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My HI Life

A collegiate's take on island life

Hey everyone!

As promised, I wanted to make a post dedicated to everything that took place over the last weekend. I wanted to get this done as soon as possible, so while posting this on Sunday would have been ideal it simply was not an option. Thankfully I found some time and am able to share with you everything I did!

Firstly, Friday was the Korean club's fundraising night at a place called "Honey". Surprisingly, the other girls were interested in going, which mean that the 4 of us were able to go together! We ended up getting ready and leaving shortly after 10 to arrive close to 11 pm. Honey, the club, ended up being very fun and the girls now want to go back. They're talking about going again this upcoming Friday but I'm not sure if it's going to happen.

Saturday the girls and I got together for a bit in the morning before some of them would leave to go to the "Rock the Troops". While we were all hanging out people from my floor actually came by and invited us to go with them to a place called "Pounders Beach". If you're at all familiar with Oahu, or maybe you just like looking at cool instagram pictures, than you might recognize this beach as being the home of the ocean trampoline. If you don't know what I'm talking about go look it up-- it's seriously so cool. One of my friends agreed to go, and the other two had to stay behind as they had already committed to going to the Rock the Troops. Needless to say they weren't too happy with us leaving. However, my friend and I went and soon ended up at the beach- all the way in the northern part of the island! What makes this even better is that one of them had a car and was able to drive, meaning we weren't stuck on the bus for multiple hours that morning.

After arriving we quickly swam out before realizing one huge problem: the trampoline was broken! Go figure, the trampoline that looked so cool in pictures, just so happened to be broken, and recently at that. We asked some people that were sitting on it what had happened and they were quick to say it was "some local guy". Whether or not they were telling the truth is still a mystery, but the fact is as soon as we all jumped off they immediately started jumping again, leaving me to believe it might not have been a local guy that broke it. But again, we'll never know.

Once we got back on shore we all thought it would be best if we went along and drove to a different beach. After all, it was only a little past noon and we had the whole day to do whatever. After driving around for probably a good 20 minutes we agreed upon Waimea, someplace that we were all at least familiar with. As luck would have it, the weather was great and the water was a very pretty blue, something that was not the case the last time I had been here. Getting a parking space was difficult, but after that the rest of the time was very smooth. We grabbed our bags and picked a nice spot right between the water and the grass and immediately went swimming. Not long after, it became obvious that a good half of the people at the beach were also the ones jumping off the huge rock. If you don't remember, the last time I was here we weren't allowed to jump off the rock due to "poor weather conditions". While I thought it wouldn't be too much of a jump, I didn't realize how wrong I was until I climbed to the very top. At about 20 feet, the rock is very jagged and wet. It's not as hard a rock to jump off like the one at Nanakuli, but the height difference is very evident. The guys we were with were quick to jump off, of course after making sure Bella and I knew what we were doing. This left the two of us alone on top of this huge rock, and we both knew there was no way we could walk down this thing. Taking a deep breath, I decided to go for it, and I soon found myself hitting the water.

What's interesting about this jump is how I completely underestimated the height. I thought it would be a quick splash, but about halfway down I realized one thing: I didn't have enough air to last me the whole drop. Now I know how utterly ridiculous I sound, but hear me out! When I first jumped I didn't expect to be in the air for as long as I was. Even at 20 feet it felt much longer than the jump at Nanakuli, and for a split second I had that sinking feeling in my gut where I felt utterly helpless. Of course this was not in a bad way but in more of a, "What am I doing?!" kind of way. However as soon as I landed I knew I wanted to go again. I probably went up at least five more times which, for me, was a lot. Even better, I was able to get a video of myself jumping off! So here's a little video of me jumping off for the last time, curtsey of the guys who took us:



Hopefully it looks as cool as I've made it out to be.

After that the four of us relaxed for a little bit before one of the guys asked us what we wanted to do next: "Hang out here for a little longer or go hiking and watch the sun set?" Now if you know me you know I absolutely love hiking. Immediately I said yes to hiking, and thankfully Bella was equally as interested, which meant we were for sure going hiking.

A short drive away led us to the parking lot of an elementary school. The guys told us they had yet to hike this trail, so we were all in the agreement that this would be nothing if not interesting. Of course, as soon as we started up the side of the mountain we realized just how utterly wet the trail was, making it hard to hike in the Jesus slippers. In fact at one point someone was using a walking stick to help give them leverage against the smooth mud! The hike took a good half hour, at least, and when we finally made it to the overpass, with the help of some Australians, it was clear the struggle was worth it. The little slab of wood we were at overlooked the edge of the Northern part of the island, and for as far as you could see there was nothing but blue water. It was times like this that I'm reminded I live on an island. Can't say I don't mind, though. Here's just a little bit, albeit not the best quality, of what I saw:





It is absolutely breathtaking in person, so I apologize that my pictures aren't good at conveying that. 

