First few days

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Aloha from the University of Hawai'i at Hilo! It's been a long few days but I'm finally ready to write some of my experiences down.

Friday night in Shrewsbury, my friends came over to hang out with me during my last few hours in New England. Mahalo to all who called or stopped by- I certainly don't feel neglected and can't wait to reunite in May!

It was really weird flying out early on Saturday morning. I couldn't wrap my mind about the reality of the moment, and went through the flights and airports almost mechanically. My flight to Pheonix was uneventful, I was so tired that I just drifted in and out of sleep. I only had an hour to wait in Arizona before I was airborne again, sitting next to the window watching the bizarre terrain pass below. Arizona's a crazy looking state! The last time I'd seen the landscape out west was during a cross country trip I took with my family in middle school. It's a culture shock to realize how sparesly populated some regions are.

Anyway, the next time I looked out the window, I was staring at a big blue ocean. For hours, there was just water and clouds. Very boring. But after 6 hours or so (we'd left late from Pheonix) the clouds thickened and clustered together, finally revealing a dark land mass, my first look at Hawai'i. I was awestruck by the beauty of the coastline, but simultaneously felt my first homesick pang, one that was exacerbated with fear. I was now fully conscious of the span of land and sea that was between me and home. I hadn't really felt that way in South Africa because I was with people from home when I went- "separation" wasn't really part of my trip's vocabulary.

It was with a great deal of trepidation that I first got off the plane onto the Hawai'ian airstrip in Kona, on the big island. I was immediately hot, and felt clumsy in my jeans and sweatshirt. But the sun wasn't scorching, and the air smelt sweet. For awhile, I was too busy rechecking my luggage and going through security to reflect on home... I distracted myself with food and a book until I felt calm enough to call Mom, and we chatted for a while before I hung up and got ready to fly across the island to Hilo.

The plane was tiny but the flight only took about 20-25 minutes, during which anyone with a window seat could get a marvelous bird's eye view of the island. I was one of the lucky window folks who could see the island getting prettier and prettier, with the land changing from brown and black lava to lush fields, thick forests, and a black sand coastline studded with lagoons and waterfalls. This was Hilo! Seated next to me throughout the flight was the husband of a senator who is very influential in fundraising for the school. It was reassuring to talk to someone who was from the area- obviously I know people are nice everywhere, but to have someone actually introduce themself to me made a big difference and gave me extra confidence as I walked off the plane into the Hilo airport. After retrieving my luggage, I took my first taxi to campus. The driver was really sweet- he was playing some old love song from middle school on his radio, and told me all about his daughter, who is a UH alum.He dropped me off in front of Hale Ikena, where the housing office was being manned by a few sleepy looking staff members. They really didn't talk to me a lot, one of them showed me to my room and went over my planner with me, and then I was alone in a big empty room on an unfamiliar campus with no one in the rooms around me. I can't tell you how lonely that night was.

Yesterday morning, I woke up and it was gorgeous outside, but I couldn't shake the feeling of being alone. I finished off a pack of m and m's for breakfast, and turned on some music while I unpacked. Halfway through, I just started crying. I was so tired and overwhelmed. My mom then proved that overseas parenting is possible. Over the phone, she calmed me down and pushed me to actually LEAVE my room, so that at least I wouldn't regard the campus and town with fear and unfamiliarity. duuuuh....

Well I took my first few steps out of my room around 1:00 pm yesterday. And turns out, I love Hilo. The campus is cute- big and fancy in some places, cozy and quaint when I need it to be. I started to get excited about actually going to class in the buildings. I called my mom and sister every 10 minutes for awhile, sharing every new discovery as I felt "Stef" returning to my body and mind. Finally I turned off my phone, put on my headphones, and took a long walk down a street in Hilo. My first stop? A 7-11, for a cup of coffee. I think that sealed the deal for me... I actually think part of my disorientation and distress yesterday was due to my caffeine withdrawal, because normally I have 4-6 cups a day and it had been over 24 hours without any coffee. All I know is, once I chugged my joe, I was able to really enjoy my walk through Hilo.

I'm actually kind of happy that the university is about a 30 min walk from the water, it's far enough to get away from the tourist hub, which means lots of small, squat homes, old pick up trucks, and streets lined with normal, homey stuff. Mailboxes, garbage cans, 7-11's, etc... might not sound glamorous, but I NEED "typical" in order to feel comfortable. Of course, this is typical HAWAI'I, so everywhere I looked, there was a flowering tree, a palm frond, a river. I was content, and was finally able to make the call to Mom, "Hey, just wanted to let you know that I am totally and completely all right." Only 24 hours had passed since I landed in Hawai'i and I'd had a total change of heart. (I'm still in a good mood 24 more hours later!!!)

I stopped by a drug store to do some shopping, bought necessities and splurged on a temperpedic pillow that annoyed the heck out of me last night so I think that'll be returned pretty fast.

Last night, I stopped by the housing office for a community pizza/movie night, met 2 friends, Jim and Danny. Also there was Crystal, a girl I'd met earlier in the day who has a sense of humor that sits well with my cynical side. The movie was Fearless, a Chinese film. After the movie, I headed back to my room- even though it was only 10:30, I felt like it was 3:30 am. But before heading to bed, I answered calls left by friends on my voicemail all wishing me a Happy New Year. So I felt like I hadn't really missed the holiday. That meant a lot to me.

This morning, new year's day, I awoke to find an email from Dad and in the middle of calling him back, I spotted a gecko crawling up my screen. At first I was unruffled, thinking he was outside. But then I realized that he was actually in my room with me. I freaked out a little, and spent a half hour on the phone with Lisa and Dad trying to figure out how I could catch or move said gecko. Alas, geckos are mighty quick little buggers and I couldn't approach him without freaking him out, and whenever HE freaked and skitterred everywhere, I freaked and ran around the room. Eventually, I figured the best move was to ignore it completely, and have since accepted my new amphibian roommate. As long as he stays out of my room, we'll be fine.

I've been decorating my room and answering emails all morning. I'm calling around about possible bikes I can buy- I want a cheap one so that I can get around. I'm also figuring out the bus schedule, and later today am going to walk around campus again with my class schedule to figure out where all my classes are. Very mundane little things that are made VERY special by the setting. It's amazing here.

Posted are pictures of my room and pics from around campus that I walked around snapping. I wanted to post a pick of the gecko, but due to our mutual skittishness, such a photo never came to be.

As you can see from the pictures, the weather today was supreme. No rain at all, just scattered clouds. Yesterday was a little more normal by Hilo standards, 30 min- 3 hours of clear skies followed by a shower that varied from sprinkling to pouring, and lasted anywhere from 2 minutes to 20 minutes. I never knew what the sky was going to do! Thus today, I've been staring at the sky with suspicion. How long will the clear skies last???