Aloha!

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

State basketball trip

Busy? Me? No no, not at all. I realized though yesterday, I never wrote about my trip to Green Bay, and since I am already on my way to new adventures, I better do it now. The reason that I was going to Green Bay was state girls basketball tournament. That is a competition, where the best teams from whole Wisconsin, play for the final state champion honor. Before you get  to excited, my team did not play. We were simply just there too watch. It wasn’t just everybody from the team that could go either, but mainly just varsity. As I have explained before, I am not good enough to play varsity, so I play JV. And now you ask, how come she plays JV, and then went to the tournament? See, I had expressed an interest in going, and since not all the varsity players went, there was a spot for me. I was a really fun weekend, even though we only watched 6 games. There is also another problem taking 12 girls away for a weekend, and don’t give them any space for themselves. The last night came the problem, and drama was all over. I tried to stay out of it, for the record, but the friend I went there with, got in the middle of it. So I kind of felt I was standing with a leg each in 2 different counties. It got kind off sorted out, and we went home Saturday, around lunch. Green Bay is about 5 hours from Webster, so that is not bad.

The weekend before this little road trip, I went shopping with my American friend. She wanted to get a solo ensemble (I think I have explained this before) dress, and I happened to get 2 long summer dresses for my Hawaii trip. Her dad drove us to the mall in Duluth, and we almost went to every women cloth store in that mall. My friend was a little picky about what she wanted. Like I am never do that (Right mom?). I am known for doing that too, and it was fun.

So now I am sitting in the airplane on my way to Los Angeles. From there I take another flight to Honolulu. I must admit because it has been so long since I have flown, I was/am a little bit nervous. I made the mistake of looking at the weather this week in Hawaii; Saturday: Thunderstorm. Sunday: Change of storm. Monday: Change of storm. Thursday: Partly clouded. And that is why I brought my raincoat and pants, and sweatshirts… I go to Hawaii, to get Denmark weather? Well at least I am still going, and Danes don’t normally trust weather forecasts, so why should I? 

- Troldungen

March and something to look forward to

Wow the time go by fast now. Almost half of march has gone by, and spring is on its way. Now it is about 40 fahrenheit (A little over 0 celsius) and you only need a sweat shirt on when you go outside. It is so nice, and my winter depression is finally over. Even though the weather has gotten warmer, there is still a meter snow on the ground. And it has turned grayish. 

So basketball season is over, and we finished with a bang. Our last game was 74 to 10. The problem was just we were the team that only got 10... I do really miss basketball, but every good things has to come to an end. There might even be a change I can play in Denmark in a club. I do though really like the concept of school sports, because there is then a bigger possibility that more kids do sports. it is also easier to try a sport, and you compete with the other schools in the area. 

Track season has now started, and i tried it monday. First day of practice, and my shin splint was hurting just like in cross country. As I am explaining lower down, I will be gone most of april, and that will result in I will miss a moth of practice. The meets don't start until marts, so even though I would also do it when I come back, competing in a meet is not even sure for me. So therefore I am not doing track. I have so many things to do, and I won't get bored. Yes I would have liked to do a spring sport, but it is probably the best choice. 

Something to look forward to? A lot! This saturday I am going with a friend shopping for solo/ensemble clothes. Solo/ensemble is when you learn a solo (Vocal or instrumental) and perform it in from of judges. They then judge you, and you get a score. I am going to perform a piece called Come raggio de sol. Italian, and I have to memorize it completely... I just thought I could wear jeans to it, and when I said that, my friends dropped their jaw. There were stunned... That was actually a little bit funny, so now I have to buy some nice to wear. The weekend after that I am going to state basket ball with the team. Of course we aren't going to play, but we are defiantly going to watch. It is in Green Bay, and that is about 5 hours away. The weekend after that, march 29, I am flying to Hawaii. Jep that is right, I am going to sun and more warmth. This is an AFS trip, and it lasts a week. 

So there is a lot to look forward too, and nothing can ruin my happiness right now. I hope you are having a good time, and is enjoying the long wanted spring.

- Troldungen