Hawaiian Luau!!!

SUPERLATIVES!!!

 HERE THEY ARE EVERYBODY... The SUPERLATIVES you have been waiting so patiently for. Many of you will be surprised at the results ;)

Friendliest

Eugene

Best smile

Igor

Best laugh

Sander

Funniest

Peter

Best English

Megan

Most likely to travel to every continent

Laura

Best tan

Eugene

Most spirit

“Som and Megan”

Most likely to surf pipeline

Julie Denmark

Best hula

Peter

Most likely to become an Islander

Kine

Dole pineapple

Felix Finland

Lose luggage

Sander

Best exchange student: EVERYONE!

PEARL HARBOR & A BEAUTIFUL BEACH!

On our tour of the Battleship Missouri

These cannons are huge!!!

We could see the USS Arizona memorial from the battleship

Then we went over to the memorial and saw the "tears of the Arizona" (oil leaking for 70 years!)

From the memorial, we could see the battleship we went on! It was so big!

It was a beautiful day to go to Pearl Harbor!

Of course we had to take a group picture!

We enjoyed the view of the east coast on our way to Waimanalo Beach

Some of us saw whales and all of us could see Maui and Molokai in the distance

And another group picture!!!

Then it was time for the beach... Finally!

The water was amazing and the view was too!

Let's run to the ocean!...

And walk along the soft sand...

And swim in the waves...

This morning we had to wake up really early and you could see it in everyone's faces because they didn't look happy about being up.  First we left for Pearl Harbor and it was amazing. We got on the USS Missouri different groups did different things.  One group started by cleaning the railing of the ship while the other groups were able to see how the sailors lived on the battleship. On the ship we got to see the exact spot where World War II ended and Japan surrendered to America. The feeling of standing on such a huge battleship was just incredible and to know that so many people died there made you respect and honor them.  One of the ship's volunteers also explained to us that the American captain impressively decided to honor a fallen Japanese pilot by burying him in Pearl Harbor. 

Next we got off the ship and went to watch a short documentary that explained the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, in which over 2000 men lost their lives.  The movie gave us background information about the reasons for the attack.  It was very useful because the information helped everyone understand, even those who were unaware of the Pearl Harbor attacks, and how tragic the loss was. We thought it was interesting and an act of good will that the movie showed both sides of the story and was pretty neutral.  

Standing over the USS Arizona, the tomb of many sailors, was an intense moment.  It opened our eyes to how massive the power of the war was and the emotional effect it had on all of us.  We were interested to find out that surviving members of the Pearl Harbor attack can still be buried there, along side their countrymen, to show the respect and camaraderie.

After a morning full of remembrance, we got to enjoy the beautiful landscape on our way to a local beach.  Once we arrived to the beach, the waves and soft, white sand were waiting for us. It was amazing to be in the ocean surrounded by all these exchange students and playing like little children in the huge waves.  We took a load of pictures, played volleyball, and relaxed by enjoying the view and the breeze.  We wish we could of stayed longer but hope to visit again soon. To end the day we sang the national anthems of all the countries represented on our bus and even got to hear the strange and sometimes ridiculous animal noises of each country as well. Then we had a Hawaiian BBQ on the terrace near the pool. Life is good in Hawaii!

Tanja Lokancevic
Alexendra Napour
Bruna Ferreirra

SNORKELING/HIKING & SHOPPING ON O'AHU!!!

ALOHA KAKAHIAKA! Today, we made two groups and one went surfing and then hiking to Diamond Head, while the other group went snorkeling. We will tell you in words about snorkeling today and show you pictures from surfing and hiking, so you can get an idea of both. Then we will switch on Friday and talk about surfing and hiking and show photos of snorkeling.... Just giving you something to look forward to ;)

Surfers learning how to paddle before going out to the waves...

We are READY!

Time to jump in the water and catch some waves!!!

Carrying the board like a local...

Surfin' Hawaiian style!

Welcome to Diamond Head Crater!

What an amazing view!

Look... There's our hotel! ;)

Welcome to Buba Gump, I'm Forrest, Forrest Gump.

Yum... Time for some shrimp :)

We enjoyed the games the waiters played with us at dinner...

A great ending to a fun and amazing day... Shopping and good food!

We got to get up a little later today and sleeping in was delightful.  Some people breakfasted at Starbucks, while others went down to the yummy breakfast at the Queen Kapioliani Hotel.  Our day started at 9am.  We grouped up with our buddies and took vans to Hanauma Bay. Before we could start snorkeling, we had to watch a very cheesy orientation video about how we should ‘look but not touch’ the animals or coral.  We were told that Hanauma Bay was once a volcano that died and it has so much wild life because the lava stone is very rich in nutrients for the sea life. 

