Skydiving Adventure!

Wow.

It has been wayyyy too long without a post on here!

I'm not going to make up excuses, I just had no inspiration to write for a while, but I'm back and at 'em!

So here it is, my skydiving adventure!!
~~~~~~~~~~~
So, on the morning of February 22, my friend Alyssa and I got up and caught the shuttle super early.

The drive up to the North Shore was beautiful, we took some back roads through the mountains, and it was so wonderful.

Once we arrived to the Pacific Skydiving Center building we were put to the front of the line, since we had the paperwork already filled out from the previous week.

After about 10 minutes, it was time to meet my instructor, Bryan, and suit up in the harness! I got the photo package that included a video of my experience, so my videographer/photographer came up to me and started "interviewing" me, which was a bit awkward because I'd rather be behind the camera rather than in front, but it was fine.

Once our group of about 8 people were all ready, we walked out to the runway where the plane picked us up.

And let me tell you, those planes are wayyy louder than you'd ever expect.

We hopped in the plane, and were off in the air!

All of my nerves disappeared once we got into the plane, and I was so ready for this!

The ride up to 14,000 feet took about 15 minutes and the views were spectacular! The whole island just opens up below you, and it exquisite.

Then, the side door was opened, goggles were slipped on, and it was time for the first guy to go, he looked like he was going to pee his pants! Haha.

And then I was up. We walked to the edge of the door, the wind was whipping all around us and the camera man was there, ready to capture this moment!

"3, 2, 1."

And out we went. 

So, although you are falling at 120 mph, it literally feels like you are flying. The island is absolutely breathtaking at that altitude, too.

It is such an adrenaline rush, and something that I would love to become officially certified in so that I could perform solo jumps, but we'll see. :)

Here are some pictures mid-jump:

Absolutely loving it!

The mountains are unreal.

The famous North Shore from above.

The whole experience was so wonderful! The staff are extremely nice and helpful, making it a smooth adventure.

I've already got my next jump planned for the beginning of May ;) Can't wait!

Oh, and now that I'm back in the swing of things, my daily Peru blog posts will be coming shortly :)

See ya then!

ʻŪlala ~ Crazy

Bad news.

If you noticed, there was no skydiving post on Saturday. 

Unfortunately, it was cancelled due to the weather.

So we woke up and got to the where the shuttle would pick us up at 7:30, and off we went.

It took about an hour to get there, and it was super foggy and rainy out all morning.

Once we arrived we filled out the paperwork, literally signed our lives away, and then went into the classroom. In there we learned all about what would happen, and the basic instructions during the jump.

We then had to wait around for about 2 and a half hours due to crummy weather, but it soon cleared up, or so we thought.

The first group got all suited up in their harnesses and off they went to the plane! About 10 minutes later, they came back down, and all exited the plane. It ended up being bad up there and a band of rain was coming our way. Obviously no jumping is allowed unless conditions are near to perfect, so we waited around some more.

Once the weather looked like it was going to cooperate again, the first group got suited up again, and went up in the plane a second time. However, again the clouds were just not working on our side today, so they had to officially cancel us for the day.

I was a bit bummed because I have been waiting for months and years for this, but what was one more week when I've waited this long so far.

So we got back on the shuttle to go back. The time that we were getting dropped off was a bad, traffic wise, so the driver told us that he didn't want to drop us back off at UH due to the traffic, so he dropped us at the Ala Moana Center, the mall.

Alyssa, Jonathan (another UH kid who was going), and I had to then catch a bus back to campus. Thankfully I had gotten my ID validated earlier this past week, so it was all good. Kind of annoying though that he couldn't take us back to campus. Oh well.

So then, a bus arrived a few minutes later that would take us back to UH, so we hopped on and took the 20 minute bus ride.

All was fine and dandy, until there was this really loud sound as we drove past a car. Turns out the bus driver hit the car next to us and knocked off their rear view mirror. We were stuck on the bus for another 15 minutes before she finally let us get off because she didn't know how long she'd be there.

So thankfully, we were at the top of campus, so we didn't have too far to walk, but the dorms were still clear across campus from where we were, so it was about a 15 minute walk back to the dorms.

