interesting than this one, I just can't get everything out that I want to say, so it's pretty choppy.

Random Facts

-The Island of Oahu is 44x30 miles (smaller than Lexington!)

-I get to get a Hawaii drivers license (oh heeeeyyyy Superbad)

-A huge national surf competition is going to be there while I'm there.

So, as soon as my background check goes through, I will buy a plane ticket. I'm thinking that I will probably leave around the 26th or 27th of August. I am going to be in Atlanta from the 7th-19th, and I'd like to have some time to go visit Wesleyan and get things together here in Lexington before I leave. You should probably keep checking this website now and then because I am going to try my best to keep it up, and I am sure there will be some wonderful, and funny, stories from this job. I feel like such an adventurer...like Indiana Jones (damn the girl who uses my name as her porn name and already stole the title "Alabama Jones and the Busty Crusade"....I could have used that as my autobiography title...)