Hawaii Trip: Recap of Travel Day

Despite yesterday being my first day in Honolulu, I can already tell this trip is going to be vastly different than any other I have ever taken. It is so much like everything you hear and see in the movies, but at the same time so different. The first thing that stood out to me once I got off the plane is the pure beauty of this island.

I was picked up by Hye Jung and got a nice brief tour of Waikiki and other neighborhoods around. We went for lunch to this little place called the health bar. Sorry but on a side note, The first thing you'll notice when being here is the prices are a bit more expensive than most places. The second is the six hour time difference between here and Florida. Okay back to Health Bar. This place was exactly what I was hope/expecting to see. I ordered a fresh fish wrap, which was amazing. I also got something the locals always get. I forgot the name, but it is basically low fat sherbet with lots of granola, fruit, little honey, and some brown sugar. The place inside was just a small shop with all surfing pictures and full of locals in their board shorts and sandals.

After lunch we went to Hey Jung's place, which is awesome. She lives about a 10 minutes walking distance from Aloha Mall, one of the largest outdoor malls in the United States. Her place is small but comfortable and over looks the amazing mountains. Once I got settled in, she took me to a couple of viewing points so I could see the entire city. Amazing !!! After that we went back to her place and meet up with her boyfriend and went to dinner and watch the fireworks. A pretty cool way to start the trip.

On a side note. I did want to bring up a couple of things Hye Jung, she is a math teacher by the way, and I spoke about that really stick out in my mind. Once you go around the city you begin to notice a big difference in how the locals interact with each other. Everyone respects each other and the land. It is very peaceful and there is a true sense of respect. People even drive with a sense of zen in them. The other humorous thing I found is that you can basically go anywhere in sandals in board shorts. I honestly have to say that I was somewhat culture shocked to learn this. Its funny because it is almost complete opposite of where I am coming from. People in Florida will dress-up and fancy themselves to go anywhere such as to Publix. People here basically don't care. Hye Jung told me a story about how she made her students dress up this past year twice a month. Once of the first times she did this, one of her students walked into the class room wearing a button down shirt, board shorts, and sandals. This funny part is that the student truly thought he had dressed up business professional. Most locals here are really that impervious by typically materialism that effects the rest of the US. The last funny thing that I learned yesterday is that surfing is a way of life for locals here. Everyone does it !!! More people surf than drive cars. Hye Jung is used to having over 50% of her class room absent if there are big waves that day. The funny thing is that the next day the children will show up with absent notes from their parents. Surfing is a family thing.