Day 105: Original Donezo with Hawaii day.

day 105-

The original donezo day. I was suppose to be getting off a plane home today....

The end of the semester always makes me look back and reflect on what has happened throughout the semester. Winter '10 was for sure full of some crazy, fun, scary, and enjoyable moments. I have definitely grown and have really enjoyed my time here. I know that I will continue having crazy, fun, scary, and enjoyable moments the farther I go.

This week has been very bittersweet. I am so glad this semester is over. I'm glad that I'm through with my classes. I'm sad because a lot of my friends are leaving and I don't know when I'll see them again. I moved into a house yesterday and it is awesome. I love everything from the bedroom to the hammock outside. I spent most of my time this week going to the beach and eating delicious food. I have a week off of school and I'm so stoked to do whatever I want without thinking about class and homework. I just heart Hawaii:)

listening to: Jay Sean- Do You Remember.

Day 98: Happy Easter!

HAPPY EASTER!!!!

Today I am grateful for our Savior and the Atonement.

I am grateful for the gift of Resurrection.

I am grateful for General Conference.

I am grateful for Best Friends.

I am grateful for technology.

I am grateful for answered prayers.

I am grateful to be attending school in Hawaii.

I am grateful for Cadbury Eggs.

I am grateful for Disney Movies.

I am grateful that the beach is 10 minutes away from me.

I am grateful for music.

This week was another good week. It was full of subway, cadbury eggs, popcorn, milk duds, and diet coke. I watched The Last Song and General Conference this weekend. Tonight, we are making Easter Dinner. This upcoming week is going to be full of finals, packing, and goodbyes. I sure do hate the end of the semester.

listening to: Glee- Lean on Me.

Day 91: Terrifying Beached Seal.

This week was a good week.

My only class on Tuesday and Thursdays is Hula. Friday was Prince Kuhio Day which is a Holiday in Hawaii. Which means no school. Thursday Hula was cancelled. Which meant 4 day weekend. Excellent:)

Thursday night I went to this Salsa Orchestra thing. I figured

why not ya know. I LOVED it. Salsa music is so FUN. I love to dance and the music was so good. It made me really want to go to Mexico. And eat chips and salsa haha.

I went to the beach all day Friday and Saturday. I'm getting

pretty dark. Which makes me happy. I did get a pretty bad sunburn on my right arm tho, which now has turned tan. It's now darker than my left arm. Nice.

Today, me and my friends went to take pictures at the beach. There was a GIANT seal lying on the beach resting. I didn't see him at first, I thought he was a rock, and then he lifted his head and grunted at me when I was seriously like 3 feet away from him. I screamed bloody murder when I saw him! It was absolutely terrifying. My friend could not stop laughing when she saw my face. My heart was still beating out of my chest for like 10 minutes after.

It's hard to think that I would be leaving for home in 2 weeks if I was sticking to my original plan. Even though I miss my friends terribly, I'm so excited that I'm staying out here for a little while longer. I love it here in Hawaii and I'm glad that it's more than 105 days. I'm just having the time of my life out here and I'm genuinely happy. It's a good life:)

listening to: Justin Bieber- Baby.

Day 84: Haliewa Eats.

Hi there!

So this week my aunt Arlene and her boyfriend Geoff were in town and took me out to eat at Haliewa Eats, a Thai restaurant and we just hung out for a while. We ate some really good food there and I was so glad they came and saw me for the night.




Overall, it was a great Sunday. And I may or may not have watched 4 episodes of LOST today. At least I'm all caught up now:)
listening to: We Shot The Moon- Sway Your Head.

Day 77: Twelve Things.

12 things I learned this week:

1. I miss my Dad. It was so fun having him visit me for 2 days. We ate so much and he bought me so many things. We went to the beach and laughed a lot. It was a chill 2 days and I loved every minute of it.

2. It can take one person to ruin a night.

3. But one person to turn it back around.

4. Be nice to EVERYONE. I have always known this, but I began to realize what it's really all about this week. You never know what someone can do for you or what you can do for someone else.

5. Getting back my contacts for my new phone has shown me who I really do stay in touch with and who I probably will continue to stay in touch with. For the next 5 years anyway.