After that we drove back to campus and parted ways. I won't lie, this was one of the few times I've been in my building (as I'm usually in another freshmen tower) and ever since then I've been urging the others to hang out in my building more often. For a while now I've had this feeling of "I need to be home" in which home is my tower. I feel like I don't know that many people on my floor, but in the past week of being in my building I've talked to so many more people. I love it, but I'm finding it very hard to be in my building and get to know others when my friends would prefer to stay in the other tower. If this past weekend was any indication of what could happen if I stay on my floor then by all means will I be staying in this building more often. My last point I'll make is that throughout the day one of the guys kept saying this, "Just go with the flow and say yes. If it's meant to be it will happen." and I couldn't agree more. The fun I had on Saturday equates nothing to what "fun" I would have had in my room studying for midterms. While I hate not planning things, just going with the flow and saying 'Yes' led me to some pretty amazing places. I can only hope this happens again. 

I'm realizing now how long of a post this is becoming, so I will keep the rest short. On Sunday one of our friends' dad was in town and offered to take us wherever we wanted to go. Piling into the car we agreed upon going to the pumpkin patch and taking our "squad pic". What was supposed to be a 20 minute drive turned into an hour thanks to a delay on the Pali Highway, and by the time we arrived the whole patch was absolutely bare! We managed to take some pictures, but like I've said before I refuse to post any without their explicit consent. Also it's an invasion of privacy on my part and I simply won't do that to them. After seeing the dirt the girls and I also walked through part of a sunflower maze. I can't tell you the last time I saw sunflowers. Here's one looking standing tall and looking pretty: 



As well as one of Yours Truly:



After that we ate at Fatboys (I had a tuna melt!) and returned to campus. This weekend, while busy, was a really fun one. I did study, for those of you curious, and can now kick back and relax. I hope you are able to do the same. 


Until next time,

Aislinn
October 26, 2016 No comments
Hey guys, 

This week is going to be quite the busy one. Thankfully, it's not as packed as my first week of tests, but this is another very busy one. This week I have a total of 3 tests, and they're all pretty big parts of my grade. 

To put things into a better perspective I'm going to go ahead and give you a layout of what my week will look like: 

Monday: 

Chinese 201- Oral Midterm
Religion 100 - Major religions of China and Japan test

In addition to these tests, I also have an ACE cluster study night that I will be attending. According to one of the leaders we will meet and study for our psych test together and they will order us pizza. I'm hoping that I will be able to get a lot done since this is my third, and one of my last, tests in that class. Thankfully I have a B in the class, but I don't want to chance anything by not preparing. 

Tuesday:

Chinese 201- Written Midterm
Psychology 100- Quiz 3

After classes I have a Nordstrom interview and a Korean club meeting. As far as the interview goes, I'm actually hoping that I don't get the job. I know that I should get one, but at this point in the semester I just feel like it's going to do more harm than good. I am fine working over breaks, but during the semester I would rather have free time to hang out with my friends and travel the island. Unfortunately I know that doing these things are near impossible if you don't have money, so for now I'm going to keep applying for jobs and hoping that something works out. 

The rest of my week, as of now, is pretty open. On Thursday, supposedly, one of the frats are throwing a party at one of the clubs downtown and some of the girls want to go. I'm not too sure if I want to, given that I have class on Friday. I know that the Korean club is going hiking on Saturday, too, so maybe I'll go on that trip with them. I'm glad that my week is pretty open, but it's too bad that I've got to go through a number of hurdles just to get to a relaxing week.

I've got another post on the way soon that's about my weekend at North Shore, so be sure to look out for that. I'll post it when I have time, so no promises that it's going to be soon, but I'll try to get it posted as fast as I can.

ALSO- as promised, here is a picture of the infamous Jesus-sandals that everyone here on the island seems to be wearing.


For the record they're pretty comfortable. They might tear up your toes but just make sure you wear socks and you'll be fine. They're also very cheap; at Walmart you can buy them for $5.99 and the support is great, meaning the chances of them lasting are long.

Until next time,

Aislinn
October 24, 2016 No comments
Hey everyone,

I wanted to make a quick post to share that it's That Time of the Semester: Midterms. While many college students have multiple exams that they're cramming for, I was lucky and only have to take one midterm. I can't say why, but for those students who find themselves wanting to be apart of an ACE cluster, this might postpone your midterms. Out of all of my friends, there seems to be a common trend with those in ACE clusters not having midterms, versus those students who aren't in an ACE cluster having multiple exams. 

