Day 1: Arriving in Hilo by Shira Studley

July 21st, 2019

Arriving in Hilo
by Shira Studley

Today was full of traveling as it was the first day of the program. We started out as a small group and flew from San Diego to Oahu. In Oahu, we picked up a few more group members before taking our last flight to our destination, the Big Island. Throughout our traveling period we played games and ice breakers to learn more about everyone in the group. As the day continued, everyone began to make new friends and form new connections with people in the group. Upon our arrival on the Big Island, we were all handed beautiful leis and greeted by Cheyenne and Erica at the airport. The group then packed into the five vans where we attempted to fit all our luggage. We managed to fit the piles of bags into the vans and continued to the University of Hilo. Once the group settled into the dorms we began our first lecture on the background and culture in Hawaii. From geography to new words to the importance of leis, Cheyenne taught us many new and interesting facts about Hawaiian culture. From this lecture we learned more about the significance and different types of leis in Hawaii. Leis can be portrayed throughout nature and are often split into the categories of opened and closed leis. Opened leis symbolize growth while closed leis represent a sense of community. We also learned that there are many styles of leis such as Kauai and Hilo. As a group, we all created our own Hilo leis out of sturdy leaves. Through this activity, we were able to bond as a group as we helped one another through the process of creating a lei. Although we all began the day as strangers, by the end of day one our group had already built countless new friendships that will become stronger throughout the remainder of our trip in Hawaii.

Shira being greeted with a lei by Erika at the Hilo airport.