Hey guys!

This is a post that I did not want to make, nor did I want to happen. 

Yes, I have officially left Oahu and am back on the mainland. 

It feels very strange. Being the first of my friends to leave made it all the more upsetting. I was fortunate enough to see them all before leaving, and am glad that I was able to move everything to storage, clean my room, and catch my flight, all within 24 hours. 

Looking back on my year, there are quite a few things that stand out to me. One of these things is my overall feeling about Manoa. When I think back to first semester, I think about how I had no regrets. I was able to see much of the island and make many new friends. When I think about second semester, I feel a little regret. I feel like I wasn't able to get around the island as much, which was really just because I was working. However, something I would like to point out is that the friends I made became that much closer to me. I am especially thankful to the times I was able to leave campus and go to new places, such as China Walls or Stairway to Heaven. 

I hate goodbyes, and saying goodbye to my freshmen dorm room, as well as my friends, was not an easy thing to do. Similar to leaving the island for Christmas vacation, the second I got in the shuttle I knew I did not want to leave. Given it's my new home, Oahu has such a special place in my heart that makes it all the much harder to leave. 

My biggest hope is that this summer is an enjoyable and relaxing one. As much as I want to return to campus and see my friends, I know that these next few weeks off will be something I need. From working constantly, to studying nightly, I need this break. As much as it hurts to say goodbye to a place that has grown to be so special to me, I know this is something I can not put off. 

But, as promised, I will now tell you guys which tower I was in. If you remember from one of the very first posts on this blog, I withheld sharing what tower I was in for the sake of privacy. Well, the wait is no longer over. The tower that I called, and will still call, home is: Lokelani. 

Lokelani is a beautiful tower. If you ask anyone on campus what they think about the dorms, you'll soon find that people either love the dorms or hate them. Me personally, I loved them. It's hard to say what exactly I liked about it, but there was something so special about living on campus that I can't explain. There is absolutely nothing else like living on college. I absolutely loved living in such close proximity to my friends, from being in the neighboring building to the girls, to being just floors away from Eric. I loved having such a unique floor, where the girls never showed their faces but the guys invited me to go around the island with them. Yes, my floor was probably what I complained about the most, but knowing what I know and having done what I've done, I would most definitely go through the tedious application process for living on the floor. 

If I've taken anything away from this year, it's how little I knew before coming to college. How little I knew about myself, even. As I leave Oahu and return home, I'm coming back with such a different perspective that it's, in a word, exciting. It's exciting to go back with all the knowledge you've now acquired. 

I know I've been rambling, with no real direction of this post, but I do want to share that unless you've lived on campus, or even been to college, you cannot truly relate to this post. If you are an upcoming college undergrad, get excited! There are tons of things to look forward to, and college in Hawaii is an experience like no other. 

Here are some pictures of the views you get everyday while living in Lokelani. 





In the last two photos, the city in the background is Waikiki. At night, the skyline looks beautiful with it's small, dim yellow dotted lights. 

I hope you enjoyed this (short) post. Enjoy the next two months, everyone! We have all earned it.

Until next year,

Aislinn

Hi everyone,


Without realizing it the first week of college has already come to an end! Isn't it even crazier that I've been in Hawaii for just about 3 weeks as well? I would like to point out that it hasn't been just me in Hawaii, but also everyone else who has been reading my posts and keeping up with me. Those people have been in Hawaii just as much as I have been these past three weeks. In addition, I feel like it's also been a few days since I posted anything. I know that traditionally my posts have been a "recap" of sorts, with the occasional "fun fact" post thrown in there. While I've learned enough stuff to make a third fun post, I've decided to make this post based off of a conversation I had with another student today. I hope you enjoy.


This morning my friends and I, yes the same Coloradans I've been hanging out with, decided we would take the bus into Honolulu to go to The Korean Festival. Celebrating it's 15th year, the festival included dancers, food eating contests, information booths, a necessary tent, and lastly many unique food vendors. While it's usually just the 5 of us that go places, my friend Bella decided to extend the invitation to another girl, one from California, to come with us. Bella told us all that this girl had been feeling very homesick and that maybe getting her off campus would help distract her. Surprisingly, the girl agreed to attend the festival with us, something that I think really did help keep her mind off of things. While the festival was entertaining, I would like to point out that to those interested- it isn't all Korean food and Kpop. Instead, many of the booths are actually either information about Korean companies (Korean Air was one of the booths, as an example) or giveaways. Also, while the festival itself is free the activities are not. What I mean by this is that if you want to try a pipe ice cream you're going to need to pay  2-3 SCRIP's. A SCRIP is essentially a ticket that you pay for up front, and while it isn't required I would recommend it if you want to really do anything. Some vendors take cash but many take SCRIP tickets only. My friends and I didn't buy tickets and we still had a blast, so really it isn't something you need to do if you don't want to. 


After the festival my friends and I walked down to Walmart to pick up some last minute things for our dorm rooms. While it was mainly a mix of school supplies and food, what's interesting is the conversation I had with the Californian. She told me how she's been feeling very stressed lately and that she had come so close to leaving the campus. She told me that ever since getting to campus she's felt lonely and like an outsider, and that when she spends too much time alone she begins to feel "depressed". I wanted to make this post to shed some light on something that affects all students but that is still something so few will talk about. For this girl, the first week of college "was horrible". For her, it only took two days before she was calling her parents and begging for them to buy her a return plane ticket. This made me think back to my first post I made while on campus, the one where I was crying in my dorm room because I had no one to talk to on campus. The post I made before I had friends. You see, while the first week of college is fun, it's also very stressful. In addition to all of the schoolwork you'll most likely be getting, if you don't have that group of friends yet than chances are you'll start to feel like you're losing your mind. I want to tell you, right now, that you're not. You're not losing your mind, you're not alone, and it is okay to feel sad. Everyone, at least the majority, of people on campus feel this way. You will find that group of friends, you will have those days where you forget how homesick you are, and, before you know it, you won't even remember why you were sad in the first place. While my first week of school was, for the most part, great, I can confidently say that that is not the case for everyone. So many students on campus will tell you they're homesick, and so many will chime in if you share how you're feeling. With so many students going back to school right now, I only saw it fitting to share that this week is not the end. At times it will feel like you've reached your breaking point, and at times you will want nothing more than to go home, but if you put yourself out there and continue to act positive and kind than I promise things will get better. As it is I've made so many friends this week, and if you've ever known me than chances are you believe that I'm a fairly introverted person! But what happened when I put myself out there, when I was most vulnerable, was when I began to make friends. I made friends with the 3 Coloradans who quickly became 4. I made friends with Californians, Big Islanders, and even locals. I became friends with people from all over, and now I no longer feel alone. In fact, I look forward to spending time with these people. One week ago I wrote about how I was ready to leave Hawaii and about how utterly miserable I was in the place so many call paradise. But like I've said so many times before, if you give it time and put yourself out there I promise you will enjoy yourself. The first week of school is not your last. Remember that next time you feel like giving up. 


Just thought I would share that since I know so many other kids going through those emotions. Feel free to leave in the comments how your first week of college went, or just continue to silently admire my blog. Either way, I hope you learned something from this post. 



Until next time,

Aislinn