Written By OEs, Stace & Forrest
The Aloha Semester started with a bang. All seven students arrived at the Kahului Airport safe, excited, and a little bit groggy. Everyone was blown away by the coastal views on the way to Camp Olowalu. We were surprised to find you can see the other islands from the coast of Maui. We made it back to camp, set up tents, grabbed some pizza, & passed out.
On day 2 everyone was peacefully coaxed out of sleep by the crow of a rooster at the reasonable time of 4:30 am. Wild chickens are everywhere and all of our students were given a lot of practice chasing them away from our food. There is some solace in the plethora of chicks we see chasing their mothers throughout camp. The early rise gave some students the opportunity to see their first Hawaiian sunset. This day was filled with games, safety briefings, lessons, and our first experiences in the ocean here at Camp Olowalu. Students were able to snorkel at Olowalu Landing where we saw sea urchins, puffer fish, and schools of colorful fish.
The students had the opportunity to hear from Ekolu Lindsey a man who has committed his life to Kipuka and Olowalu valley. Ekolu has a wealth of knowledge on the cultural history of Hawaii which he was happy to share with the group. He also discussed surfing and some specific safety tips for the ocean. The day ended with a group dinner and a thought experiment on the beach. Students were given a chance to look inside under the star filled sky.
Day 3 gave the students more autonomy. At breakfast we set a plan to do lessons in the first half of the day so the second half of the day could be dedicated to a trip to Honolua Bay. We discussed self-care, policy, and bystander awareness before making our way to the ocean. Honolua Bay is known as the best snorkeling spot in all of Maui and it is only half an hour away. Finding parking was its own adventure, but the group was stoked to make the half mile trek through the jungle to the ocean. Students were able to see countless fishes, sea urchins, red coral, and as one student so lovingly put it a “sea pickle”. While some of us enjoyed the snorkeling others soaked in the sun and filled themselves up on clementines.
Today is the last official day of orientation. After a big Sunday Brunch students will take the reins and start deciding who will do what group tasks. Issy and Elise will be our first leaders of the week and they will be in charge of delegating tasks, time management, and making sure everyone is having a fun time. We think the two are up for the challenge and will set a good example for others in the coming weeks. Today will involve lots of group discussion and will end with our opening ceremony to officially initiate our intrepid students in their semester in Hawaii. We will celebrate them at Olowalu Landing where the stars are brightest and the ocean’s song is empowering.
