Post-trip: Mikaela Alex

When I first arrived in Hilo, I was nervous and excited about this new experience. This was the first time being away from my home for seven days. The most I had been away was during the summer when I went to a day camp at a local college for volleyball. So saying I was scared to be in a new environment was an understatement. Living in Hawaii previously allowed me to have some cultural knowledge of the island. This trip allowed me to learn even more about the island, which I found so important to respect the island properly. 

I think the seven days spent on the island, with a combination of Hilo and Waimea, gave me the opportunity to learn exponential amounts of Hawaiian culture. Traveling to places such as the dry lands forest, volcano national park, and even Kiholo Bay, I learned more about the island in itself and myself. All the places mentioned carried many great stories of Hawaiian culture told by various local Hawaiians who have had their fair share of ups and downs on the island. From these places, I have learned to be more grateful for the life that I am living and how I should be forever thankful for all the opportunities that have been given to me. The stories of the locals have taught me that life may not always go how you want it to, but if you stay positive and do it instead of trying, you will accomplish your end goal.  

Being back in my home state of Massachusetts, I plan to carry the lesson of being grateful. I hope the stories I tell my friends and family will help them become more grateful about life. I hope the life lessons from the locals and the hardships they have faced when I retell them; I hope my relatives can learn from them and become better people. I plan to carry the lesson of taking a few minutes to myself and listening to what surrounds me. Especially whenever I am outside, I think being outside holds so much peace and serenity. Taking time for yourself and being more grateful is such an important part of life. 

To wrap this entire week up, I want to say how important this week was to me. Though initially, I was so nervous to be in an environment with people where I knew nothing about them. When I reached the end of the week, I was surprised to realize how sad I was to be leaving the new friends I had spent seven days getting to know, some more personally than others. Everything about this trip will be something I remember for the rest of my life, from the people to the activities and even the hours spent hanging out at the HPA house. I have learned so much about these people, and I hope never to forget the memories made with such an amazing group of people. I am so grateful for this trip, the friends I have made, the instructors I have met, and the memories that were made. 

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