Hawaii

To kick off our seven-day Senior class trip to Hawaii, my father gave each member of my class an eyelash lei he crocheted himself for us. Our flight to O'ahu was uneventful, and we were grateful for a good, solid meal at the International Market Place before shopping there. We did a swim test at the pool at our hotel in Waikiki that afternoon to ensure everyone's safety in the ocean.The next day was my friend Hillary's birthday. We surprised her by taking her to Starbucks, where we ordered her favorite drink, gave her gifts, and sang "Happy Birthday" to her. We played in the nice, warm waves at Waikiki beach before heading to the Polynesian Cultural Center for the rest of the day. There, we saw a colorful canoe pageant of native dancing from Hawaii, Tahiti, New Zealand, Tonga, Samoa, and the Marquesas. The afternoon was spent learning more about those cultures, from the Tongan spear-throwing contest to the Tahitian dancing. We attended the luau that evening, which had some delicious native food, and the night show Horizons, which was spectacular.The highlight of Friday was the 'Iolani Palace, the only royal residence in the United States. As we explored the palace in booties to protect the century-old floor, I was deeply touched by the stories in this building--of Queen Kapiolani, who bitterly wept on the veranda to see the body of her dead husband carried in, how the next queen, Lilioukalani, was forced from her throne and eventually imprisoned in her own palace because of American greed. To stand in the room where she had been imprisoned, to see the quilt she had made, was powerful.We had dinner at Duke's, a lively spot by the sea in Waikiki. It was like one of those daydreams I get in class--laughing, eating key lime pie, and listening to good music on the beach. We walked along the beach a bit that evening, and enjoyed a team-building vespers while the sun sank beneath the waves.On Sabbath, we went snorkeling at Hanauma Bay, which was full of wonderful fish. In the afternoon, we went bodysurfing at Makapu'u, which was fantastic. It truly felt like a "Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride." We had vespers at the light house there. Unfortunately, the same waved I enjoyed at Makapu'u blasted off my sunscreen and gave me a nasty sunburn I enjoyed for the rest of the trip.On Mother's Day, we headed out to Pearl Harbor very early, where we saw the USS Arizona memorial, honoring the lives of the men who died during the surprise attack on the US fleet there during World War II. It was a sobering sight, all those names. We brightened up a bit to tour a submarine in the harbor, the USS Bowfin, that actually managed to have only one casualty (to the leg, nontheless) in its entire service. Having had enough history, we went to the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet, which had killer deals on many things. I bought a dress there to wear with my dad's lei that evening at our dinner cruise. The food on it was delicious, the music was good, the dancers all right, and the company spectacular.We spent Monday on North Shore, feeding the koi fish at the Dole Pineapple Plantation and hanging out on the beaches at Turtle Bay and Waimea. We also went to the world-famous Matsumoto's Shave Ice, where I got a li hing mui shave ice with beans. It actually turned out quite tasty. The next day, we left, sniff sniff. All of us got home safely, just to be reminded of all the work we have to do before graduation. It is the season of projects, papers, and sending out those pesky graduation invitations, a process I haven't even started. Please pray not just for me, but for all the seniors at my school. Thank you for all your support.