So last week I returned from what people call paradise. The trip was a week long, and it was an organized trip only for exchange students. It was through the organization Belo USA, and the trip I was on was almost only AFS's exchange students. We were 55 people from 14 different countries. We were 4 from Denmark. 2 of them I knew in the first place, but not well. Because almost half of us were from Norway, a lot of people knew each other from before. As a result of that, it took me a couple of days before I found the right group to go in. At last I found some really nice girls I had a lot of fun with. Belo had a set of rules that we all needed to sign before anything else. Including these rules, were we couldn't drink, smoke, do drugs, get a tattoo or date with other exchange students participating in that trip. If you broke these rules you would get sent back to the main land for your own cost.
The first day, Sunday:
Because of our flight the day before (10 hours) they had a relaxing day ready for us. The program was some surfing in the morning, and then some sailing with a catamaran around lunch. Surfing pictures will come, when I get home to a cd. drive.
The second day, Monday:
The bus was heading the north shore, and from the morning we were experiencing the Hawaiian spirit. The first stop was at the government building, and then walking over the the last queens palace. On our way to the north shore, we stopped at the DOLE plantation. For you who don't know that DOLE is, it is a brand of pinnacle and other fruits. And there was pineapple everywhere. That was a lot of fun. After a could of different stops, we arrived at the Polynesian cultural centre. Here we spent the rest of the day discovering 7 of the Polynesian cultures. We finished it of with a true Hawaiian show. The bus was very quiet on the way home.
The government center:
From the inside:
All the girls on the trip in front of the last queen:
The palace, where the last queen lived:
All the boys in front of the last king:
Finally I got sushi, after 8 months of none:
Just a walk on the beach:
Our bus:
The polynesian cultual cenre:
Our Ukulele team:
The third day, Tuesday:
Today we were going to visit the east side of the Island. Boarding our bus, we were heading to the Pali Lookout, a spot that could easily have blown us all away (Both mentally and physically). The Nuuanu Pali Lookout ("Cool Height Cliff") overlooks the 985 foot cliffs of the Koolau Mountain Range. It was here in 1795 that King Kamehameha and his warriors defeated the O'ahu armies and united the Hawaiian Islands. Some history is always good! From there the bus was heading the most beautiful beach on the island (or it looked that way). The waves was really big, and also sometimes too big, but most of the time it was a lot of fun!
A view point on our way home:
The fourth day, Wednesday:
Departure to Diamond Head Trail! It was a breathtaking view from the top of Diamond Head, the world's most famous volcanic crater. Don't worry about us falling in the lava though - Diamond Head has been extinct for 150,000 years. It even served as an early Naval Defense Base in the United States Military . We hiked one mile up sunny trails and unique spiraling staircases. The stairs was the worst part though. It was good to hike a little bit again, because that is a long time since I have done that, and it was actually a lot of fun. The view from the top, was truly amazing.
Our view from the hike:
The fifth day, Thursday:
Pearl Harbor was the destination today. We started out splitting up in 2 groups when we arrived on the USS Missouri. I was part of the team that did the community device first. Jep you read correct community service! It mainly consisted of disinfecting railings, an it was a lot of help for the ones that normally cleans the ship. After the community service, we headed for a tour under need deck. After a quick lunch, we headed to the USS Arizona. It was a very touching place, and as all other American memorials build very well.
The wire system is fantastic:
An officer cabin:
The normal crew's bed:
The memorial:
The USS Arizona was never reconverd:
The memory wall of all the lost lives:
The sixth day, Friday:
Our last day... Snorkeling! My snorkeling buddy was a girl from Italy, and we had a great time. I didn't like the snorkeling though. The water was only 4 feet deep, so the coral reef reached up, so sometimes you couldn't avoid touching it. And they were like, ohh you can see sea turtles... Maybe it is just me, but I don't want to meet a sea turtle in so shallow water. Maybe I am also a little bit afraid of them... Maybe. The beach was also a lot of fun, so we had a blast. In the evening we went to a luau. The sunset was beautiful, and the hula dancers were really good.
The danish people on the trip:
These 2 girls! So amazing! The short one is from Italy, and the one with the white dress is from Colombia, but before she went on her exchange she lived a couple of years in Brazil:
Our little group:
This girl though... Miss you sooooooo much!
And a picture with the hula guys:
Over all it was an amazing trip, and now I have even more friends around the world.
- Troldungen