And that was the day. It was quite hectic, but it was an adventurous one, and that's my cup 'o tea!

So we have rescheduled our jump for this Saturday at the same time. The weather has cleared up from the week long gloominess that was hovering over us, and it is beautiful out! This weekend is supposed to be gorgeous, with a 0% chance of rain! Woo :) I do not think anything will come between us this time, meaning hopefully there will be an awesome post headed your way on Saturday!!!

As for now, I have to get back to studying. I have an Astronomy exam tomorrow and then Friday I have a Philosophy exam, a Psychology exam and a paper due, so these next two days are going to be a bit crazy. Skydiving will be the perfect way to celebrate after three exams and a paper, all within a 30 hour period. :)

Talk to you then!

Hoʻokaumaha ~ Sadness

Hi guys.

So this past week has not been one of the best for me.

I don't want to rant about it on here, but let's just say one of the main problems is that my plans for the near future, are up in the air and I have no idea where they'll fall. Every time I think I've decided what I want to do, something happens that crushes those ideas. It has caused me to feel really sad lately which then causes homesickness because I wish I could just sit and talk to my parents about things, but I can't. It is not fun at all.

Buuuttt,

On the bright side, the Skydiving adventure is coming up this Saturday! I literally cannot wait!!!! :) That'll sure brighten my spirits up.

I also bought a GoPro camera this week, which I plan to use a bunch! I'm really excited to start experimenting with it. Unfortunately I am not allowed to bring it skydiving with me, but they offer picture/video packages that I'll get instead to share on here. :)

School has been fine. This past week has felt like a month. Classes are going well. Work is getting better, too. I picked up some extra shifts since my English class isn't meeting this week which is always a good thing. And, they are mid-day instead of evening, so more is happening around the office to prevent me from severe boredom.

My first band concert is coming up in about two weeks! I am really looking forward to that, although I wish my parents would be here to see it. They haven't missed one of my concerts since I started playing flute in 6th grade :( Hopefully it will be recorded and put up on YouTube or something so they can watch.

I did go ahead and take a break from Allegiant to read The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, and wow! It was spectacular. I strongly encourage anyone and everyone to read it. Be prepared with some tissues though!

I will 100% have a detailed, awesome post up Saturday night after I casually jump 14,000ft out of a plane!! :D So stay tuned!!

Ua ~ Rain

Hi!

So the Olympics begin tomorrow! So exciting :)

Well this past week has not been the most exciting one ever, but it's been good!

Classes are going well, Psychology is still up there as my favorite class :) I love it!

My other classes are fine, English is not going to be enjoyable like I thought it would be. Our 2nd essay topic is to write on the etymology of a word of our choice. -_- Who is going to enjoy or benefit from that?

Religion, Astronomy and Philosophy are all pretty fun, too! 

This weekend I am going to/working at the Punahou Carnival which I've heard is wonderful! So that should be exciting :)

I'm not sure what else to update you guys on :)

It has been raining aaaalllllll the time recently, which is not cool. One day I even FORGOT my umbrella. That was not fun. And lots of kids have mopeds around here, which have very sensitive sensors. So literally every time it rains, the alarms go off....and they don't stop. It is the worst thing ever. Especially in the middle of the night when it rains the entire night. 

SOOO, we've set a date for our Skydiving adventure!We are going next Saturday, February 15th!! :D Oh man, I am literally so excitedddd!! 

I'm still working on the Divergent series, and I'm currently on the final book, Allegiant, and it is really good! I recommend the series to anyone who likes distopian novels :)

I already have some books lined up that I want to read once I finish, beginning with The Fault in Our Stars by John Green which I have heard nothing but amazing things about. The movie is coming out later this year, so I really want to read that before the movie! I also plan to read The Book Thief. I saw the movie back home over break, and it was phenomenal. I'm sure the book will be just as good, probably even better! I wish I had more time for reading, but I definitely love making time for it. It is a nice break from the sometimes challenging material we are assigned in class. 

Well, I think that is it for now! I don't have much else to say.

I'm currently working on revising a paper and reading Plato, so I should get back to that. I'll talk to you next Wednesday!!