Upon leaving the orientation, we were struck by the most amazing view of the bay that was shaped like a half moon.  The water was so clear and crystal blue that we felt like jumping off the cliff into it, even though that would be pretty dangerous.  We had the choice of taking a little bus down to the bay, but we felt like being non-lazy and decided to walk. Even as we walked, the view became more stunning as the sun shined brighter on the sea and palm trees (and our arms and faces).  We already had our snorkeling gear and we couldn’t wait to use it.  When we got down the path, we made sure to put on tons of sunscreen (waterproof SPF 100) and went to the shore, sat down and put on our snorkeling gear. At first we swam around the shore a bit to make sure the mask fit and we didn’t get water inside.  The further we swam, the more fish we saw and they were absolutely gorgeous.  We saw fat, foot long fish that were all the colors of the rainbow and even got to see the official fish of Hawaii, as well as a flat, zebra fish and another fish that looked like a needle.  At times we were a little worried that some of the fish would attack us, so we made sure to swim very carefully over them.  As fun as it was to look at the fish, we were constantly aware of  howm shallow the water was and how close the coral was to our bodies.  At points, we were only inches from the fish and it was exciting to see them up close and personal.  The best was when the water got deeper and we were able to see how the fish lived amongst each other and the multi-colored coral.

The weather started getting cloudy and windy, so we took our goosebumped bodies out of the water, found our friends and hung out on the beach.  When it was time to go, we packed up our stuff and headed up the hill.  Once again we weren’t lazy and walked up, but took a lot of awesome pictures on the way.  If you come to Hawaii, we recommend visiting Hanauma Bay because it’s the best snorkeling experience you’ll get.

Freja Maas

Frederikke Flindt

Okay... We will show you a preview of snorkeling, now that you have heard all about it:

Hanauma Bay

BEACH, KAYAKING & HARD ROCK

Our first stop- Pali Lookout

We learned very quickly that Nu'uanu Pali means Cool and Breezy Cliff

Welcome to Kailua Beach!

Kayaking was a lot of fun and also challenging


We each shared a kayak with a buddy and shared the rowing to make it easier...


75 of us went out kayaking together and had an adventure!

We love to kayak in Hawaii!


We made it!

Looking good and fit after four hours kayaking and swimming at one of the world's best beaches!



Jumping pictures are a must while on the beach :)

We got dressed up and walked to dinner at the coolest Hard Rock ever...

Ready to party???

We are!

On the morning of our fourth day, we headed to Nu'uanu Pali (Cool and Breezy Cliffs).  From this high point, we could see all the way to the coast, plus all the houses, ridges, and buildings in between. The view was unforgettable, and even though it was a bit rainy, it was still a great place to take lots of pictures. After taking it all in, we made our way to Kailua Beach.

Even though it was still overcast when we got to the beach, we were very excited for kayaking. We was worried the rain would ruin it, but instead, it made it even better. At first, the rain pounded down hard, soaking us before we even got a chance to get in the water.  Soon enough, the sun came out and it felt so much better. There is nothing better then getting dried from the warm sunshine of the Hawaiian sun!

All of our hard work paddling paid off when we laid our eyes on the remote beach that was our final destination. It was different from other beaches on the trip because it was just the trees, the mountains, the ocean, and us. It was a great feeling to be able to run around the white sand and jump in the ocean. We had the whole beach to ourselves!

Soon enough, it was time for us to head back and join the others in our group back on our launch beach. I was dying on the way back – the wind was strong, the sun was hot, and the water was splashing on my face. When we finally got back we were so relieved. Even though it was hard, we were so glad we did it.

Afterwards, we showered and got ready for dinner at the Hard Rock Café.

The restaurant was amazing! Not only was dinner tasty, but the atmosphere was perfect. Cool decorations, upbeat music, and good company with all my new friends. When the music started playing and we stood up on the tables, we forgot how tired we were and just had a great time with each other. Everyone in the restaurant was taking pictures of us because we were 100 exchange students dancing in the middle of Hard Rock. The waiters even came and danced with us to "The Time (Dirty Bit)" by Black Eyed Peas. It was a very memorable dinner!

Many of us ended up sunburned, all of us ended up tired, but it was all worth it because we made some memories for a lifetime- all in one day.