Week 4

So we had a little problem halfway through the week. Water got spilled oth the keyboard of my computer and killed it. I got it on for a few minutes but not long enough to get anything off of it before it died again.  So hang tight because typing on a phone is a lot harder and slower than a computer. This week wasn’t all bad though because I got to see some pretty amazing things. Take a look! 

Monday-Tuesday:

I worked Monday night and then Tuesday I literally slept for 10 hours! After waking up at 6pm I did a few errands and then fell back asleep at midnight and woke up the next morning at 8. My body really needed that sleep apparently. Thankfully it was raining so I didn’t feel like I missed out on much

Wednesday:

 I know why God gave me all that sleep. It was to prepare me for the hike today. I was planning on doing the Aiea loop trail yeasterday but it got pushed until today. Halfway through the trail bifurcated and I saw that the other was Kalauao Falls Loop. A hike with the possibility of water, count me in. I will say a lot of this path was the road less traveled. It was overgrown in a few parts and I actually ended up taking a different trail for about a mile before I realized and had to turn around. I just knew that I had to get down the valley and to the stream. When I heard water, I knew at some point, even if I was lost, I would make it out. The trail I took lead me to the top of the waterfall and I had to cross and then go down on the other side. A few days before it rained so the water was running beautifully. My words again cannot describe what it was like and even these pictures do no justice. I was able to swim all by myself in the pool. I imagine this is what the Garden of Eden was like before sin came into the world. It was me and God in enjoying His creation without any distractions. This trail is a stark example of the life I live. I make a distinct plan and then God says “Wait. Follow me. Trust me.” and then blesses me with something unimaginable. It might not be the easiest of ways but it is always worth it. The blessings also are just a part of the journey. Yes, the blessing of the waterfall was the most beautiful part, but then came another ridge that I had to climb. These highs and lows will come with life but if I allow God to lead me, the journey will never be lonely. I am glad God gave me this trail today because time wasn’t a worry and it took me about 6 hours in all, including detours and relaxing.

Thursday& Friday:

Another two days of working and sleeping. Friday my landlord was showing the place to sell so I got maybe 3ish hours of sleep. Not fun at all. 

Full moon

Saturday

After sleeping I texted my friend Rydan and his wife Aaliyah and we decided to go on a hike. I was kind of weary at first because it was rated as a hard hike and took around 3 hours. We didn’t start the hike until 3:40pm so I was scared we would be chasing daylight. Hawaii hikes can be difficult to find at times because google maps doesn’t know what it’s talking about. This one also started in a residential area so you had to walk in between houses to get to the trail. The first part of the hike was stairs made of stones. It looked like they had been there 100+ years. I was questioning my ability to complete the hike because these stairs whooped my butt. Most of the hike was very vertical but thankfully we took it slow and enjoyed the views. What I love about Hawaii is that in one hike there can be 10 different scenery changes. We were in pine trees, then guava groves and then just the straight ridge. There were many little lookouts along the way that looked past the valley to the coast or to another ridge. The final lookout looked like it was straight from the movie Tarzan. Maybe some day I’ll make it to an African jungle, then I may actually meet Tarzan. Sadly we had to book it back so we wouldn’t get caught on a mountain ridge in the dark. Thankfully we only had to bust out the flashlights on the stairs. My legs have a love hate relationship with me after all these hikes. After the hike, I just went and sat on my beach and looked at stars. I even got an app to tell me what I was looking at. The people who learned to recognize the stars and the patterns in them were geniouses. I have trouble finding some of the big constellations while they were connecting and naming them!  God made connect-the-dots in the sky  for all of us to enjoy throughout time. 

Sunday:

The day started off like any other Sunday, in Mass. The churches in Hawaii have doors all down the side of the church, that when opened, let’s a beautiful breeze in. I wasn’t prepared for the breeze so I did get a little chilled at times but it was beautiful none the less. After mass I was able to go to Makapu’u Tode pools. There is a steep trail from the lighthouse trail or you can walk the shoreline during low tide. I read that the shoreline was possible so I thought to give it a whirl. I only encountered one couple on my way to the tide pools. The first few pictures are of the secluded tide pools I found on my way and then the ones of me in them are from the actual spot where other people hang out.  I met some people that were leaving at the end of the week and the girl was a traveling nurse. She’s all alone during the day, so Thursday we are going to hang out and try something new. I love the culture of this place, where everyone just strikes up a conversation. It helps me not to feel so alone. If I didn’t meet people here, it would be a hard assignment. I love doing things by myself but at the end of the day I am an extrovert and need people.  The normal hike to the tide pools zig zagged on the cliff face. Both trails were sketchy in their own ways. Most trails here are not for the faint of heart. My mom is probably going to have a heart attack when she sees what I actually do here. I cannot wait for her and my sister to come in March! I don’t know if my mom is going to be able to leave island life but we shall see. 

    For dinner I went to Rydan’s house and ate with his sister, sister’s boyfriend, Jaden (Rydan’s friend), mom, dad, and Aaliyah. His parents made ramen and dumplings for dinner. Not the college kind but real noodles with broth and all types of Japanese fixings.  I tried spam for the first time and when cooked, it isn’t so bad! I’ve never tried it before but the thought of canned meat stuff scared me. They also had Ube (purple yam) and green tea ice cream. Both were very delicious. We watched a movie on Netflix that was filmed in Oahu and hearing locals pick apart everything was hilarious. Their family reminded me of mine back home. They were loud and loved picking on each other. His mom asked me at one point “what kind of friends do you have back home?”. I said “This. This is what my family is like as well.” I think she was worried that they were going to scare me off or that they were too much. After the movie we played Uno and the similarities of their family and mine didn’t change. People got competitive where I just laughed and had a good time. Tonight was a great way to start my actual week but also end my blog week. I’m so appreciative of the place God brought me and the people He put beside me.