My first impressions

Well, it’s hard to start a blog without internet. I’m writing this in Word for now, but when I feel more up to it I’ll go to Safeway to use the free wireless. It’s actually a dream of a suburban grocery store. It has tables outside and inside and even has a section with leather armchairs, like a fancy Starbucks. Of course it also has a Starbucks. And a nut bar. Because one kind of cashew is never enough.

I feel like I have so much to tell that I don’t even know where to begin. I’m going to have to be disciplined about my writing and do some every night or else I know I’m going to lose moments I want to keep. So I’ll just start and hope I get everything down.

I’m sitting outside right now. It’s about 7:30pm on Tuesday, May 27th and really nice out. Warm, with a nice breeze. The bunkhouse has a little backyard with picnic tables and tiki torches. Being out here makes me a little lonesome for all of you =) You’ll just have to join me when you come to visit!

So back to the beginning. I had a terribly long day of travel on Sunday. The eight hour flight from Dallas to Honolulu was the longest flight I’d ever been on and after having flown already, there were a couple of times I was ready to jump off the plane. On the way to Dallas I had an entire row to myself, so I was able to stretch out and get a couple of hours sleep. Luckily I had stayed with Karri and Ittai on Saturday night so I had a great night’s sleep to start with. Even so, by the time I landed in Honolulu I was pretty much exhausted. Jen (the woman I’m replacing) met me at the airport and had a little sign with my name and presented me with a beautiful lei. I had her take a picture of me wearing it, so I’ll figure out how to post that. It was really great to have someone there to help me with my luggage and get me home without having to deal with cabs.

We got to the bunkhouse about an hour after I landed. It’s in Waikiki, in an area that reminds me a lot of Pacific Beach in southern California. Kind of an aging hippie, surfer part of town. It definitely is separate from anything touristy, which is really nice since I’m sure I would get tired of that during my six months here. There were two guys staying here already, so the single bedroom was taken. I stayed in a room with bunkbeds, but alone, for the first two nights. I have the single bedroom starting today and for the rest of the time. I’ll put pictures up of the bunkhouse soon too. It’s not bad, good kitchen/living room and the nice backyard I’ve mentioned already. My biggest problem with it is that there aren’t tubs in the bathrooms. Be prepared for me to beg for a bath in your hotel rooms! The house itself is surrounded by a chain link fence, which is topped by barbed wire! One of the guys commented that it’s like we’re in a cult or something. My mom thought that was pretty accurate: “You are. It’s the federal government.” Overall, it’ll be a fine place to eat and sleep, and I won’t need it for much more.
I slept for about twelve hours Sunday night and woke up feeling pretty good. It was time for the beach. It’s about a twenty minute walk from the house to the nearest beach and the public library is on the way. How great is that? Even though it was Memorial Day, the beach wasn’t terribly crowded. I had plenty of room to lay on my towel and read The Thirteenth Tale – thanks for the rec Lauren! (By the way, I read My Year of Meats on the plane and I’d highly recommend it. Look it up and see if you’re not intrigued by its summary.) I got in the water too. Not as warm as the Caribbean, but definitely warmer than the water in San Diego! After my lounging I walked around the beach park for a while. That was the first time I felt even a little lonely/homesick (I know, it hadn’t even been twenty four hours…). There were a lot of big groups hanging out and grilling because of the holiday. But, I knew I had a barbecue to go to later that afternoon, so I persevered =)

Mark, one of the guys staying here, let me know that morning that we were invited to a barbecue at Diane’s house. At this point I had no idea who Diane was, but Mark promised it would be a good time. When I got home from the beach and showered I was tired again, but told myself that I couldn’t back out of social events on my first day, especially when I was so worried about being lonely. So Mark, Ben, and I took Mark’s truck out to Kailua. It was about thirty minutes inland from Honolulu, in the mountains. I’m still kicking myself that I didn’t think to take any pictures until it was dark out, but Diane said I’d be back, so I’ll get pictures then. It was one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. Their house looks out onto this huge, green, lush mountain with crevices down it. Diane said that after a heavy rain they’ve counted thirteen waterfalls. Unbelievable.

Mark and Ben were a riot together. Mark’s a younger guy, probably early thirties, about 6’4”, shaved head and a soul patch. He’s incredibly warm and welcoming and instantly made me feel comfortable. As an employee at Midway Atoll he is there for six months at a time and then comes back for a little civilization. He was here this time because his wife is coming in after finishing up her school year as a professor in Guam, where he previously worked. Midway is one of the remote northern Hawaiian islands about 1200 miles from Oahu where USFWS has a wildlife refuge. Apparently it’s crowded with albatrosses. Mark’s promised that I can come see them when they return in the fall. I can’t stop thinking about “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Coleridge.