Aloha, Beautiful Hawaii

Today was unfortunately the last day, but it was still awesome.

After a short introduction, we started snorkeling and saw different kind of fish, corals and some of us saw even sea turtles. The day was cloudy, but it didn’t stop us from enjoying the day…Our last time on the beach.  After that we got ready for the Luau. We had a really good time at “Paradise Cove” learning a little bit more of the local culture; we even saw a small show about the other Polynesian islands. There were a lot of dances and guys playing with fire. After the dinner, we had to come back to the hotel.

It was a day to stop and think about everything we did, all the relationships we built and the awesome moments we had. Now we know that it was not just a simple trip, it was an indescribable experience. The dream may be over, but all the friends we made and all the details of these 7 days here will stay in our minds forever. We didn’t have only good moments, but we made friends that are going to be in our hearts forever.

-Bia from Brazil



Pearl Harbor Day

The day started out very early for our fellow travelers. We made our way to Pearl Harbor with our fun bus driver, Rhonda, who taught us a little bit about the history of this memorable place.

First to the battleship USS Missouri where we divided into two groups to go on a tour of the ship, and also to do some volunteer work. The tour was very interesting..we saw how a little city was held inside a battleship! There was a post office, sleeping quarters, places to eat, everything!

The volunteer social project was very gratifying, we got to kill the germs by disinfecting the hand railings!

It was fun talking to people that were interested in what our group was doing, and to inform people about our story as exchange students.

Next we went to the USS Arizona Memorial. We saw a touching and informative movie about the attack on Pearl Harbor, then took a boat out to the Memorial. It was a powerful experience to see the names of the victims who lost their lives on the Arizona...and also to see the oil still leaking from the ship. Made us think a lot about the world.

We returned to the hotel for some free time on the beach, pool, and to hang out in Waikiki.

Dinner was on the 21st floor of our hotel and we had an amazing view of the ocean. Dinner was so awesome!

Afterwards we did some shopping for the luau, you'll see pictures tomorrow! ;)

-Carol from Brazil



What a View!

Today was an awesome day! We got to sleep in today, and a few of us slept in so much we almost missed breakfast.

We walked from the hotel to Diamond Head, and stopped midway to do some stretching! We counted in our languages and got warmed up to hike that crater!

It was a long, hot, and beautiful walk to the entrance…and when we arrived a few crazy people decided to RUN to the top! The rest of us walked, very sweaty and hot…and it was not easy to climb to the top! It was a steep incline with lots of stairs, but when we arrived to the very top…it was just so beautiful!

The view was like out of a dream…we saw beautiful ocean, so much of the island of Oahu, it just felt like we were at the top of the world!

The hike down was easier, and at the bottom we got to relax with smoothies and Hawaiian shave ice!

We had a very nice surprise…the best surprise EVER, and a bus came to pick us up to go back to the hotel. We all screamed because we were so excited we didn’t have to walk!

We spent the afternoon in the pool, on the beach, or shopping around…and it was nice to relax and just enjoy Hawaii, the bright sunshine, and each other. Our free time is so awesome.

At night we went to a huge open air mall, it was amazing! So many stores, we all bought so many things. We ate dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp and it was so good.

We can’t believe it’s already Wednesday night…time goes so fast! We are meeting so many awesome people and just having the time of our life.

Warorose Thailand

Sophie France

Antoine Belgium

Lisa France

Let's go to the Beach!

Aloha from paradise...

Today we had an awesome day !!!

In the beginning of our third day,  we went to the "Pali lookout ", it's a place up in the mountain which has an perfect view of the paradise that Hawaii is. Right after that we made a quick stop to buy some snacks for lunch and than we made our way to the beach. We spent around 5 hours in a really pretty beach, the water was as blue as it can be, some people played in the water, some were just trying to get tan ( but more than half of us just got sunburn) and some were just playing some games or eating--thats one thing that exchange students do all the time haha!

