Aloha

This morning I write to you from Hawaii. It is seven am and most of my team in still in bed. Rain is pouring down outside and sounding on the roof of our cabin in a way that is both so familiar and so distant given our recent time in the desert. Accompanied by the sound of crashing waves that lulled me to sleep last night, the morning is calm. Camp Mokulei’a is serene and beautiful and I am truly in awe that I will be living here for a month.

We arrived yesterday, spirits high, excited about our new adventure in a very new place. After we got off the airplane we collected our matching luggage and headed outside where we were greeted by David, the camp director, and Debbie, another camp staff member who presented us each with our very own lei of fresh flowers. Then after a very quick stop off at Costco, it was off to Camp. Once we had parked, we walked around the corner of a building, and there it was: the ocean. We put our stuff down in the cabin that we are staying in (temporarily, until we build tent platforms, and move into tents) and within fifteen minutes of arriving the entire team was swimming in the clear blue ocean and exploring our new beachfront home. At one point while I was swimming, I looked down and there was a sea turtle swimming right beneath me.

At five o’clock we went to the dining hall for dinner. While we are here, we will be able to eat several of our meals with the camp and then sometimes we will be on our own to cook for ourselves in the camp kitchen. Last night, the head cook made our dinner and it was absolutely amazing. Steak, baked potato, stir fry veggies, rice, pasta, salad, and pie. And all delicious. We are all definitely looking forward to future meals with the camp.

Also during dinner, David told us more about the camp and local culture. Today will be a bigger day for learning as we move into orientation, tour the camp, and all participate in the high and low ropes course.

After dinner, there was more exploring of the camp and then a quick trip to town to get some essentials and then back to camp and early to bed. Unfortunately the essentials I had to shop for in town included cough drops and cold medicine, so for me, early to bed was the only option.

Now it is time to get ready for breakfast and see what the day has in store!