A hui ho, Hawaii!

Just a week ago Andrew and I said our goodbyes to the people, places, and animals that made our summer in Maui so memorable.

We’re now back in land-locked Minnesota visiting family, friends, and (fingers crossed) possible employers before returning to North Carolina for Andrew’s second and final year at Duke. Throughout the summer we’ve tried our best to keep you up-to-date on some of the grander adventures we’ve had. While those certainly stand out, I think Andrew and I both agree that we'll miss the mundane things just as much:

o Legendary ping-pong matches and the temper tantrums that oftentimes followed
o Our Argentinean neighbor repeating “She’s so young” again and again while playing with the puppy, Ginger.
o Listening to D.J. Summer Blue play all the "hits" during the evenings
o Being greeted by the dogs and cats when we came home
o Watching the wind-surfers at Ho'okipa Beach
o Manao Radio DJs and their diatribes on life
o Walking around shoe-less at work
o Shopping at the Bohemia Boutique in Wailuku
o The blessing Andrew received every morning on his way to work by man walking along the road carrying a cross
o Volunteering at the Waihe’e Refuge
o Attempting to pronounce Hawaiian words like Ka Lu'u o Ka O'o
o Leilani Poli`ahu’s Hawaiian word of the day
o Driving by Ah Fook grocery store
o Kamoda Bakery’s butter rolls
o Rainbows that appear in the sky at least once a day
o Reading the Harry Potter series to each other at the beach, in the car, or before bed

All together, Hawaii did not disappoint. Sure, we were a little frustrated by the scarcity of accessible hiking trails, the auto-centric nature of the island, and it’s seemingly haphazard patterns of development (yes, we cannot escape being planning snobs). We were also confused by the jungle-fowl (chickens) along road sides, the selection of meats at the grocery store (what do you do with pig feet?), and the high prices of gasoline ($3.60/gallon). But we loved cheap pineapple, we loved the waves, and we loved being together.

We decided not to buy any gifts (sorry y’all!) with the exception of a stylish Hawaiian shirt for Andrew. We neglected buying anything on purpose because first, we didn’t want to spend our last days in trinket shops and second, we felt as though we were already taking a lot with us. Most noticeably, our tans. But Andrew is also taking a wonderful project he’s been working on developing at MCLT that he will morph into his master’s thesis this coming year. We are taking with us a newfound appreciation for dogs and cats; a respect for the ocean; and a very small Hawaiian vocabulary. While our tans are already beginning to fade, I doubt the rest will leave us so soon.

This is most likely the end of our Hawaii Blog, but stay tuned for the next exciting episode (TBD). Mahalo for reading!