Submitted by Maddison Alt on the 2022 winter session program in Hawaii sponsored by the Department of Biological Sciences…
Our first week in Hawaii has been a non-stop experience. Adjusting to the time difference wasn’t too bad, but being six hours behind our peers and families at home has definitely been interesting. Each day, my roommates and I have woken up to see the sunrise on Waikiki Beach and do some light yoga to prepare ourselves for the day. Our classroom is everywhere: in the reefs at Hanauma Bay and Kaneohe, the local farmers’ market in Kapi‘olani,the waterfalls on the Waimano Trail, the inhabitants of the Honolulu Zoo, and the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum.
It has been a fascinating experience to explore local favorite spots and try popular cuisine (like spam musubi and fresh poke) and unknown food trucks. Hawai’i has an incredible combination of cultures easily reflected in the food options around every corner.
It’s interesting to be in a place that is still considered the United States, but has such a radically different culture and energy than the contiguous U.S. When driving to Ehukai Beach on the North Shore of O‘ahu, home of the famous surf spot known as the Banzai Pipeline, my roommates and I remarked on the slower-than-average pace of traffic on the highway. It seems like such a small detail, but truly it is the result of a larger culture that exists within a slower way of life. I think we are so used to being constantly on the go, at an extremely fast pace, that slowing down feels unnatural. I’m still trying to find my balance of soaking in everything and adapting to the more generous Hawaiian pace, but it gets better each day.
