The Mauiversary

I stole the term from Whitney, but today is my Mauiversary. I arrived on Maui on August 26th and it is now September 26th - where did the time go?

Some things I've done:

- Snorkeling - I get off the plane, we go to dinner, and Jeremy (he is, or was I should say, the intern coordinator) asks "You want to go snorkeling in the morning?" Of course I said yes! so we went. And I'm pretty sure that was my first real snorkeling experience. I had to get myself used to breathing with my mouth... there were definitely a few times I tried breathing with my nose and you just get a funny snorting noise and suctiony feeling on your face. :) Anyway, we saw lots of fish, specifically Humuhumunukunukuapua'a. That's the state fish of Hawaii and my brother taught me how to spell it and say it before I got here! My favorite sighting was a turtle. And then when we were done Jeremy and Brett decided to tell me and Vini (once I was out of the water) that two sharks were following us at one point. Have I mentioned my ridiculous and irrational fear of sharks, yet??  It's true.

- Surfing - Definitely one of my favorite things I have done so far! Craig, our senior pastor, took all the interns out to teach us at a place called The Cove. The hardest part in my opinion is figuring out the timing of when to paddle and when to stand up so that you can catch the wave! If you work at Kanakuk you can maybe understand why I found it humorous every time they said "catch the wave," which was often! How did I do? I was able to get up and catch some waves all on my own! Just look for me on the next Roxy ad. ;) 

- Haleakala - We were in a van and ready to go by 4:00am so that we could be at the top of Haleakala in time to see the sunrise. Haleakala is the 10,000 foot volcanic crater in the middle of Maui and the tempuratures can get into the 30s. So we drove to top all bundled in our layers of clothing and blankets, "hiked" up a little hill and waited for the sun. It was beautiful and refreshing. The temperature was perfect... not freezing but definitely a bit cold. It felt amazing and I would get up before the crack of dawn again to experience it all over.

- Skimboarding - I tried it and that's about it. There's a place called Big Beach that is known for it's huge shorebreak waves and it's the place to go if you want to skimboard. Skimboarding is one of those activities that most people can't just pick up and be good. It involves lots of falling! My experience mostly consisted of me jumping on the board, going a very small ways, and either bailing before falling or just falling. I was definitely sore for a couple days. At least there was a beautiful sunset!

- Parasailing - Toni (the children's director aka my boss) won a free parasailing trip for two and gave it to me and Josh. I have been parasailing before and it is fun and this time it was free! While we went up we tried to look for sharks down below. Unsuccessful. And then we discussed how many feet you would have to drop from into the water to die and the realized how easy it would be to unhook yourself from the parasail. The carabiners don't even have twist locks on them! Josh thinks parasailing is too peaceful. He's more of the skydiving type. Afterward we tried to find a snorkeling spot with Cassie (Toni's daughter - she's my age). After walking a ways and trekking through some construction we got to a little spot where you jump from a mini cliff into the water... somehow both of our snorkels/goggles ended up falling apart so we just swam around. Then we climbed around on the rocks back to the path to get back to our car. Fun day!

Those are a few things I've done in the month I've been here! And if I told you I never once thought about being eaten by a shark while I surfed and swam around in the ocean... I would be lying!

Hawaiian word of the day: Honu = turtle.

Happy Mauiversary!

Meet the Interns

So, I live on an island called Maui. I have been here for almost one month now! When I first arrived I got off of the plane, walked down a long walkway with a beautiful view, and was met at the end by Toni, Jason, and Jeremy ready with a lei to put around my neck. What does everyone imagine when they dream of the ideal arrival to a fantastic trip to Hawaii?? Stepping off the plane and having a lei put around your neck! Of course. 

Well, I wish I were a better writer, but writing really isn't my forte. So most of my posts will be in the form of lists or short explanations and maybe a story if you're lucky!

First, here are some fun facts about the people I live and work with:

Christen - The Roommate. She is from Kentucky, lived in Brazil for almost two years, speaks Portuguese, and avidly writes cards and letters to her friends and family. She is extremely gifted with meeting people and has already gone around to all our neighbors to introduce herself... I was impressed. She talks in her sleep and I know this because she sleeps below me. Oh, and she is pretty adamant about recycling. Go Green!

Kim - The Local. Kimmy was raised here and grew up going to Hope Chapel. She is taking a year off of school to do the internship at Hope, but plans to go back to Azusa Pacific University (everything from A to Z in the USA... AZUSA!) She is probably the most mature 19-year-old I've ever met and is really easy-going. I like when she cooks for us - she makes really good stir-fry - and she has a great laugh! Whitney and I like to call her Ms. Kimberly Wallace (said just like Julia Roberts says it in My Best Friend's Wedding)!

Whitney - The Free Spirit. Whitney is from Texas (an Aggie... woop!) and we immediately connected when we found out we were already friends within two degrees. She is generally the life of the party and has the ability to make any situation an entertaining one. I especially like the descriptions she gives when we play Taboo! Anything Mexican is "of her people" even though she is Persian. :) And she really likes thrift stores and fun earrings. I am convinced that one day she will have more children than I will... and they will have Hawaiian-themed names. This will be hilarious! 

Vini - The Brazilian. Vini came all the way to Brazil and is experiencing his first time to the U.S. in Hawaii. He came knowing English, but we thoroughly enjoy teaching him new words and phrases such as "What's up, dog?", "Yo Mama", "Word"... things of that nature. He is hilarious and handles us making fun of his accent well. He is 100% Italian and our goal is to find him a 100% Italian girl to marry. Know any??

Joshua Jack - The Turtle Rider. Joshua (we added on the Jack) is from Ohio, but may as well be from Florida or Hawaii or somewhere with a beach. Good thing he went to school in Florida and lives in Hawaii now! Convenient. He is a really good surfer and has already killed a fish with a spear since being here. AND ridden a turtle... which is illegal by the way. No more riding turtles for Joshua Jack. He likes to debate about things, too. Like how to put someone's number into your cell phone... 

John - The Papa Juan. The first picture I saw of John intimidated me, but I was glad to find that John is not intimidating and rather he is really funny. I like when he eats because he always looks like a starving child sitting in a corner. Speaking of... John is allergic to gluten so he eats lots of corn tortillas and cheese. I feel like our childhoods give us a connection, mostly because we both grew up in Catholic churches and did gymnastics. But he could have made it to the Olympics and I could not have made it to the Olympics! Oh ya, he is from California.

Josh - The Favorite. Josh is from North Carolina and likes to practice his non-regional diction, I guess so he doesn't have a constant Southern twang. It still comes out often. He's got the Southern charm plus a unique sense of humor. He can make anyone laugh, therefore making him a favorite. He's a smarty because he went to Bible college and he makes really good sweet tea - go figure! He works in children's ministry, too, so I pretty much see him every day. Yay!

Well, since I have been here a month and just now started a  blog I am going to end this post now and start a new one to avoid being too lengthy. So those are the people I spend most of my time with. My Mauian family!

**Names for the second picture... Whitney, Joshua Jack, me, Josh, Christen, John, Vini and Kim.