6. Going out of my comfort zone is super scary, but has helped me grow a lot this week.

7. It's okay to say YES.

8. I'm lucky to have the friends I have.

9. Procrastination did not exist in me this week.

10. Disney movies really are the best.

11. Not celebrating daylight savings is the BEST. I love not losing an hour.

12. I'm a lot darker than I thought I was. This is good news:)

listening to: Chris Brown- Forever.

Day 70: Culture Night.

I have a phone!!!

YES. Okay. Seriously. I now know and understand the saying, "You don't know what you have until it's gone." I went 5 days without a phone. It seriously KILLED me. I had no way of communicating with people except by facebook or in person. I hated it. A lot of people were aware of my situation and even people I didn't even tell would come up and ask me if I ever found my phone. To sum it up, no. It was never returned. I however have a phone now and that's all that matters.

Wednesday I got my phone. And while getting back everyone's number, I shared the information that I am graduating from Hawaii and not coming back to graduate with some of my best friends at my old school. It's a very bittersweet thing, but I'm so happy I'm staying in Hawaii:)

Oh and this week I wrote my 9 page research paper. As if I have nothing better to do with my time. Doesn't that just make you sick?!

Saturday was Culture Night. We have practicing since January, so I've gotta say I was quite happy to see this come to a close. We did awesome as we danced the hula and it was overall a fun night.

My dad flew in today from China. He was over there for work and decided to have a lay over here. We hung out today at the beach and stuff and he leaves tomorrow night so we'll hang out tomorrow.

Last week was terrible. I hated not having a phone and I hope that I never go through that again. You know the theme song from FRIENDS? And the line, "When it hasn't been your day, your week, your month, or even your year?" That line has played through my head a lot this past week. But it's all about to change. This week is going to be wonderful. I can just tell:)

listening to: The Fray- Never Say Never.

Day 63: Tsunami Survivor.

What a WEEK.

It really hasn't been my week. Like, at all. It's okay tho. I've come to terms with it.

Thursday night I went to our final home basketball game which was so fun. We won, of course. After that, I went to Hawaiian Club to practice our routine for Culture night, which is this weekend. Culture night is where all of the clubs perform a dance routine. So at practice, I always put my stuff down along with everyone else because I don't like holding my phone when I dance. We always take off our shoes too, because that's what you do in Hawaii. So against the wall, I had my shoes, phone, and a piece of paper covering my phone on top of my shoes. This was around 9:30. We finished around 11, and when I went to get my stuff, my phone was gone. I looked all over for it, but it was no where to be found. My friend called it and it went straight to voicemail. Needless to say, this person knew what they were doing. They purposely turned off my phone and I'm sure I will never see it again. I reported it to the cops, I told the Hawaiian Club Presidency, and pretty much the whole campus knows. I have someone new coming up to me every day asking if I've found my phone. People here are so nice. And if taking my phone wasn't bad enough, my id card was with it. So they know exactly who I am. Friday I got my new id card, and checked to see if my phone was turned in. Can I just say it SUCKS not having a phone!!!! Seriously. It is my whole world. It's my alarm, my contact to the outside world, it has all of my music, pictures, email, gah. Pretty much my entire life is in that phone. It's an iPhone too, which I miss more and more every day. It's okay tho. I feel at peace with it. I was going to go into town Saturday to go get my new phone, which is the newest iPhone. I can't wait for it.

02/27/10. Tsunami day. I was woken up at 5:00 am by my roommate. Since I didn't have an alarm, I was thinking that it was time for me and my friends to go into town to get my new phone. This is basically how the conversation went, and remember, it was 5 in the morning. I had just woken up. And I am NOT a morning person.

"Hey Lindsay."

"What?"

"There was an earthquake in Chile!!"

"What?... So?"

"There is a Tsunami coming!"

"WHAT? What time is it?"

"It's 5. Pack up your valuables. We are meeting in the lounge at 6 to find out more information."

"Wait. What?"

