Time to Unwind
Hey everyone!
Today I had the privilege of being able to go to Disney!
No, not the theme park, but the Disney Aulani Resort. There isn't a Disney park on Hawaii, but there is a huge resort (located on the westside) where the characters walk around and you can do little excursions and the like. I went with the girls and it was quite eventful.
We started our day with breakfast and then drove to the Westside (infamously known for Nanakuli Beach and two hour long bus drives just to get there). Once West, we went to the Disney resort and began looking for some characters. Honestly I would say one of the only reasons we went out here was to see the characters dressed up in Hawaiian attire, the other being because we probably all needed a break from Waikiki. While not my best, here are some pictures of the resort:
Ultimately we weren't here for long, and the girls theorize that the reason we couldn't get pictures with the characters was because we didn't have room keys. I'm not too sure about that, but I do know that Stitch, Goofy, and Minnie were nowhere in sight. I only saw Mickey, and that was in the front of the resort. I'm sure they were all there, but unless you're familiar with the resort (it's huge!) than you might not see them if you're simply stopping by.
Additionally, Ko'olina is nothing like Waikiki or even Honolulu. It's like a little town, complete with gated communities. It's unlike anything I've ever been to before, and the only thing I can really compare it to are timeshares. The property is very large and, as a result, is where a lot of tourists go. The sad thing is that you feel completely cut off from Hawaii, but I guess for those going that's a good thing. Compared to the Hilton Resort, Ko'olina is ten times more secluded. There are dozens of shops, dining, and clothing stores to go to, and if you're not a fan of Disney there's even a Four Seasons here. I haven't been through the entire place, but from what I have seen it is definitely not what Hawaii is like.
After Disney we went back to Paradise Cove. Remember my post around Thanksgiving time? When I snorkeled for the first time? This is that same place, however the difference was that this time around the water was very low and full of turtles! I counted, and saw, at least four, one of which was a huge turtle and, another, one with three legs. I am even happy to say that Bella took some pictures, one of which being me with the turtle! This one was the one with only three legs and he was an extremely fast swimmer. I'm surprised I even got a picture, to be honest.
At another point during our time at Paradise Cove I was surrounded by all of the turtles. There were a few next to me and then one even swam under me! It was really cool, but with the water being so low I was really worried that we would hurt each other. Thankfully that didn't happen and for quite some time I was surrounded by Hawaiian sea turtles! Unfortunately Bella wasn't in the water or else I would have some proof.
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| The left side of the resort. |
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| The right side of the beach. Behind that wall of palms is, I believe, Paradise Cove |
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| The statue of Stitch! Of course it's decorated with lei |
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| The koi pond. It's actually full of koi |
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| The walkway that leads you to the beach |
Additionally, Ko'olina is nothing like Waikiki or even Honolulu. It's like a little town, complete with gated communities. It's unlike anything I've ever been to before, and the only thing I can really compare it to are timeshares. The property is very large and, as a result, is where a lot of tourists go. The sad thing is that you feel completely cut off from Hawaii, but I guess for those going that's a good thing. Compared to the Hilton Resort, Ko'olina is ten times more secluded. There are dozens of shops, dining, and clothing stores to go to, and if you're not a fan of Disney there's even a Four Seasons here. I haven't been through the entire place, but from what I have seen it is definitely not what Hawaii is like.
After Disney we went back to Paradise Cove. Remember my post around Thanksgiving time? When I snorkeled for the first time? This is that same place, however the difference was that this time around the water was very low and full of turtles! I counted, and saw, at least four, one of which was a huge turtle and, another, one with three legs. I am even happy to say that Bella took some pictures, one of which being me with the turtle! This one was the one with only three legs and he was an extremely fast swimmer. I'm surprised I even got a picture, to be honest.
At another point during our time at Paradise Cove I was surrounded by all of the turtles. There were a few next to me and then one even swam under me! It was really cool, but with the water being so low I was really worried that we would hurt each other. Thankfully that didn't happen and for quite some time I was surrounded by Hawaiian sea turtles! Unfortunately Bella wasn't in the water or else I would have some proof.
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| Paradise Cove |
After Paradise Cove we went out to lunch at a pho restaurant and then went to Haleiwa where we enjoyed some shave ice! The weather was amazing in Haleiwa, surprisingly, and made the ice that much sweeter. This time I got the pina colada flavor and added condensed milk to it. I want to try more flavors, but this one was really good so I might just get it again next time I'm on that part of the island.
Besides that I have had an overall great weekend. I would also like to highlight some good things that happened during the week, too:
Friday: The Chinese Culture Day
Friday was one of my best days this week. My week started out pretty hectic, don't they all? and ended on a really good note. The Chinese Culture Day was just that, a day dedicated to Chinese culture. My Chinese class was canceled because our teacher wanted us to go. While there, I played Chinese bingo, measure word games, Chinese matching games, paper folding, listened to traditional Chinese music (the erhu was actually played by my current teacher!) and more. I didn't get many pictures, but it was still very cool. It surprised me how crowded it was, but I believe many of the surrounding schools (this is an assumption) had to go, which would explain why there were so many little kids running around.
After the Culture Day I had to go to the doctors and then ran by the store to grab a tennis racket and finally play tennis. I haven't played in a good year, but now that I have a racket I'm planning on playing a lot more. I'm not good enough to be on the team, but if there was an intramural I would most definitely play. For now I'm going to ask around and see who else would like to play, because I'm not looking to play too seriously- only for fun. On this day I played with Eric, who turned out to be at the same skill level as me, which made for a fun practice.
Another great thing that happened this week was that I got my job back.
Stay with me.
Two days ago I emailed my boss asking for there to be some way that my hours could be cut back. I told them, "It is becoming increasingly difficult to do my homework on time and my hours are beginning to interfere with my professors office hours, making it hard to see them outside of class." I explained that I would appreciate having less hours and to let me know if this could be arranged. Then, last night after tennis, I got an email response that read, "We went over this...this email will serve as your two week notice. As of now your last day is February 17th." In short, I was shocked. One, because I had never raised the question of firing me, and two, because I actually really like my job. So, needless to say I responded very quickly and explained that I would like to keep the job and that, because I understand the level of commitment required, I will cut back on my "outside activities".
Now this is where I think it's important to explain to everyone out there, especially college students, that if you are a student your job should not come first. While you should be committed to your job, your priorities should be schoolwork. In my case, I'm involved in other activities (i.e.: the Chinese Flagship) which will take up quite a bit of outside time. I also have weekly tutoring with my Chinese teacher, and usually do homework with my friends nightly. I'm in class from 9:30 - 2:45, and when I work from 3:15 - 7:15, well, you can begin to understand why I've been stressed out lately. I got lucky in the sense that, after explaining that I will cut back on my responsibilities, they have reinstated me the job. However, between you and me I won't be "giving up" on the Flagship program, tutoring, or even doing homework with friends. Instead I will use this as an opportunity to manage my time better.
Let this be a reason as to why you should, every now and then, take time to just unwind. Take some time every now and then to put things back into perspective. Also, when you're feeling stressed due to a heavy schedule, it's worth considering going to counseling and just talking to someone. There is nothing wrong with getting help and, more importantly, the people you would be talking to are there to help you and listen to you. If you decide to enroll at Manoa, the counseling is actually included with tuition, so don't feel like, financially, it's not possible to do. It is.
Alright y'all, I'm gonna end this post here. Like always I will update when I get pictures from my friends.
Until next time,
Aislinn
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