FRIDAY: RAIN OR SUN, WE HAVE FUN! ALOHA HAWAIIIIIIIIIIII

Aloha! Today we went snorkeling in Hanauma Bay. We were all ready to have one last beach day with awesome weather, but unfortunately we weren’t that lucky. During the day we got a little rain and cold weather, but it was still pretty awesome! Snorkeling was so much fun and we saw a lot of funny looking fish.

While we were snorkeling another group went hiking at Diamond Head, (which we got to do on Wednesday) and they had a great view even though it was kind of cloudy.  Although the weather wasn’t great for us, it was nice for hiking since it wasn’t too hot and sunny.

When we all got back to the hotel we got ready and dressed up to go to a Luau, which is a Hawaiian beach party. On the way there we got all excited and partied a lot on the bus with lots of dancing! When we got there we found out it had gotten canceled because of the bad weather… But our awesome bus drivers made us get some food there anyway, so we kind of got this private dinner. Since we just stayed there for a little while we got to go bowling for our last night activity!! That was so much fun! There was bowling and music and dancing!

It is so sad that this is our last day.  We are all starting to get so close now, but it’s been AWESOME!  We will carry aloha with us wherever we go!

Camilla Jakobsen (Norway)

Alexandra Thoresen (Norway)

THURSDAY: PEARL HARBOR

Aloha guys!!! Today was a really sunny day. We spent the day in Pearl Harbor, it was really fun.
At first we divided in two groups when we got to the USS Missouri. One group did a service project and cleaned up the ship and the other one did a tour, then we changed places.

After that we had lunch in a town nearby and some of us almost missed the bus!

After lunch we saw a movie explaining about WWII in the Pacific and how Pearl Harbor was attacked. Then we went to the memorial and it was really interesting and emotional. We saw the names of everyone that died on the USS Arizona, and we saw the ship that was sunk.

 

        
                                      

                      
                                      
During the day we had free time in Waikiki to go shopping or swimming. Then we went to a really nice restaurant called Mac 24/7 and finally we had a little bit more of free time. This is our last night in Waikiki beach.

We really enjoyed today's day and we don't wanna leave. We wanna stay here forever!

- Bia and Elisa (Brazil)

WEDNESDAY: CLIMBING UP AND DIVING DOWN

Aloha Kakahiaka! That's how we start the morning with Belo here in Hawaii, it means Good Morning!

Today, February the 12, the color groups did different activities.  One group had the chance to explore the exciting underwater world of the Pacific ocean.  They went snorkeling at Hanauma Bay, one of O'ahu's most popular destinations for fish spotting!  The other group, my group, went to hike the giant volcano called, Diamond Head and enjoy the beautiful view of Waikiki.  The hikers got a change to sleep in, meanwhile the other group started early.

We had the hottest day today, following the not as good weather last week.  This group brings sunshine : ) We walked all the way up to the head of the volcano and gazed out at the Pacific and into the caldera.  It was a tough hike, but everyone was so glad to make it to the top and see such a gorgeous view.  Of course, we couldn't leave without a group picture at the top, so we all waved our shakas and smiled.

After all of our hard efforts getting to the top and walking back down we totally deserved a shave ice.  So, everybody got a super refreshing shave ice.  We were all surprised when we finished the hike, because a bus driver came to pick us up and bring us back to Waikiki.  Wuhuu everybody was really glad, because the hike was so tiring and having to walk back wuld have been brutal, plus we were all ready for the beach!  That's exactly what we did when we got back, headed straight to Waikiki beach to enjoy the sunshine and the ocean!  Some students went to the pool too!

Later we all got together to go to Ala Moana, the largest outdoor mall, for dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.  This restaurant is made after the awesome movie Forrest Gump!  They gave great food and did trivia questions with us!  After dinner we went shopping!  Everybody ran out so fast and excited about shopping.

As we headed back to the hotel we learned about the next day and all got very excited about going to Pearl Harbor.

Today was a belo (beautiful) day with Belo USA

Albane (France)
Leonardo (Brazil)
Mira (Germany)

TUESDAY: BEACH BUM LIFE

Aloha!

We all look like a bunch of red lobsters today, why? Because we spent the entire day at a beautiful beach called Waimanalo. We took the buses over there after checking out an amazing lookout point.  The name of the lookout is Kali, and it's an important place in Hawaiian history, PLUS it has an incredible view!  Then we grabbed some lunch at Whole Foods for a picnic on the beach. 

