Flashback: Hawaii - Last Day on the Island
After coming back from Australia, I went to Philadelphia after a 22-hour pit stop at home to do laundry. The short turnaround was hard on the family and harder on my body. My sleep patterns were so bad that on three separate nights I didn't sleep at all. No matter, I'm back in the swing of things having had this week to rest up at home and catch up on family time.
Since it's been a slow news week, and because my dear friend Lance (Aloha Brah!) reminded me, now would be a good time to catch you up on another escapade from my time in Hawaii:
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Last Day on the Island
My last day on Oahu was a bit somber. After 33 consecutive nights at the Ala Moana Hotel, I had fallen into the rhythm of the island life. I was happy to be heading home, yet at the same time I was sensing a separation anxiety. What would it be like to wake up Monday morning and not look out on the Pacific Ocean in near-perfect weather?
I packed my room, ate my last breakfast and headed down to the Bell Captain to drop off my luggage. I then walked across to the office for the last day of class. These students were a real treat - their energy was great and their enthusiasm was wonderful. It is groups like these that I remember and look back upon with fondness.
By lunchtime the class was over and they had gone for the weekend. I was left in the classroom alone to ponder the overnight flight awaiting me ten hours from now. As I wandered over to the Ala Moana Center for lunch I was reminded that there was a Lego building project to celebrate the Grand Opening of the Lego Store. I quickly ran back to the hotel, got my camera and came back to the build. It was pretty cool not only watching them put together 7-foot surfboards out of regular Lego bricks, but being able to help out by pre-assembling "superbricks" for them to use. Pictures of the event are here.
As the sun set over Ewa one more time I picked up my bags, boarded the #20 bus and headed for the airport. There I had dinner at the Kona Brewing Company before boarding my overnight flight to Portland, Oregon. From there I would be catching a flight to Detroit the next day.
Looking back at the past five weeks, the hardest thing to deal with was being over 4000 miles away from my family. As things happened back home I couldn't be there for them, and it was too far to practically go home on weekends (although at one point I almost did).
But the best part about being here for five weeks was knowing that when I come back to the islands, I have an "Ohana" waiting for me: Jennifer, Lance, Sean, Manny, Joy (a.k.a. Kamakamaiwailani) Kyle, John, Stephanie, Chad, Jim and others who made my time here much more precious than a business trip. As we said our goodbyes that afternoon, it was clear to me that as much as they meant to me, I had left a bit of myself with them too.
And that is what "Ohana", or family, is all about.
Since it's been a slow news week, and because my dear friend Lance (Aloha Brah!) reminded me, now would be a good time to catch you up on another escapade from my time in Hawaii:
--------------------------------------------------
Last Day on the Island
My last day on Oahu was a bit somber. After 33 consecutive nights at the Ala Moana Hotel, I had fallen into the rhythm of the island life. I was happy to be heading home, yet at the same time I was sensing a separation anxiety. What would it be like to wake up Monday morning and not look out on the Pacific Ocean in near-perfect weather?
I packed my room, ate my last breakfast and headed down to the Bell Captain to drop off my luggage. I then walked across to the office for the last day of class. These students were a real treat - their energy was great and their enthusiasm was wonderful. It is groups like these that I remember and look back upon with fondness.
By lunchtime the class was over and they had gone for the weekend. I was left in the classroom alone to ponder the overnight flight awaiting me ten hours from now. As I wandered over to the Ala Moana Center for lunch I was reminded that there was a Lego building project to celebrate the Grand Opening of the Lego Store. I quickly ran back to the hotel, got my camera and came back to the build. It was pretty cool not only watching them put together 7-foot surfboards out of regular Lego bricks, but being able to help out by pre-assembling "superbricks" for them to use. Pictures of the event are here.
As the sun set over Ewa one more time I picked up my bags, boarded the #20 bus and headed for the airport. There I had dinner at the Kona Brewing Company before boarding my overnight flight to Portland, Oregon. From there I would be catching a flight to Detroit the next day.
Looking back at the past five weeks, the hardest thing to deal with was being over 4000 miles away from my family. As things happened back home I couldn't be there for them, and it was too far to practically go home on weekends (although at one point I almost did).
But the best part about being here for five weeks was knowing that when I come back to the islands, I have an "Ohana" waiting for me: Jennifer, Lance, Sean, Manny, Joy (a.k.a. Kamakamaiwailani) Kyle, John, Stephanie, Chad, Jim and others who made my time here much more precious than a business trip. As we said our goodbyes that afternoon, it was clear to me that as much as they meant to me, I had left a bit of myself with them too.
And that is what "Ohana", or family, is all about.
