Aloha!

After 21 hours of travel and airports, airports, and more airports, I am finally beginning my first full day in Hawaii. If you’re looking at the number 21 in the last sentence and thinking “Oh how miserable,” then stop yourself right there. I left the house at 7 in the morning and laid my head down at the Upcountry Bed and Breakfast at around 4 EST, but every minute of the trip was worth it. There is something about Hawaii that just grabs you by the heart strings, dives into your soul, and makes you fall in love with it. For example, this is my view from the adorable bed and breakfast where I’m staying:




It’s at about 3000 feet above sea level, and I’ve been told that you can see whales in the bay if you’re lucky :)

Anyway, today is going to be a busy day. This is the start of our “prep week” in which we get everything ready for the teachers who arrive June 7th. We (well, I) are going to be driving around the island and visiting the sites of the various activities. Len, my colleague who co-authored the grant with me, lived on Maui for a number of years and ran Project ISLE as a business for a while, so he knows the island. On the other hand, I need to figure out where everything is, so I’m driving today. We’ll also be going to Costco (yes, there are Costco’s on Hawaii! My favorite place! I might never come home…) to finalize our meal plan for Maui. We have a cafeteria at KMC, but we’re our own chefs at Camp Olowalu, which will be fun :)

More to come later! Mahalo