Otto finally arrived in Honolulu on Friday! It was so exciting to see her. It was Otto's first day in Hawaii EVER! So, I figured we should start out with the touristy bit and get it out of the way. So we walked around the main drag of Waikiki and the beach and then found a bar called Tsunami's that looked like it was fun. It turned out it wasn't, but that's okay! Some of the kids that are Anna's friends that I met from the other day met us there. We hung out for a little bit and then went to another bar called Maddogs. There were a lot more people there and a DJ. That was a lot more fun and we danced forever! The next day we walked all the way to Waikiki (in the hot sun). But we walked because we wanted to stop in some surf shops along the way and check out their used boards. We found a bunch but they were all out of our price range. We spent the rest of the day hanging out in Waikiki. We spent a long time people watching on the beach which was so much fun! There are some funny people hanging out in Waikiki. Then we went to a restaurant called Duke's Canoe Club. We got a perfect table right on the beach. There was a live band and some funny people dancing. We ate dinner there and then walked around Waikiki more and finally came home and passed out. 
Today, we hung out with Otto's uncle, aunt, and two little cousins who are here on vacation. We climbed Diamond Head with them in the morning. The view from the top was amazing. It was pretty hot but the walk up wasn't too bad, even Otto's little cousins had an easy time. Then they wanted us to show them around Waikiki just a little bit so we did that and ate lunch on the beach. Then we went back to their hotel, which is pretty far outside Waikiki. We played in the ocean...their beach was so nice! Not at all crowded like Waikiki. Then we built some sandcastles with the boys and hung out by the pool. The hotel was so beautiful and Otto and I had a good time checking out the fish pond. There were hammerhead sharks and huge manta rays! They were SO AWESOME! After Otto's uncle dropped us back home, we hit up the free barbecue outside our dorm, which happens every Sunday. There were some really nice college kids hanging around there who we talked to for a little bit. We'll probably see them around here eventually. Now we're just sitting here really tired...but there is no work tomorrow because it is a holiday in Hawaii (King Kamehameha Day)! 
pau for now...
Yesterday after work, the grad student who I'm working with, Anna, invited me to go out with her and some of her friends. Another UH grad student, Christina, drove us down to Waikiki for happy hour at Indigo's, just outside of Chinatown. At first it was just us three but more and more people continued to show up until there were at least 11 people in total. It was an interesting mix of people, all united by their deeply passionate love (obsession?) for surfing. Some were grad students at UH, others worked fulltime at unknown jobs, and others were just chilling out. One was a lifeguard and another was a glass blower. It was so fun to hear them all talk about how much they love to surf and when they were going to go next. They had apparently just come back from a really great day out on the waves so they were all really pumped up. After $3.50 martinis at Indigo's, we headed to another bar in Waikiki somewhere. We played darts, pool, and danced. I can't believe I danced in front of these people who I had only met a few hours before! Some of them saw the scars on my knee and we started comparing sports injuries. One of them was a gymnast for years, he made it sound like before he broke his back he was really good (he used to travel with most of the current Olympians). Anyway, I didn't believe it until he did several standing back tucks on concrete in flip flops. They also taught me some Hawaiian words and hand signs. When they spoke in pidgin, they sounded like true locals! I thought I was only going out for happy hour, but we ended up staying out for most of the evening. Eventually one of them dropped me home and I had a great time! Most importantly, they promised to show me around the island. They said they would take me surfing and put me in a "barrel" (term for one of those really nice waves that you see on TV...it really just looks you're surfing through an empty barrel), take me hiking to some secret locals-only spots, and show me some of the best places to eat. Who knows if I'll ever see any of them again, but I hope I do! I was a little too shy to take pictures, but maybe next time, if there is one...Anyway, it was a great night! a hui hou
Aloha everyone! I hope you are all doing well and enjoying life. This is the beginning of my blog, to help me keep track of my adventures this summer as well as share them with you! So, here goes:
I arrived in Honolulu yesterday morning. My boss, Zackary, picked me up from the airport. He greeted me with a traditional lei! After driving me around downtown Honolulu and Waikiki, he dropped me off at my dorm. I got settled into my room, went to the grocery store, and went for a run. I had no idea it was going to be so hot here! I guess I had expected the humidity but a girl from the dry Californian dessert is never prepared for summer rain. Anyway, the campus was really quiet on Sunday afternoon, although I did see a ton of extremely territorial cats roaming around.
Today was my first day of work! It was really exciting to get into the lab, meet the people I would be working with, and see the space and equipment. I got a pretty intensive overview of my project for the summer but I won't bore you with the details. Zackary is great, really approachable and friendly. The grad student who will be sort of like my mentor for the summer, Anna, is also very sweet and easygoing. She's originally from Michigan but has been in Hawaii for the past 7 years and has fallen in love with surfing. I already made her tell me all about it so I can get started this weekend once Otto gets here. Finally, there is a recent high school graduate (who, coincidentally, is going to MIT next year) , Jennifer, who I also met. She was definitely not the nerd I thought she might be. I think we will get along well. There is another grad student, Carli, who I haven't met. Oh! And of course, my favorite, Catalpa. She is the administrative assistant. She is a typical native Hawaiian woman (except she doesn't speak much Hawaiian). She says her mom named her Catalpa, which means tree, because her mom knew that she would grow up to be as big as a tree (she said it, not me!). She is so talkative and just a little crazy in that totally awesome way.First impressions of Hawaii: 1)there are beautiful flowers and greenery EVERYWHERE (I always want to pick the beautiful plumeria and hibiscuses, but have so far restrained myself)2) the girls dress mostly like tomboys and do not seem to appreciate east coast fashion3) even on the hottest days most people are wearing jeans4) i've heard a little bit of Hawaiian Pidgin but hopefully I'll get to meet some more locals who really use it fluentlyEverything is going great so far and I can't wait for Otto to get here so that I won't be eating in the cafeteria by myself! This weekend is going to be lots of fun!
Today, we hung out with Otto's uncle, aunt, and two little cousins who are here on vacation. We climbed Diamond Head with them in the morning. The view from the top was amazing. It was pretty hot but the walk up wasn't too bad, even Otto's little cousins had an easy time. Then they wanted us to show them around Waikiki just a little bit so we did that and ate lunch on the beach. Then we went back to their hotel, which is pretty far outside Waikiki. We played in the ocean...their beach was so nice! Not at all crowded like Waikiki. Then we built some sandcastles with the boys and hung out by the pool. The hotel was so beautiful and Otto and I had a good time checking out the fish pond. There were hammerhead sharks and huge manta rays! They were SO AWESOME! After Otto's uncle dropped us back home, we hit up the free barbecue outside our dorm, which happens every Sunday. There were some really nice college kids hanging around there who we talked to for a little bit. We'll probably see them around here eventually. Now we're just sitting here really tired...but there is no work tomorrow because it is a holiday in Hawaii (King Kamehameha Day)! 
pau for now...
