From the second we landed, we could tell Oahu was different.
Sure, it was still in Hawaii. The weather was pretty much the same. But Honolulu was noticeably different. There were more cars. There were more people. There was a line to get our luggage, and then again to get our rental car. There was an actual interstate. What?
As we began our travels from the airport to our hotel in Waikiki (a beachfront neighborhood in Honolulu), we came to collective realization: we were in the city. While we were geographically close to where we began our trip, Honolulu felt like we were an entirely separate entity.
This is all relevant because it meant that our work would change. The first leg of our community service in Oahu centered around the Boys & Girls Club, which we had previously worked with in Maui. However, this time the work would be different. Being “in the city”, specifically a big city, carries a certain set of difficulties for everyone, but especially kids. We knew, just like in Maui, that the kids were going to need everything that we had -- but this time, it might just look a little different.
And it did. In Maui, the B&G Club was very lax -- come and go as you please, get there when we get there…they worked on “island time.” That’s not how things work in Honolulu, where a tight ship is run and kids have very clear expectations all the time. While debriefing, we found that a good number of kids actually preferred the structure. But don’t take it from me, let’s hear it from the kids!
“I liked Honolulu better because it was more organized.” - Anonymous Trip Member #1
“I felt like I got to know more kids because it was very clear when everything was going to happen.” - Anonymous Trip Member #2
“Honolulu was chill, just in a different way than Maui.” - Anonymous Trip Member #3
“What are you talking to me about? When’s dinner?” - Anonymous Trip Member #4
Just like in Maui, the kids and staff were great. Over the course of the two days that we were there, our kids once again rose to the challenge and creating great programming for the children of Oahu and made some amazing relationships, having a great time along the way.
This was a big moment of realization for me. “Different” often carries a stigma, that deviating from the path was a bad thing. But different isn’t always bad. It actually it’s not even often bad. It’s just...different.
Oahu is different. But in a good, unique way. I’ve been so impressed with our kids’ ability to code switch, to a certain extent, and show the ability to diversify their talents to meet the needs of two very different populations of kids. For me, it was one of the coolest things to see on the entire trip.
In the words of the philosopher Wiz Khalifa...work hard, play hard. We worked our butts off to get ready for and at the Boys and Girls Club, so it was time to play tourist. That started at Dave and Busters for some dinners and games, where once again the trip members learned that it is not wise to square off with yours truly in any sort of competitive event.
Day Twelve of our trip involved exposing our kids to a day at Pearl Harbor. This excursion was one that I had circled at the beginning of the trip, but I was surprised to find out that a lot of our kids had not been taught about Pearl Harbor in school (yet). “What happened here?” “Was it the end of the war?” “I think it was the Japanese.” These questions made me even more excited to show the kids my nerdy side at this historical site.
The tour was amazing. After getting out to Pearl Harbor, the tour started with a short movie that explained the build-up to Pearl Harbor, the actual event itself, and its consequences. We then took a ferry out to the USS Arizona memorial, the largest ship sunk on December 7, 1941. The USS Arizona is still fairly visible underneath the water, as we learned Pearl Harbor’s waters were only about 40 feet deep. The memorial itself was built perpendicular to the USS Arizona, and included a view of some of the visible parts of the ship, a list of those killed at Pearl Harbor, and those crew members who survived but then were cremated after their death and returned to the ship to be with their crewmates. We took a ferry back to shore, and went into a small museum that essentially was the synopsis of the video but in much, much more detail. I can tell I’m getting old because I absolutely loved this museum. (Note: These last five words have never been said by me at any previous point in my life). I was worried the kids would be bored like I was at museums at their age, but was excited to hear so many of them talking amongst themselves after we were done about how interesting they thought the day was and how happy they were that we took the time to go out and learn more about Pearl Harbor.
The highlight of Day Thirteen was 100% Waimanalo Beach. Waimanalo is a beauty, soft-sanded beach that’s about 10 miles from our hotel in Waikiki, but was the perfect getaway. It has been rated the #1 beach in America as voted on by such experts as the Huffington Post and Dr. Beach. If I'm going to trust anyone with my beach-seeking needs, I'm not going to look any further than someone named “Dr. Beach.” Sidenote: How cool would it be to have this guy’s job? Just goes around, looks at beaches, then calls it a day. I think I need a new career path.
The beach itself was absolutely incredible and 100% lived up to the hype. In the background were the beautiful mountains of Oahu; in the foreground, water bluer than I have ever seen in my life, and in the distance, neighboring islands and craters off the Hawaiian coast. Our kids enjoyed their time at the beach, throwing a football back and forth, burying themselves in sand and overall just being kids and having a great time.
We are in the homestretch of our trip now, with community service at Habitat For Humanity and a hike up the famous Diamond Head mountain the only things in between us and the mainland.
Mahalo for reading and aloha ‘oe!
BD
No comments:
Post a Comment