Week One in Hawaii

Aloha from Hawaii! My first week in Hawaii has been super exciting and adventurous! I am so glad to be here! As I write this I am sitting on my ocean-view balcony and singing Jack Johnson. :)

The Journey Begins

Waiting at the airport!

Layover in Seattle.

We didn't get into Honolulu till 11 pm, so we had a hotel booked. My friend met us there. I hadn't seen her in 7 years!

So, we had planned to catch a bus to our apartment, but turns out they won't allow luggage on the bus. We had to get a taxi to take us to apartment. It was a one hour ride, and it cost us $130! Good thing there was three of us to split it. 

Our bus driver was super nice. He let asked us if we wanted to take a quick stop to see China Man's Hat. This was our first official Hawaii beach experience. 

When i entered my apartment, i was greeted by this gorgeous view. 

It never gets old. 

I didn't realize this before I came out here, but i live on a peninsula, so that is pretty cool. I never thought I would live on a peninsula, let alone right on the beach! According to a rental website, the place I live is worth about 1.1 million dollars, so I like to joke to my friends about going home to our "million dollar home on the beach". :) It's location adds value, but it the epitome of student housing... it sort of has that student housing grime that you deal with as a freshman/sophmore/junior. But my friends and i all feel really blessed that we found this place. It is not only in a beautiful location, but literally a 5 minute walk from a bus stop, grocery store, a few restaurants, and some other shops. On top of that, there are 10 girls that live here, and every one of them have been extremely friendly and kind to us. It's been wonderful. 

My Room

There is rocky beach on one side of the peninsula and a beautiful white sandy beach on the other that I have gone to almost everyday. We have gone various beaches 1-3 times per day since I have been here. The water here really is as clear and turquoise blue-green as depicted in pictures... And warm! I have LOVED being in the ocean. There is something different about the beaches here... I love being at the beach out here. When I lived Florida, I really didn't care much for it, but it's different here. It's part of the magic of Hawaii, I guess!

Wiamea Bay

 Lanikai

Aloha Spirit

The rumors are true: the Aloha spirit is a real thing! I cannot believe how friendly people are out here! I feel like if I have even a one sentence conversation with someone, they become my friend. It doesn't matter who they are, the hotel concierge, the taxi driver, the grocery store teller, etc. It's contagious. There is a spirit of friendliness and sharing, and it is contagious. 

Since i have been out here, I have been hungry ALL THE TIME! I am always figuring out how to get my next meal. I think it is a combination of being more active and away from a desk and the fact that I was living at home for a while before I came here and my momma fed me well! Don't have that anymore, dang it!

Budgeting

I'm writing this part for Heather's sake, since she wanted to know how I am going to live in Hawaii for cheap. I wouldn't say it has been cheap, but so far I've managed to keep things reasonable. These are my expenses so far as of week one:

One-way Plane Ticket: $354 (Purchased the first week of March)

Hotel: $38 (We used my friend's discount at a Best Western and then split the cost 3 ways. Air port shuttle pick up was free)

Groceries: $11.5 (Bread, peanut butter, carrots, bananas)

Eating Out: $35.46 

Apartment: $440 from June 9th- July 11th. $13.50 for each day stayed before and after. Utilities included.

So far my adventuring has just been getting here, eating, and hitting the beach. We will start hitting up all the tourists spots next week. As for now, I am just enjoying the tropical environment, relaxing, sleeping, and exploring!