Waimanalo is not only beautiful with the white sand and clear blue water, but also because of how quiet it was. We were pretty much the only people there! At the beach we did things like swimming and tanning, but there were also a few games going on, both volleyball and soccer. Spending the entire day at this beautiful beach results in 105 super hungry teenagers. So after a short stop at the hotel we went to Hard Rock Café to eat. Not only is this restaurant rocking with all the guitars hanging from the roof, but they also serve amazing food, and filled the 105 stomachs pretty fast.  Then we got some free time to wander around Waikiki and do a little shopping.  105 happy students!

Sara Norway 

(photo by Johanna from Sweden)0

MONDAY: PALACE, PINEAPPLE, AND POLYNESIAN CULTURE!

ALOHA! Omg, this day was so awesome! After waking up way too early and eating a ton of pancakes, we headed up to a palace, which actually is the only palace in the USA. There we met queen liliuke'lui, who was the last queen of Hawaii before they become the 50th state of America. 

 We then headed of to the Dole pineapple plantation to enjoy the best pineapple whips and fresh fruits. We also got cool bracelets with our Hawaiian names engraved. 












After this we went to the North Shore with our big "ohana". This popular surfing village called Haleiwa was really cute with its old charming surfing shops. We drove past many famous beaches, before we stopped at Sunset Beach to take pictures of this beautiful beach and the big waves. It was so hot that we all wanted to go for a swim.

The next stop was Polynesian Culture Center which is a place where six unique cultures meet. We saw a fun drum show in Tonga island where our fellow Belo mate learned how to play the drum on the stage. We also had a lesson on Hawaiian hula dance. After that we had free time, some people got airbrush tattoos and some learned how to make a fire with two sticks. Our second show of the day was in Samoa where we saw guys climbing a coconut tree. Then it was time for a 4D movie where we learned about the Hawaiian culture. Finally it was dinner time, we were all really hungry after many cool activities. We ended the day with our third show, HĀ, which means the breath of life. The show was fun and we saw a lot of traditional Hawaiian dancing in their costumes. 

After our second day here in paradise we have met a bunch of cool people from all around the world. Even though some of us are really sunburned and exhausted from all the traveling and the looong days, we are still extremely happy and lucky to be here on this beautiful island!! 

Chaka Chaka, greeting from the exchange students here in Hawaii living the dream in paradise:-)


Henriette (Henilike) from Norway
Veronika (Welonika) from Finland
Louise (Kaulana) from France

SUNDAY: SAND, SURF, AND SUN!!!

Today was our first day in Hawaii and we experienced so much! The weather here is just incredible, bright sunshine and warm temperatures.  The sea sparkles all day beneath the sun. In the morning we had breakfast together in a room with a giant aquarium.  In the aquarium there are sting rays, yellow fish and even the state fish of Hawaii, the humu-humu-nuku-nuku-apuaa.  The breakfast was American style with eggs and things.  We’re a group of 105 students this week from all over the world.  

We broke up into groups for surf lessons and catamaran, which was nice because we got to meet people a little bit easier for the first day, makes it easier to remember names!  

We walked to the beach and some groups started with surfing and some with the catamaran trip. A catamaran is a sailboat with nets in the middle that let the water splash up!  On the boat we all got to know each other and it was a lot of fun because we had some good music and the weather was nice. We got to see some turtles and we had the chance to jump into the water. The water is so clear!  Some students even saw dolphins and whales.  The whales come down to Hawaii to have their babies. Surfing was a lot of fun too. Everybody did a great job! For some it wasn’t the first time but it was nice to surf with some new friends we made over the day. Afterwards we had time to explore Waikiki. One thing we like about the city is that everybody just walks around with a surfboard and a smile on their face and just looks happy : )

For dinner we had endless pizza.  There were all types of options including Hawaiian, with pineapple!

It was a wonderful first day in Hawaii.

Carolin and Julia, from Germany

                                            

                                             

Welcome to Hawaii!!!!

ALOHA!


Get ready for a week in paradise...the Hawaii Expedition is here!  With its breathtaking natural beauty, its never-ending list of fun and exciting things to do, and its spirit of "aloha," Hawaii is a dream destination for anyone!


We will be staying in beautiful Waikiki on the island of Oahu, and we will spend each day exploring a new and fascinating aspect of Hawaii's unique culture.


Join us as we test our surfing abilities, celebrate a traditional luau, and hike to one of the island's best-known lookout points.  We'll come face to face with Hawaii's rich history...and maybe even a sea turtle or two!  And along the way, we'll get to know each other, forming friendships to last beyond our week together.


This will be our day-to-day journal... Each day, you'll get news, information, and pictures from the students.  Join us on our adventure!