My First Few Weeks

Now that it has been just over a month since I got here, I have been busy doing all sorts of crazy things. I have so much that I could/would like to write about all these things but because I haven't been very faithful to my new little blog, I have to summarize up to this point. Hopefully I will learn my lesson and not make this mistake again in the future! I will start with my first days at school and orientation. The whole first week for new students and transfer students like myself is jam packed with fun activities. I didn't attend everything, but I loved what I did go to. Most of all I loved the tour of the Polynesian Cultural Center.

THE PCC
January 4th 
 

As we waited for the Canoe Dancing to start, a canoe selling Hawaiian style

ice cream sundaes with sherbet and fresh fruit floated around. I shared one with

someone in my orientation group. It was DELICIOUS!

 

The guy behind the canoe in the water was pushed off by the other canoe pusher. It

wasn't supposed to be part of the performance, and definitely made us all laugh.

About 6 different countries did canoe

dances that were unique to their homeland. This one is Fiji.

We were learning how to swing these around, which is a kind of

hobby that lots of Hawaiians like to do. If you get good you can swing them

around in lots of cool ways, I needed more practice though for sure!

the EDDIE AIKAU
January 20th

There is a big surf competition that is held at Waimea Bay, which is just a few miles north of where I live. This is the surf competition of all surf competitions! Competitors are there by invitation only. There has to be waves with AT LEAST 25 ft. faces, which is HUGE. "The Eddie" has only taken place 8 times in the past 30 years because of how strict they are with what the waves heights have to be. A big swell was predicted so the whole island was in a frenzy about going, and whether or not it would go through. A group of 11 of us piled into a van and made our way down to Waimea the night before. The guys set up a tent amongst dozens of other Eddie enthusiasts already camping there to miss traffic in the morning and not have to miss any of the potential and insane surfing. 

We had fun telling stories and hanging out at the beach.

I even taught the crew how to do "shakey face"!

Tanner

Liz

Andy

Then everyone got settled in for a very tight squeeze in the tent and tried to sleep. Most of us slept horribly. Morning came and as we climbed out of the tent there were already thousands of people all around. After waiting a couple of hours, officials decided that the so-called swell wasn't producing big enough waves. We all went home disappointed but it was still a fun little trip. I just feel bad for all the surfers that flew to Oahu in hopes of competing!

The timing worked out perfectly though because Elder Bednar was giving a devotional at BYUH later that morning. We all went home, got changed and went to listen to what the apostle had to tell us. It was an amazing talk and was written specifically for the students at BYUH. I learned a lot about the importance of a constant personal conversion throughout my entire life. I am so blessed that I attend a University where I can camp on a beach with my friends and hours later be taught directly by an apostle of the Lord. Im really livin' the life out here, there's no doubt about that!