First Morning of Orientation

Good morning (though right now it's 1 pm in MA). I'm just brewing up a cup of coffee in a hot pot I bought on Sunday, getting ready to start UH Hilo orientation. I have some scheduled stuff, like tours and meals, and then there are little items I need to take care of independently- finding a job, getting an ID card, checking in with the nurse, etc. All will be fine...

No gecko sighting since yesterday morning. He hath vanished from whence he came! (did I say that right?)

I woke up to some Hilo rain... the lush little forest I have behind my windows allows for any rainy breezes to bring a sweet scent into my room- it's like living in a greenhouse.

Yesterday afternoon I took a long walk around a different part of the area (every day I'm going to try to explore a little more). I went through a residential area and it's amazing how much different the landscape was! The industrial, business part of Hilo that I walked through on Sunday was quite flat, being at the bottom of the mountains that are the centerpiece of this island. But most of the residential area is above the town, with houses and streets and parks carved right into the slopes of the hills. Walking through neighborhoods with palm tree studded lawns, I could see the ocean far below me. What a beautiful place to live!!!!!!!! Also a rather gentrified place to live... there's a mix of nice houses and condo complexes and smaller little homes with beat up cars and rougher looking lawns. I felt pale walking around, the people who live here are sooooo brown, regardless of race. I wanted to bathe in sunscreen when I got back.

Today I'll wear sunscreen as well. The rain I mentioned earlier has already drifted away and I can see patches of blue between the clouds. I love this transitory climate- it's as though Hilo is interacting with those who are within it- any time we forget where we are, Hilo smacks us with a clout of rain and snarls "who exactly do you think you're ignoring?"