Basically I spent the next few hours packing up everything I needed to take with me and putting everything else up as high up as I could. Since I live on the ground floor, there was a good chance that my room would be flooded. I was so tired I could barely understand what was going around me. I was in a daze while I was packing and changing every 10 minutes realizing that I should bring something else with me instead of what I was wearing. We then went to breakfast and sacked a lunch and then headed towards a hill behind the temple to watch. We sat there for hours, wondering when it was going to come. It was suppose to hit around 11, but nothing was happening. We eventually left, and then found out half an hour later that the warning had been lifted. We were very lucky that nothing had happened. I'm grateful for my family and friends who were trying to get in contact with me to see if I was okay because they had heard about the tsunami warnings on the mainland. It's good to know that I'm still thought of from my old friends even though we aren't in touch all the time.

Yesterday was such an intense day, but I am so glad that nothing happened. I don't know what I would have done if my bed was soaking wet so I could not sleep in it or if anything of mine had been seriously destroyed. I was a little upset that it was kind of a wasted day. I easily could have went into town to get my new phone, but I'm grateful that I am safe along with all of my friends, and I'm getting my new phone this week. I've gotta say, this week has taught me a lot. It's taught me who my real friends are and to be more patient. It's taught me that I am very lucky, and I need to appreciate everything in my life. The saying really is true, you don't know what you've got until it's gone.

listening to: David Cook- Come Back To Me.

Day 56: Midterms.

It's pouring.

Okay. So it rains here. A lot. It is winter after all. But it's more of a mist, like, ya know when you're walking through the plants at Wal-Mart? Just like that. And it's warm which is SO nice. But today, it was like a down pour. And of course, I get caught in it. I have the worst timing. Seriously. But it's okay.... I secretly miss the rain.

So the humidity has also made my hair grow 3 times it's size. I have always worn my hair straight. Always. That's how it goes and that's what I know. In these past 2 months, I've learned to kind of curl/wave my hair. It's decent. I'm used to it now, but I miss not having to spend so much time on my hair to keep it straight. I'm so jealous of the Asian's hair here.... that is what my hair USE to look like. Oh well.

This week has been a perfect beach week!! I went every day except for Thursday and Friday because it was so cold. I hate going to the beach and laying out when it's cold. And if it's been raining, then the sand is wet, which I also don't like. And I don't like when it's really windy because it blows sand on you. But besides that, it's been PERFECT. I just need to find someone who loves the beach as much as me to go with. I have people to go with, but they don't like going more than like twice a week. Crazy. I am getting darker which I am loving:) I haven't been this tan in a long time.

So this week, there were 2 basketball games and the last one is this wednesday. It has been so fun going to them. It seriously reminds me of high school and it's just fun. I've started running again which I love. I've missed it, and now I'm getting back into the routine of going. I love running outside here.

This week was midterm week. I had a paper due and I took a test for my music class. Since I took piano lessons for 10 years and I'm probably the best singer in the world, I knew that test front and back. I took it in like 5 minutes and then I was out of there. I like this class because I know exactly what I'm doing haha.

So everyone here reminds me of someone back home. It's so crazy. It's like I'm surrounded by doppelgangers. I keep thinking that it's my friend or someone I know, but it turns out that it's just their twin. No big deal. I need to befriend all of them. That's my goal for this week.

listening to: Train- Hey, Soul Sister.

Day 49: Valentines Day.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!

ah. So this weekend was another basketball game. We didn't score over 100, but we did win. And because it was homecoming week, we all got cake and a tailgate. Saturday I went to the mall and saw Dear John. It was way fun to get out and see a movie. We got back in time for FOODFEST. Which is a big deal because we just love food. All the clubs at school have a booth and sell food from their culture of whatever. I'm in the Hawaiian Club so I helped make Malasadas. It was so good. I also got a Samoan plate and tried food from everywhere as well. Later that night we went and watched the movie Valentines Day (2 movies in one day, I know.) It was way funny. I've made a lot more friends this week. I'm starting to realize more and more every day how small this school really is. I feel like back at home I had my separate groups of friends. Here, I feel like I meet someone and I don't think my other friends have met them, but it turns out that they are all great friends too. It's crazy. I love it tho.