In my case, I wouldn't necessarily have to take a midterm had I not registered for Chinese. But don't be too freaked out by the idea of midterms, if you study throughout the semester than you won't find yourself cramming at the end and wondering why you're not getting a lot of sleep. Also, it's always good to see just how much of your grade the midterm is worth. With me, my Chinese one is only 10% of my grade, so in that case I don't have to get a perfect score to do well in the class. 

I don't have a lot to say besides that, so besides that I hope you all have a great rest of your week. Study hard, students!

Until next time,
Aislinn
October 20, 2016 No comments
Hey guys!

I feel like all of my posts have that similar beginning of, "Can you all believe we've made it this far?", and this one is going to be just like it. Remember five weeks ago when I wrote about how crazy it was that I've made it to week three? Now look at me! It's week eight! The semester is almost halfway over and I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little disappointed. I wanted to share with you guys another recap of my week thus far, and I hope you'll enjoy..

Firstly, this was my week of rest. I know that I've often written about how my past few have been ones of a slower pace, but this was truly a slow week. Compared to my last, where I was struggling with 5 quizzes and a test, a slow week is what I needed. 

On Monday I had a job interview with a place inside the local mall. I won't share too much detail, but I urge students to apply for jobs early and apply for them fast. I've found that too many places are telling me 'no', and this is making me increasingly stressed for the coming semester. I should also define stressed as being worried, and not in a frantic way but more of a "Well crap, what am I going to do?" kind of way. I guess it's complicated. I wish I didn't have to work, but I also want money now, so that puts me in the awkward position of having to do something I don't want to do- work. 

This past Tuesday was another Korean Club meeting. Ive found that my friends are no longer interested in becoming members, and it's too late to back out myself, so I've been stuck with attending by myself. This isn't a problem, except it's worth noting that I still have anxiety, so when I'm put in situations where I've got to do these kinds of things alone I get very stressed out. Since being in college I've been a lot more outgoing, but I've found that this problem, this anxiety, hasn't necessarily been lessening. Nonetheless, the Korean Club meeting was good. This time there were a lot more Koreans and we also got to see our shirts! This year they're going to be maroon and have the Hanwoori symbol on the front. I'll have to show you a picture when I've received it. I promise that this time I will actually submit a photo! I still remember telling you guys that I will show you my "Hawaiian Jesus Sandals" and not having posted anything since! I also remember telling you that I will show you a picture of my food at the cafeteria. Just like the sandals, the picture is on it's way. 

On Wednesday I spent some time with my friends and did more "adult" things, like mail a package. For those interested, shipping from Hawaii to Georgia is $16. That's priority rate (I didn't ask so I guess its automatic), and apparently you don't put stamps on your packages. 

It's currently Thursday and I enjoyed my one class of the day. Afterwords my new friend and I went and spent a few hours at Waikiki- and I'm glad we did because I've been wanting to go to the beach for the longest time this week. 

So yeah, that's been my week! I hope you're all having as much of a relaxing one as I am. 

Until next time,
Aislinn

October 14, 2016 No comments
Hey guys!

I wanted to make this post to share a few things you might catch yourself doing (or saying!) when you come to Hawaii. But before I tell you, I feel like I should preface by saying that not everyone is going to act like this, just like it all depends on how long you stay for. If you're only here for a week than chances are you're not going to be doing any of these, but if you're here for a more permanent time, than there's a good chance you'll be doing at least a few of these.


1. You move a little slower. 

This one is a little obvious, because, after all, everyone knows about Hawaiian Time. Before I came out here I used to be a very time-concious person. I needed to be 5 minutes early to everything and when people weren't on time I would become very annoyed. However, since being here, I've noticed that I'm no longer as on time as I used to be. In fact, you can count on me being a good 2-3 minutes late. I don't know when this started happening, but my friends no longer say, "Lets meet at 8 am!" but rather, "Lets meet at 8:02, okay?". It's this subtle change that I didn't notice until I was called out by the others. If you're here for an extended stay, like myself, there's a good chance you're not going to be as timely as you used to be.

2. You begin to pick up little bits of pidgin 

I'm still trying to get used to this one. When I first arrived I had no idea what da kine, talk story, or cheehoo even meant! Now when someone says these things I immediately have a sense of what they're talking about. I'm still trying to get used to da kine, but as for the others I think I have a solid grasp of what they mean. For those of you interested, here's what each mean:
da kine: when you're referring to something but don't know how else to describe it.
Example: "You know da kine? Da kine over there?" This is the one I'm still trying to understand, so my definition may not be completely accurate.
talk story: another way to say talking/ conversing. 
Example: "My friends and I talked story for hours yesterday"
cheehoo: Typically said when you get excited or happy
Example: "Did you see the game last night? When the Warriors scored I let out the loudest cheeeeeeehooooooo!" 