Byee :)

Hou Kau, Hou Hana hoʻopīhoihoi ~ New Semester, New Adventures

Hello!

Long time, no talk.

I do apologize for the lack of posts on here lately, but after the first few days of classes I came to the realization that posting every single night, while also keeping my grades up would not be possible. My classes this semester are much more work-oriented, so in order to stay on top of these things, it is important that I keep my main focus on that. I will admit that last semester, I was so set on making sure that I posted something every night, that I would put off studying just so that I could post something, and I let my grades slip because of that. I also felt as though the posts were getting very repetitive, and that it was boring to read.

I do not want that to happen again this semester.

So, I've decided that I'll post every Wednesday night. Those are the least busy days for me, and Thursdays are a later start in the morning, so it should work out great!

Let's see, since I last talked to you, some exciting things have happened!

First off, I'll go through some of the more basic things. 

My classes are great! Last semester I complained about almost all of the classes I was taking, but this semester, I thoroughly enjoy every single class I am in!

I have Philosophy, which is very interesting, and kind of like my TOK class in high school, but it is a very discussion-based class, which I sometimes have a hard time with because I am such a soft-spoken person. Psychology which is by far my favorite class, ever. I love everything about it; the professor is hilarious, which makes class enjoyable, and the content so far, even though it is only the basic stuff, is really interesting! English is fun! It is a small class and it is a very intimate setting, so we get to know each other well, and then there is band which I obviously enjoy! We are playing an array of challenging literature this semester, which is great. I do not enjoy playing music that doesn't challenge me. Astronomy is really cool, I've always been interested in space, so that is a really interesting class. And finally is Religion, which I enjoy as well! The professor has a bit of a dry sense of humor, but she seems cool. We actually had our first quiz on yesterday, and I got an A on it! :)

Since I last talked to you, I have also started working again! This was one of the best parts of last semester. I was genuinely excited to show up to work because I worked in the afternoons during the busy hours. However, this semester, I am only working in the nights, so it is very slow and I only have something to do occasionally. It is pretty boring, and it is definitely not my favorite part of the day. Oh well!

Now on to some super exciting things coming up for me!

We have not set the date yet, but in a few weekends, my friend Alyssa and I are going to be going skydiving! We have been planning this for a month or two, and a few of the initial dates that we were going to do it fell through, but it is for sure happening within the next month!! I cannot wait :)

Also, my most recent bit of huge news, I'M GOING TO PERU! I applied, and was accepted to be a part of an 8-day volunteer trip to Peru this Spring Break! It is going to be an absolutely incredible experience, and I'm so excited!

I have not been so excited for these two upcoming events as I have anything within the past 9 months, excluding going home over break, because I was ecstatic about that :)

I'm really looking forward to this semester. I've got great things ahead of me to look forward to, and I can just feel that this is going to be one great semester :)

I'm also looking forward to bringing you guys along with me, virtually! As I said, every Wednesday night, my time, there should be a new post, updating you on the past week. I will definitely be putting up individual posts each day of Peru, and a separate one for my Skydiving adventure, and other adventures I take, so keep your eyes peeled! ;)

Helene ! Greece

Wednesday is done! Check!

I had an early start to the day, but it ended up being really good in the end!

I had Philosophy this morning at 8:30, and we talked about Plato, Socrates and the Ancient Greek times.

Then I had Psychology, which I can already tell is going to be my favorite class this semester, without a doubt! :)

I had English next, and we just discussed our homework on this paper about writing drafts, pretty boring. It is a small class of about 20 kids, so it is really quiet.

My final class of the day was Band, we played the two pieces that we didn't get to on Monday, and one of them is a killer! The flutes have about 90 straight measures of intense double tonguing! Let's just say that my tongue felt like jello!

The only problem with my MWF classes, is that there is an hour between each of the four of them, so I am going to have to find something to do during all of those breaks, which hasn't been a problem yet.

And that was it!

I worked on some Philosophy and Psychology homework when I got back to my dorm and watched the newest episode of the Carrie Diaries. 

Now I've got to get some sleep! My body currently thinks that it is 3:00 in the morning due to this never ending jet-lag that will hopefully be gone after this weekend, so I'll talk to you tomorrow!