I'm eating the Valentine that my mom sent me from home right now, and so excited that I don't have school tomorrow. I'm hoping that tomorrow is a perfect beach day so I can just lay out all day long.

listening to: Weezer- (If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To.

Day 42: 21 baby!

I’ve got to say, I miss food. Good food. Lately I’ve been craving pizza. So Monday, after class, I went and got a pizza. While I was there, my malasada truck had returned. So while I ordered my pizza, I went and got my malasadas. It was excellent. They are these Portuguese donuts, which seriously taste so good. I then went to the beach because it was a perfect beach day. That night was a basketball game. Me and my friend were totally making fun of this guy on the other team because he had ringlets and was wearing a freaking headband. He looked like a girl. We called Wendy and cheered for him by saying “Go Wendy!!” It was great. The rest of the week has been pretty cloudy. Not too happy about it, I’ve gotta say. Wednesday was another basketball game. If our team scores over 100 points, the whole crowd gets free ice cream. That night was the first time we scored over 100 points since I’ve been here. It was so fun when it was getting close because the whole crowd was shouting “Ice cream! Ice cream!” It was crazy when we finally got that shot. After that, I went over to my friend's house to watch The Bachelor online because we missed it Monday night. Thursday I finally got my Hula Skirt for Hula, and I had a Hula test. I got a 9/10 on dancing. I was so happy. Friday night me and my friend went into town to buy fabric for our Hula Costumes. We then went to get Sushi and Frozen Yogurt. It was such a good day. Later that night our school was showing New Moon, so I went and saw it with some friends. We just made fun of it the whole time. There was a dance after and I made a lot more friends there.

Yesterday I turned 21. It was the best day ever. I had so much fun. My family had sent me a package, which contained clothes, lotion, and food. I also got some money from my grandparents. When I go home, we will celebrate my birthday then too. Can’t wait. I had breakfast at the Hukilau Cafe and I had the banana pancakes, which are to die for. A lot of my friends came and brought me a balloon and cheesecake. After breakfast, we went to Sharks Cove and just laid out and went out in the ocean. The weather was PERFECT. For lunch we went and got an acai bowl... it is so good! It has granola, bananas, strawberries, blueberries, honey, pineapple, and the acai berry blended in. It's super healthy, and really good. Normally they add mango as well, but they ran out. After that, we laid out some more. Seriously. Best day ever. We went into the next town Haliewa and got some shave ice. The shave ice here is AMAZING. I have always loved it, but I really love it here in Hawaii. We then went out to dinner at this Mexican restaurant because I have been craving Mexican food. It’s called Just Tacos. We then came home after that. When I came home, I saw that one of my friends had decorated my door, which was so nice. Overall, it was a great day. I loved it.

I’ve officially decided that I’m staying until June. I need to find housing and figure out what classes I’m going to be taking this week. I’m excited that I’m staying!! Also, the name of this blog no longer is relevant. Just saying. I’m super excited for this weekend. It seems that the weeks are getting more and more fun as I get farther into it. Anyway, that was my week. I’m officially 21 now!!

listening to: Fanfarlo- Harold T. Wilkins, or How to Wait for a Very Long Time.

Day 35: LOST.

This was such a good week. ah. I just loved it. First of all, my comm. theory class was canceled for the whole week, which I really was excited about. So on Monday, it was finally SUNNY so me and my friend went to Hukilau Beach for FOUR hours. It made my life complete. I did get sunburned a little on my back, but being there for that long really was one of the highlights of my week. A perfect beach day is seriously a perfect day. The rest of the week it was raining and cloudy so Monday was the only day I was able to go to the beach. So I stayed in and danced a lot in Hawaiian Club this week. On Wednesday, I finally talked to my advisor about graduating from here. It looks like it will be pretty easy to figure out all the classes needed to transfer here, so I should know by the end of this week or next if I’m officially staying. Exciting right?!

SATURDAY. Gah. OMG it was SO FUN. So we took a bus into Honolulu to go to the swap meet. I bought a bracelet and a ring. I LOVE my ring. It is so pretty and I have wanted one ever since I got here. From there we went to Sunset on the Beach in Waikiki to watch the SEASON PREMIERE of LOST 3 days before it was released to the public. Oh and the cast was there too. I got lots of pictures and watched the premiere on the beach. It was so much fun. And this is the final season of LOST so this is like the last time they will ever do this. Anyway, I just loved every minute of it. It was so fun. Seriously. Such a good week.

listening to: Regina Spektor- Eet.