While you might not use these words yourself, it's important to note that these are common, so if you understand them now you'll save yourself some embarrassing moments down the line!


3. Spam is less of a disgusting food and more of a delicacy.

Ok, let me explain. When you first arrive spam is going to be something you can't avoid. It's something you're going to be offered, if you don't offer to try it first. While you can technically buy it anywhere, it's in Hawaii that you're most likely going to eat it. Spam is a combination of meats, and it's a really salty meat in a can. Don't ask what it is, either. Chances are no one is going to know. My only word of advice is to cut it up in thin slices and cook generously. Once it's crispy (this is how I like mine) feel free to eat it. It's going to be pretty greasy and I suggest eating it with some rice. Now that is a Hawaiian meal!




These were my top 3 things I've caught myself doing since being here. Hopefully you enjoyed it and if you want more posts like this than let me know!

Until next time,
Aislinn

October 10, 2016 No comments
Hey guys!

I can't believe it's already Wednesday! I have done so much in the past few days that I just had to log on and post. 

Firstly, my long week of tests came to a close on Friday. To celebrate, the girls and I went downtown for some boba and then and visited a place called Don Quijote. If you've ever been to an H-Mart, picture that store but combined with a Walmart. I think if you're looking for cheap tourist-y things then Don Quijote is your best bet, but if you're looking for groceries then maybe Walmart is a better option. 

After arriving on campus we parted ways and went to bed. The plan was for us to wake up and then tackle Koko Head, given that the girls now want to try their hands at hiking it. Naturally those plans fell through and instead of doing the incline we found ourselves on a 90 minute bus ride headed to Costco. Costco was fun, but too crowded for me to really enjoy myself. We left after probably an hour and spent the long bus ride back trying to come up with a game plan for the rest of the day. Two of the girls wanted to stay home and do homework and laundry, but myself and two others wanted to attend the tailgate and football game. For the majority of the semester our group has done everything hand in hand, so for us to disagree on something was pretty weird. Eventually we decided to split up, and I'm glad we did. Unfortunately the bus took too long getting to the game so we missed the tailgate, but we were able to score some good seats and enjoy 2 quarters and a bit of halftime.

Here's what the view looked like from my seat:



As you can see I was pretty close, but you can also tell that not too many people actually go to the game. I won't go into why.

After the game we went home and ended our night early. I finished up some homework and got ready to do laundry for the next day. 

All in all my weekend was pretty uneventful. And Monday, too. Tuesday was my birthday, so it was fun being able to go out to dinner with the girls and go off campus. The city is so accessible from Manoa that there is no excuse not to take advantage of DaBus. No seriously, it runs all day and picks you up from right outside the dorms! This is how the girls and I got to dinner, via DaBus. We rode to Walmart and then walked to a little "Chinese-Korean" restaurant called On Dong. The food was OK, but I wouldn't recommend going there. For a small shop that's not even in Waikiki their prices were insane. I ordered the seaweed soup and had to pay almost $10! One of the girls ordered sweet and sour chicken and had to pay over $20. Also, there is nothing Chinese about the restaurant other than the menu and nothing Korean about the seaweed soup. Not sure how I am supposed to get good luck when eating non-Korean seaweed soup, but we'll see what happens. Maybe my weekend will be good. 

After that we went to Safeway and grabbed some cupcakes. By now the time is 9 and we're all pretty drained. It's still a Tuesday and, while we wanted to celebrate, we began to get tired and just wanted to do our homework. Because of this we weren't at Safeway long, and instead returned to the dorms in probably an hour- max. 

Once at the dorms the girls sang 'Happy Birthday' to me and refused to eat until I had the first bite. I'm noticing that my friends are all very big on traditions. 

And that, in a nutshell, was my week. As it is I'm exhausted and am typing this after having written a 9 page bibliography, so needless to say I'm sure this will contain some spelling and grammar errors. But, like always, I hope you are enjoying my posts and have a great rest of your week. As an added bonus, here's what the outside of the Aloha Stadium looks like: 



OH- and did I mention that the UH Band plays the Hawaii Five-O theme song every game? How cool is that? 


Until next time,

Aislinn 
October 06, 2016 No comments
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Hey there! My name is Aislinn and welcome to my blog. Here you will learn all about my times at the University of Hawaii; completely raw and unashamedly myself. In addition to writing about the University I also frequently post about lifestyle, beauty, and travel. I hope you enjoy reading my words as much as I enjoy writing them. Thank you for stopping by,

XOXO, Aislinn

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