Goodnight :)

Mālani ~ Sketchy

Today was the second day of classes, meaning that I was introduced to two more of this semesters classes!

Due to jet lag, I was awake at 4:00 this morning, but was able to doze off a few times before getting up at 8:00.

My first class was Astronomy, which was really interesting! I think I am going to enjoy that class :)

Second up, in the same class room, right after Astronomy was Religion. The professor is this old lady, but she is really funny and that class sounds interesting too!

I am excited for both of these courses this semester.

After this, I had an hour and a half before my Psych 'lab', so I decided, which I was at that end of campus, why not just go and get my books now.

So that's what I did, and boy was it a depressing feeling seeing my total price for all of my books :(

Unfortunately, I cannot buy 3/4 of my large class books for cheap online somewhere because we are required to do online homework, which comes as a cod when you buy the textbook. So we were forced to pay the bookstores prices, which are ridiculous.

Oh well!

Then I bought a Naked juice smoothie and a cookie from the caf, since I hadn't eaten yet.

My Psych 'lab' was a 3:00, and it went well. There are only about 7 of us in there because there are 24 different sections of the lecture, all split up into smaller numbers of kids, so we lucked out with only a few of us.

The 'lab' is where we will take our quizzes and do/turn in homework, so it isn't the typical college lab where you do experiments and such.

All we did today was introduce ourselves, so we were literally in the classroom for 6 minutes.

So for English, we are required to pick up this manual thingy from this sketchy, off-campus building, in which an assignment is due in class tomorrow, so I went off to find that once I got out of Psych lab.

It took me a good 25 minutes to find the place because the professor gave us this awful map that took me to the wrong place. I eventually found it, but it ended up being in an elementary/high school place.

And that was it!

I came back and worked on some of the things due tomorrow, and then we had a scheduled fire drill at 7:15pm.

Now I'm just sitting here finishing up my Philosophy assignment for tomorrow, and listening to the Frozen soundtrack. It is perfection <3

Talk to you tomorrow!:)

Papa ~ Class

First day of the new semester is completed!

I had four classes today, all with an hour between each one. 

My day started out at 5:00am due to my body still being set on Florida time, so I had plenty of time to get ready. 

My first class was Philosophy! I was super excited about it, but during class he told us that he specializes in Chinese Philosophy, and that will be a large part of the course. I'm not very interested at all in Chinese Philosophy, but we'll see how it goes :)

I then went back to my dorm to change because it was way too hot outside for my cardigan. 

Next class was Psychology, which I am really looking forward to this semester! The professors seem nice and the course content looks really interesting. 

After this class, I went back to my room again to print out my music and get my flute for band later on. 

English was next, and that seems like a reaaallllyyy simple class. I've always loves writing, so I'll enjoy it :) Plus the teacher is a grad student, so she seems really chill. 

And finally was band. We played through two of the pieces today, and they are fun to play!

Then I was done for the day, so I've been watching some more Carrie Diaries. 

However, I'm already tired again, due to jet lab, and the early morning I had. 

So il talk to you tomorrow after my next day of classes! 

Night!!

Kua ~ Back

I'm back! Happy 2014! :)

I had a wonderful Winter Break. it was so wonderful to be home and get to spend time with family and friends again.

But now, I'm back in Hawaii, at school, ready for this new semester to begin.

I flew in on Saturday (yesterday for me), which was exhausting! It took a total of 21 hours from the time I left my house to when I got to my dorm. Crazy!!

Today I just spent the day relaxing and getting all of my classes set up, unpacking my luggage and getting my backpack all ready for my first class in the morning.

Apologies for the short post, but I'm exhausted right now. It is currently only 7:45pm, but my body is not adjusted yet, so it feels like it is 12:45am.

I'm going to try and get to bed soon, but there is currently a Toy Story marathon of all three movies going on down in the courtyard to welcome back the students. I'd love to go down and join in on the fun, but I'll probably fall asleep in the courtyard. That would make it difficult to get ready in the morning.

So, I'll let you know how tomorrow goes!

Goodnight! :)