Day 28: I'm sick. Boo you whore.

I am so SICK. Ugh. It hit me on Tuesday. I was up and ready for my Hula class and 10 minutes before I was about to leave, I felt so dizzy I could barely stand. Since I wasn’t going to class, I went back to sleep for about 3 hours. I felt much better after I ate, but I was so scared it was going to hit again! It was absolutely terrible.

Anyway. Sunday night we went to our Hawaiian Club’s devotional type thing. It was really interesting and after we went around to the Tahitian Club’s meeting where they had really good food. I knew quite a few people there and it was just fun seeing people from school that I normally don’t see often. Monday was a pretty chill day; it was MLK day so I didn’t have school. I slept in and went to the beach. I came back and watched the Bachelor with my friends. Tuesday, I was really sick, but I felt better by that night. We had a Hawaiian Club meeting where we learned how to Hula (which was perfect since I had missed class that day.) It really worked my arms! I was surprised but happy that I was getting a workout in. Wednesday the weather wasn’t great so I just stayed in and did homework (lame I know.) Me and my friend did go get some shave ice later that night which made the day so much better. Shave Ice= Heaven. Seriously. Thursday I went to my Hula class and I felt so behind because I had missed class on Tuesday. I was able to pick it up fast though, which I was grateful for. I then ordered my Hula skirt, which will be brown and blue. I can’t wait for it to come. We then had another Hawaiian Meeting where we danced some more Hula. Love it. I'm such a little dancer out here.

Friday was a fun day. I get done with class at noon so me and my friends went to Sunset Beach to take pictures at sunset. We had so much fun taking all of these pictures and it was a blast taking the bus and just walking around the beach. I then went to the student film festival, which was HILARIOUS. It meant to be funny, but the acting was so bad I couldn’t help but laugh the entire time. It was great. It really made me miss making movies and filming however, so I'm going to have to start that up again. After that we went to Taco Bell with a bunch of friends and a bonfire. I was starting to feel sick at the film festival, but it wasn’t until I woke up on Saturday that I really felt it. I have a really nasty cough and I can't breathe through my nose. I sound like a man. I’m not sick with anything major, but I hate coughing. It hurts! Anyway, I slept in really late and just stayed around here and went to the school basketball game later that night. After that I came home because I wasn’t feeling well and put on Mean Girls and fell asleep. I feel a lot better today which is good because I hate coughing. I still have it, but it’s not as bad as it was.

This week wasn’t too eventful, but this up coming week I’m going to be busy doing a lot of cool stuff that I am SO excited for. Stay tuned, it's good stuff:) Promise.

listening to: O.A.R.- Love and Memories.

Day 21: 3 Day Weekend.

This week has gone by SO FAST!!! Ah. I can’t believe it’s already Sunday. AND. Tomorrow is MLK day so tomorrow there is NO SCHOOL. 3 day weekend!!! So nice. So this past week, there were a ton of clubs to join around campus and I joined the Hawaiian Club. I’m pretty excited to meet some locals and find people who have lived here a while and know the island pretty well. I want to do so much and it’s good to know someone who knows where everything is. There’s a meeting tonight that my friend Shelby and I are going to so that should be fun.

Monday nights I watch The Bachelor with a group of girls and we decided to make it a weekly event. It was such an easy way to make friends haha. A few of us went to Hukilau Café on Thursday morning because my first class was cancelled and we split some coconut and macadamia nut pancakes, along with the Hawaiian French toast. I’ve got to say the macadamia were my favorite. They were so good. I’ve been going to Hukilau Beach this whole week which has been so nice. The crazy thing is that my feet are so much tanner than my legs!! It’s the opposite of what they normally looked like in high school when I played tennis. Normally my legs were tan and my feet were white because I was always wearing shoes. Anyway, I am slowly getting darker, but I just want to be tan now! I have no patience.