After Our awesome afternoon at the beach,  on our way to the hotel we decided to stop at another beautiful beach to see if we were lucky enough to see some whales. Some kids said they saw some there,but I didn't!  After the "whale"  beach, Rhonda took us to Beverly hills street here in Hawaii, where people such as Bill Gates and the Panda Express owner have houses. This area is such a pretty and probably expensive place.  Now we just got back from our really good dinner at "Hard Rock Cafe - Honolulu " and did a little shopping after it. Tomorrow we are going to go hiking up the Diamond Head mountain. I'm excited for this but with all the weight that I gained it will be kind of hard lol!

A hui hou !!!! ( see you later in Hawaiian )  

Written by:  Karollyne from Brazil 



The North Shore and Polynesia

We had another awesome day today!    The bus left at 8:30 and we went to the state capital building. We saw different statues of kings and the queen of Hawaii. Our bus driver taught us some important Hawaiian words. She showed us different beaches at the North Shore. We saw really high waves and beautiful beaches.

We stopped at the Dole pineapple plantation and tried the awesome pineapple whip. Later we went to the little town Haleiwa. Some of us tried pineapple burgers or just bought some souvenirs.

At last we went to the Polynesian culture center and learned about the different islands. We did activities like hula dance, making fire, playing Ukulele, palm tree climbing,... We watched different entertainment shows where they showed us the traditional dances and in the evening we watched Hā - breath of life. It was a show about a boy growing up in the different cultures of polynese. They danced and sang and did a Fireshow. 

Franzi and Alina from Germany



Lots of SUN, SUNDAY!

The day started out with all of us getting ready to start our first day of the adventure in Hawaii! Everybody was very excited to see all the detail that Hawaii has to offer. We met at the breakfast area to get our breakfast and walking down to the beach to eat it there. I think most people liked it because it’s something different for everybody.

Our schedule for the day was surfing and a catamaran tour. The catamaran tour was awesome!! We saw two whales and a lot of fish that we were swimming among. The water was a little cold, but when we first got out, it felt good. And when we were done swimming, the warm sun dried us up in n time. Later on during the trip we saw some huge sea turtles, and Oahu’s cost. It was very nice and we got a lot of pictures, and everyone enjoyed the trip.

When we went surfing, we had some instructors that showed us how to get started and how to surf. It was a long and quite tiring paddle over to where we would start. It was cool when we finely started to surf, but to keep the balance was kind of hard. You should probably think that the surfboard was going to be wiggly on the waves, but it was actually quite steady. And when you first got up, it was pretty easy to stand.

When we were done surfing and done with the catamaran tour we had some spare time. We could either stay on the beach or go back to the hotel. Most of us were already tired, so we went back to the hotel.

At night we went out for dinner. It’s been a long day, and at least half of us are sunburned. Some have minor burns, and others have worse burns. For supper we had a salad bar and pizza. Nearly everything had pineapple on, and it tasted very, very good!

We are now in the lobby having a meeting to talk about tomorrow. Everyone seems tired, and are ready for bed. You guys will hear more from us tomorrow!

Belo USA, Hawaii trip 2013 is off to a great start!!!!

-Anders from Norway



ALOHA!

ALOHA! 

Get ready for a week in paradise...the Hawaiian Expedition is here! With its breathtaking natural beauty, its never-ending list of fun and exciting things to do, and its spirit of "aloha," Hawaii is a dream destination for anyone!

We will be staying in beautiful Waikiki on the island of Oahu, and we will spend each day exploring a new and fascinating aspect of Hawaii's unique culture.

Join us as we test our surfing abilities, celebrate in a traditional luau, and hike to one of the island's best-known lookout points. We'll come face-to-face with Hawaii's rich history...and maybe even a sea turtle or two! And along the way, we'll get to know each other, forming friendships to last beyond our week together.

This will be our day-to-day journal... each day, you'll get news, information and pictures from the students. Join us on our adventure!

Have fun!!! MAHALO!