One Week Old.

First week, down! Only 14 more to go!

This week was full of getting to know. Getting to know the island, the campus, the roomies, the culture, the self.

I love it here! I love my roommates. There are 5 of us; we are all vastly different, but get along so well. I have been making a lot of new friends from crazy places all around the world, like Tahiti, Colombia, Indonesia, Mongolia, the Cook Islands, Samoa, oh, and Utah. 😉  Yet somehow I’ve found a good amount of people also from Oregon! It’s very interesting being immersed in diversity. There are over 70 countries represented within the 2,500 student population. I, being a white female, am the minority here, and it is a GOOD experience. There are so many various backgrounds and cultures represented here, yet we are united in Christ, and you can feel it on campus.

|| circle island tour ||

I got on a school bus packed full of students and we embarked on a journey around the island of Oahu. We stopped at beautiful places such as Poly Lookout, the Pearl Harbor Museum, and a historic town with the best shave ice on the island! The bus rides themselves were pretty fun, too. A hilarious guy from Tahiti sat by my roommate and I, and we had such a laugh the entire time. At one point, we got most of the bus, including the tour guides, singing “Let it Go” from the movie Frozen!

|| family ||

Sunday night was my dad’s birthday and my friend’s birthday. And everyone was at my house hanging out and making cupcakes WITHOUT me! #sojealous . Lauren was wearing my clothes. Dad held an iPad for the first time…and spent most of his time marveling at how he could see himself in its camera. #classicdad . I was sent this picture. Aren’t they adorable?

|| polynesian cultural center ||

If you’ve never been to the Polynesian Cultural Center in Oahu, you need to go. It’s a blast, and super educational. The PCC is a huge tourist spot in Hawaii, is owned by members of the Church, and partners closely with BYUH, so many of the students have jobs there. Dad and I went there during the day before he left for home. We saw a guy monkey-climb a tall palm tree, some men and women do native dances, and many more interesting things. The other evening, the night show at the PCC was free for new students, so a group of friends went, and it was beautiful. My favorite part was the fire-throwers. These guys are insanely talented! They set sticks on fire and move the fire around with their hands or by holding the flames in their mouths, and do lots of tricks and throw the fire to each other across the stage!

|| putting God first ||

Guess what was emphasized in just about every church meeting, Sunday school lesson, and devotional this week? Yep, you guessed it. Putting God first. This message was prevalent all day Sunday, and it was, yet again, exactly what I needed. I have a lot on my mind, and it was the perfect reminder to remember what matters most. In my life so far, I’ve noticed that when I am thinking way too much about what will happen next, about myself, about that cute boy–or whatever–and am not spending enough time praying, reading scriptures, being thankful, and giving things to God, things begin to become stressful, to fall apart. Gotta think big picture! #eternalperspective . When I focus on spending time with the Lord, putting His will before mine, and serving others instead of myself, everything falls into place and I feel peace and true joy!

Thank you for reading! I love ya! 🙂

 

 

 

Aloha, Adventure.

It’s a whole. New. World.

Everything here is different. The highways are narrow, so close to the beach that we can get sprayed by waves, and we go 40 mph, but it’s okay because there is a lot more to look at here! Wild chickens and roosters roam around the island. In fact, one rooster seems to live right outside my window, which was obviously pleasant the first night, but I’m already used to the noise! I found a centipede buddy in the bathroom. My roommates and I found a huge spider buddy in the kitchen. We also lost him under the refrigerator, but it’s not like we all screamed or jumped up onto the counters or anything……The people are laid back and extremely nice. People will just walk up to you and ask you what your name is, where you are from, and bam, you have a new friend. The color palette here is bright and vibrant–the island is just beautiful!

The first night was rough. I was missing home. Missing friends. Every little thing was going wrong. I couldn’t find my shorts when it was so hot you could burn yourself to cool off. I lost my roommate at a new student event and found my way home in the dark by myself. I lost my house key (somehow it got into my boot…which I was not wearing…). I let all these little things get to me. I was complaining to myself. I called my mom and complained to her. Basically? I was being a #complainer. Which, if you know me, probably isn’t like me. So, I stopped. Time out. I prayed. Heavenly Father, take all these things and work them out. Put me in a good mood again. Guess what? Prayer works. In this case, instantly. I put my trust in the Lord and I was happy. I found my roommate. I found my key. I found my shorts. I found my good mood. When I woke up the next morning, I opened my Gospel Library app, and it happened to be open to Proverbs 3:26, which, surprise, surprise, is exactly what I needed to hear. Funny how God works those things out for us. It says: “For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.” Um, hello. The Lord is my confidence. My Heavenly Father and my best friend Jesus Christ truly want what is best for me. God has it under control, I just had to let go and let Him steer.

 

I have to say, I feel incredibly LOVED. I am so grateful. Hashtag blessed, right? I am so so so thankful for all you friends who made it a point to hang out with me before I left, for those who pulled an all nighter with me, who continued our tradition of eating crappy food before taking each other to airports, who text and message and skype and call me–y’all truly mean the world to me. I feel like I wouldn’t be able to function out here without those wonderful pieces of home!

Thanks for reading! I love you!