Thursday my friend Callie and I went to go get some shave ice and a taco. I needed my fix for the week. Callie ordered some ice cream, which she said didn’t taste so great and it was such a fun time I can’t remember the last time I was laughing that hard. I honestly can’t remember what was so funny; I just know it was hilarious. I love days like those.

Friday my package came in the mail, which contained all the stuff my family accidentally took back home with them. I was so stoked when I got it. That night I hung out with some of my other friends and we watched The Princess and the Frog and went to a dance going on. Saturday was such a long, but fun day. We got up early again to eat breakfast at the Hukilau café again and this time I got the Banana pancakes. They were so good. I seriously think I’ll order them the next time I go back. We then went to Hukilau beach for a little bit and then hopped on the bus to go to Haliewa, which is such a fun, surfer type town. We went shopping where I picked up some bracelets and ate Mochi, which is this Japanese ice cream type dessert, I can’t even explain it, but it was so good. I ordered chocolate peanut butter cup and passion. Passion is probably my favorite. We walked around all the artwork in the streets and saw a band playing which was just fun. I love live music and it was fun watching these people perform. We then went to a Thai Food place, which I thought was pretty good and then headed over to Honolulu. We did some more shopping there at a huge mall where I bought a shirt. There were so many stores I wanted to go into, but we didn’t have time to hit them all up. This mall had such a variety and I would love to go back to it. We got home around 11 that night and I was so tired that I slept so well last night. I ate so much good food yesterday; it was overall a good day.

My classes are going well, not too hard right now and I hope they stay that way. I’m taking a Communication Theory class, a music class, English, and beginning hula, which a BLAST. I’m so glad that I’m taking it.

I have been waking up early and going to bed late, but there seriously is so much I want to do and I wake up naturally early because of the time difference. I hate being inside here. I go to the beach everyday and I can seriously be out there all day. I love it. This week seriously went by so fast and I’m scared that it’s going to be April before I know it. Pretty much, I’m having so much fun and I try to do something new whenever I can. I have a list of things I want to do before April and I hope I’m able to do everything on it!!

listening to: The Cab- Zzzzz.

Day 14: First Two Weeks in Hawaii.

I have made it to Hawaii. And it is not at all what I thought it would be like. I spent my first week in Honolulu with my family, which was a total blast. We went to the beach everyday where we snorkeled, ate lots of good food such as Zippys, Leonard’s Bakery, Giovanni’s Shrimp truck, and Hukilau Café. We went to the PCC, the Swap Meet in Aloha Stadium, and Pearl Harbor. I moved in on the 4^th and school started on the 6^th.

The first 2 days were difficult in learning my way around (even though this campus is super small) and figuring out my schedule. I felt like I was a freshman all over again. It’s like I’m relieving it in a way. I have already become good friends with some people and my roommate is awesome. She’s from Japan and is very reserved, but super sweet and nice. I’ve been going to the beach with friends and eating a lot of shave ice. 

I’ve been so busy these 2 weeks just soaking in everything Hawaii has to offer and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I have been getting up really early and it’s crazy how much has happened in this amount of time. I have gone to the PCC twice, along with the Swap Meet and Pearl Harbor. I have eaten at 3 different luaus and have gone to a lot of beaches while working on my tan. I’m trying to get the most out of this experience and still find time to do my homework. I need to remind myself that’s why I’m here, but it’s so hard. There’s so much to do!!

The ocean is so amazing any time of day. The waves are huge this time of year, so I’m hoping to go to some surf competitions because that would be tight. My goal is to write in this blog every Sunday, so I can write about the week. For those who have been texting and writing me about how everything is going, thanks. It’s been a really big transition and it helps to know that there are people who care about how I’ve adjusted.

So to sum it up:

Week 1- Awesome. Hawaii is beautiful. There is so much to do and see and I loved my family being there with me.

Week 2- The first week of school. A little overwhelming, but I’m starting to get a feel for the culture and customs that go on here. I’m so glad that I’m here to experience it. The friends I have already made are so rad and I’m excited to meet many, many more. Been super busy, but very happy.

listening to: Lady Gaga Feat. Beyonce- Telephone.