Hi everyone,

So today is going to be a different post. Instead of retelling my day, I've decided that I'm going to write more about the things that stood out to me. I've picked out my top three, and hopefully these will help you if you decide to go to Hawaii.

1. DaBus
On island, the bus (literally called DaBus) is quite possibly the easiest way to get where you want to go. When I first got to Waikiki, DaBus was oftentimes how my mom and I got anywhere. The system is easy, you just look up which number bus goes to your destination and that's it. Except it's not. The bus, while it's a good way to get around, isn't so black and white. For example, today some friends and I were going to head to Waikiki, a simple 15 minute ride from campus. However, after talking we decided to dedicate the day to a trip up to North Shore. In hindsight, this wasn't feasible. While it's possible to get to North Shore, it's not just one bus you're taking. Instead you take one bus for 20 minutes, then transfer to another line for an hour, and then from there you finish the route on another line for the final hour. Before taking DaBus it's extremely vital that you do your research. Download the app (available on both iOS and Android!) or simply google maps the route. Personally I use google maps transit because I like the real-time aspect, but any of these three things are better than waking up one morning and deciding on a whim to go to only the farthest part of the island.

2. Week of Welcome
I know that I've talked about this in some previous posts, but I wanted to go into more detail. For $125 a student (and $50 per parent/guest), the Week of Welcome isn't something you should pay for if you're not serious about going. Referred to as "WOW", the week of move in is jam packed with workshops, tours, and free food for those students who paid. Meaning you can't go anywhere without your lime green wristband, which lets the leaders know who is a WOW student and who isn't. I would suggest looking into it only if you're a student who hasn't been to Hawaii before or if you're coming from another state. However, in my case, I payed and haven't done much of anything. I take advantage of the free breakfast and dinner, but haven't gone to any workshops. But don't think I didn't have a good reason to miss the activities, alright? The biggest problem I've seen this year is overlapping of two different WOW's. The original one made by the New Student Orientation staff as well as the second one made by the RA's. This year, the school (from what I've heard) didn't communicate with the RA's and, as a result, many of the days are spent picking and choosing what to do. The big question this week has been "Do I want to meet more students or the people on my floor?" It's a hard decision and if I knew it was going to be like this than personally I wouldn't have paid. The confusion of what to do paired with the FOMO (fear of missing out) just hasn't made for a good combination. And of course, this leads me to my next point. Today was a mandatory freshmen orientation but also wasn't. Wait, what? Well actually, I'm just as confused as you are. See, I was told this orientation was mandatory. No exceptions. You have to be there. (Actually all I got was an email that said: Meet in the courtyard at 12:45). But because I had plans with friends, I decided to ask an orientation leader about this freshmen orientation that I had never been told about prior to today. Her response? "Um no, no orientation at this school is mandatory. The only time we would say something is mandatory is if you're a nursing student in that school. Other than that no orientation is mandatory." Huh. Weird.

3. Biking on campus
Alright so this has been something I've debated doing. My friends all have bikes and have talked about going on bike rides, something that sounds like a lot of fun. In fact, many students on campus ride bikes. The students that don't either walk, skate, or drive. (Or get creative and do something like scooter) However immediately after getting a bike you're told you need a lock as well as a removable seat. Yes, a removable bike seat. Why? Because if you don't take that bike seat off than someone else will. I even had an advisor of mine walk me through locking up a bike "just incase you get one" I hate to say it, but why get the bike to save time if you're going to then turn around and use that extra time to both remove a seat and unlock the snake around your wheel, frame, and handlebars? To me the extra work doesn't seem worth it. I would rather get my step count in.



Anyways I would love to know what you thought about this kind of post.

Until next time,
Aislinn