sekia!

                The orientation in Hawaii is almost over and we're off to Samoa tomorrow morning! Hawaii has been extremely interesting and has really given me a taste to the pacific, although Hawaii is far different than any other Pacific island nation.
                 During this week we have had a bunch of lectures from experts on Hawaiian and Pacific history. Until this week, I had only thought of Hawaii as a perfect island getaway, or the ideal honeymoon spot, and had not even thought about the people who live here and the issues they face. First, Hawaii is at the bottom of all economic and social indices- health, employment, education, life expectancy, etc. But as a tourist you see none of this. The first day we all went to a "touristy" beach, Waikiki Beach, which was extremely crowded. Don't get me wrong, I loved laying on the sand, swimming in the ocean, and reading my book while all the beautiful women walked by in skimpy bikinis. But ofcourse, I was so engaged in my book that I didn't even notice any of the girls walking by, Hannah. Later in the week I explored more and saw the issues that these professors had lectured us on. I walked by one park and must have saw twenty tents set up side by side. At first, I assumed that it was probably just a bunch of young travelers who didn't want to pay for a hotel, but as I looked harder, I saw that these were actually families who had probably lost their jobs and couldn't pay rent.Homelessness is a major issue in Hawaii, and the government has done very little to address this problem.
               Another issue that really got my attention was Hawaiin sovereignty. Hawaii had actually been illegaly overthrown, something none of us "mainlanders" know about, and the sole reason was so that businessmen could sell sugar to the U.S. without tarrifs. By the time Pearl Harbor happened in 1941 everyone had forgot about the illegal overthrow and were ready to accept Hawaii as the 50th state. Today, the major reason why U.S. is holding on to Hawaii is because of the military. The military is a major part of Hawaiian life, he teconomy, and society. People have a lot to say about the military's presence in Hawaii, but the departure would have massive implications, and the economy would probably collapse.
                   So I've probably bored most of you with my brief modern Hawaiin history lesson, but those things have been on mind, and I think that more people should be informed, so I wrote about them. So what have I been doing here for past seven days? Most of  time I've been getting to the know the group, exploring Honolulu, and learning about the Pacific. The group is really cool and we all add something different. Everybody is getting along extremely well, but nobody has really let loose yet. I've seen a few glimpses of it, but I think as time progresses we will all open up to ealuluchother more and get out of our shells. I feel like we all have to just get really drunk with eachother and it will all come out. We've only really drank a few times, and only one person got really drunk, but I won't mention names. Last night, a few of us who I've been hanging with more than the others went to the local bar for the night. It felt amazing sitting outside, sipping on a beer, and talking to some great people. Far different experience than the "dirty bird," but I must say, I do miss that place a little bit, but I think its more that I miss the people, not the actual place. Exploring Honolulu has been really fun, but I already feel like I've see most of it. One morning, the other guy and I went on an awesome hike that ended at a massive waterfall. We've been to a couple different beaches, all beautiful, and one of my favorite things was called a "drop off." Pretty much we all go wherever we want in the city and then meet up at a specific time at a specific spot. I chose to go to Chinatown and along the walk there I stumbled upon a brewery. I had a few nice beers, relaxed in the sun, and made a few calls to home. Chinatown was also really great and I got to eat some great food- dried lychee, mochi, and some other weird things. Another one of my highlights was visiting and working on a taro farm. Taro is essentially a strarchy vegetable, similar to a potato, that is very popular in the S. Pacific. We got to work in the mud and it felt great being outside and working with my hands again.

                    So I'm off to Samoa at 5 am this morning, 10 pm on the east coast, and boy am I ready. Hawaii has been great, but I'm glad to get out of the city and into where I will call home for the next few months. Everything I've heard has only been good and I can't wait to finally get there. I have more to write but I have to go do a few things with the group. I'll try to write again soon. Love and miss you all! Talofa!