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On Sunday we set foot back on US soil for the first time since leaving from Miami three months ago as we arrived into the Honolulu harbor for a two day visit. Hawaii can at times feel a lot more like Asia than it does the US so I'm not sure how much it felt like the U.S. The nine day sail from Japan was pretty easy, it honestly felt like 3-4 days. It's weird, because I find myself feeling accustomed to the ship and used to being at sea. Being on the ship really does feel like home after 3 months.
Sunday, we had to wake up at 6am to pass through US immigration. After 3 months of no cell phone usage, it was quite an adjustment that morning to see everyone on the ship chatting away on their phones. You could feel the lifted spirits as many were able to so easily reconnect with loved ones and friends. Once we were cleared, I walked through chinatown and downtown en route to visit the City Church of Honolulu, a pca church plant downtown that's existed for about 12 years.
At church, I met a sweet Asian woman named Susan whom, I learned, had three chi-rean children. She was Korean and had married a Chinese man. She told me that I reminded her of her sons. Susan gave me a ride to the botanical gardens and insisted that I take $10 dollars for lunch! I love the eclectic mix of ethnicities in Hawaii, it's so unique. The rest of the day I walked through the foster botanical gardens, and later watched the sunset from Ala Moana beach. After sunset I wandered around downtown waikiki taking in the very touristy sights and sounds. I had the L&L locco moco and even found some tart fro yo....self serve (yogurt world style)!
Since I failed to find any board rentals on Sunday, on Monday my only objective was to find a board and surf as much as could. In the morning, I caught the bus out to Waikiki and rented a 7'10" board for a few hours, surfing until my fingers shriveled up like prunes. There were a lot of SAS students out there, so it was fun seeing them surfing many for the first time. The break was very spread out, so I enjoyed a couple long rides without dealing with too much of a crowd. As always, it just felt good to paddle out and take in the beauty of the clear warters and surrounding mountains.
Two days went by at the blink of an eye. I never even left town to see any other parts of the island, but I also didn't really feel the need to since I had just visited in November. I'm still not sure if I would get island fever living in Hawaii. I definitely love the diverse asian community and aloha spirit of the island. The natural beauty and weather is amazing but perhaps it's just so far from roots, friends and family. One more port, Guatemala!
A quick ship life update: We had two easter sundays, have had about 10 church services, just finished our intramural basketball league, and had our voyage talent show. The shipboard community is quite well adjusted and everyone seems to be settled into their groove. The nine day sail was a much needed break after our whirlwind tour of Asia. The students had their second global studies exam and the dining hall was packed with students studying =).
btw1...two weeks left...
btw2...emotions are starting to shift as we near the voyage's end
btw3...happy b.day nancy and masaki!
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