happy birthday 'merica!

The 4th of July. The most All-American holiday there is. Everyone is so joyous and patriotic. Seeing flags flying on every street and fireworks lighting up the night sky. What is not to love about this great day to celebrate freedom? Well, what I don't love is when you are in Hawaii and all the international students don't know why today is so special and you have to explain why you are so excited about wearing red, white and blue... anyways!!!! Moving on.

So this morning I woke up so homesick. I had a dream I was home and I actually think my siblings and I were not getting along in my dream... but then I woke up and expected to wake up in my bedroom, my real bedroom and I didn't. I woke up and didn't know where I was for a second and before I could figure out where I was, I swear I could hear my brother Aaron laugh outside my window.. Of course I started to cry! I wasn't home and I wasn't going to be home.  Not till Christmas at least, and when my mom told me she was looking up plane tickets and round trip [depending on if I stay for Spring] were over $850 for a two week vacation home... that just made it that much more real. I was not going to be home for who knows how long. On-top of all that, I was missing being at my Aunt Catherine's. 4th of July became one of my top three favorite holidays because of her!! I loved always going to her house and celebrating the best American holiday known to man with a huge BBQ and a huge swim party, ending it usually with a game or two of poker while waiting to watch the Sugar House fireworks on the mountain. Seriously, it was my favorite.

So after a little 3 minute cry fest with myself, I told my roommate "Happy 4th of July!!!!" She of course was like, "uhhhh what? " She's from Hong Kong remember... So I then had to go into a history lesson of why this day is such a great day here in America. We got ready and as we were getting ready I was pulling out my red tank from my drawer and I saw this card saying with "I heart New York" underneath it... what the? I immediately knew who it was from. Who else but that best friend of mine had been to New York recently? It was a post card from her trip, and she had written a sweet message on the back and hidden it in my drawer to find at a later date after she was long gone from her week here. It was so fun to find and couldn't have come at a more perfect day! If that didn't help start my day off to a better start, I don't know what would have. 

Soon after my little happy dance and reading through it a couple times, Valerie and I got ready went to the caf for breakfast and by then it was 10:15, and Adam was coming to pick me up for the day.

He showed up in a yellow shirt and black shorts... I obviously was wearing red white and blue, nails painted all patriotic and I was ready for a good country jam and celebrating America. We went down to Kaneohe and went to the mall down there, we grabbed Panda because he was craving it, did some window shopping, and bought him a new shirt that fit for the day at hand. Then we headed down to the blowhole.

If you look close, you can see the island of Molokai in the distance!! 

After the blowhole, kind of blowing and not in a good way, we went to the beach next door, that Adam now calls, "a level 10 beach." We have no idea what it was called, but it was freaking intense and definitely a level 10.. we were not prepared for a level 10 today. The waves were nuts, and there were boogie boarders and surfers everywhere. The sand was hot and it was a beautiful day, and even though there were lots of people, we just wanted to jump in. So we jumped in and were swimming around trying not to get killed by these waves and I just kept drifting out farther and farther and Adam just kept saying to me, "Swim back this way, you are going to die out there." I was like, no, I'm fine. He said this same thing at least three times... When the life guards get on their loud speaker and [me not being able to hear anyway on land, couldn't hear anything while the waves are crashing against my face] are telling us we can't swim to the left of this flag thing so we had to swim in or to the right. It wasn't like we meant to swim past the flag. But first off, we didn't even know the flag meant something significant, and two, the current was pushing us left'wards... we weren't intentionally swimming that way. So then we had to fight the current back to the right and towards the shore. I seriously thought I couldn't do it for a second. It was so hard and I kept getting pounded by these waves. I was like, there is no way I can do this. Adam was swimming as fast as he could but kept looking back to check on me and kept saying, "Come on Kristina!" I don't know how, but somehow we made it back and were both just exhausted. So showers and laying out on the grass under a tree sounded like a nice way to spend the rest of the time we had, before having to drive back to campus for Adam to go to work.

We got back and I had an hour before heading over to a BBQ my friends Jess and Whitney were putting on.  I honestly just wanted to sleep, but decided to try and get a little bit ready, haha... So, this kid Dan we know, that is new this semester as well is staying in a house literally on Hukilau beach with roommate for the summer break and Summer B and so everyone went over to their place and we just had a big huge BBQ. Hotdogs, hamburgers, a variety of chips, super yummy watermelon, strawberries, a veggie tray, cherry coke [blech!], fruit punch, sprinkle sugar cookies [that I brought] and you know, other super American stuff! Freaking loved it. After eating, we headed down to the beach for some football and just messing around. And we saw three turtles!!! I wanted to run out to the ocean and attack them.... with my camera but I was scared to waves were going to attack me and I was going to get my phone wet, so I resisted...

So it was getting later and I had read up on the fireworks at Turtle Bay and everything I read, they were starting at 8pm [when it's dark]. Everyone at the house was planning on heading up to watch the fireworks and some had already left. It was 7... 7:15 and the girl I was supposedly going up with just kept texting me telling me, "I'm almost ready, I'm almost ready..." No, no, see I don't do 'almost ready' when it comes to the 4th of July and fireworks... Sorry 'bout it! I was freaking out by now and the last of the house party were piling in cars to head up.. The car with Jess and Whit were leaving and they were just like, "jump in, it'll be fine she can meet us up there.." No, it's fine you guys can go was my response. They really didn't want to, but I felt bad... like I always do! They last car was leaving and in the mean time I was calling this girl, Delaney over and over and over. I was not missing these fireworks, damn it!!! She finally answered and I said, "Are you coming?" And she said she was almost ready... however, she said that 20 minutes ago. I straight up said, "Well, I'm here with some other people and they are heading up so..." And she said, "Yeah, that's fine." I said, "Good, I'll see you up there." By now, it was 7:35 and I was going to kick someone in the face. As these guys were walking away to go get in their car, I yelled, "Guys, guys can I come with you?" And they were like, "Yeah, that's why we were walking slow, to make sure you knew what you wanted to do..." What a relief. 

So we are in the car heading up. It should only take 10, 15 minutes to get up there, right, right.... So of course there is traffic. This is the only place they are showing fireworks on this side of the island. Waikiki, is the only other place on the island having a show in the sky... So we were screwed. Parking was out to freaking Africa, there was no way we were going to make it by parking and walking all the way to the beach. I wanted to see them over the water. So the guy driving, Kelehi, slowly pulled up through the gates and past one policeman and when we got to the second one, and he was making everyone turn around cause there was NO parking whatsoever, [it was sooo crowded and it was 8:00 by now...} but Kelehi made for a pretty good story. The police greeted him and then asked, "Are you guys staying here?" Kelehi replied with, "Yeah, my uncle lives in the villas, so we are just going to go park over there." Cop says, "Well the villas are over there [and points in the opposite direction] so you are going to have to turn around." Kelehi's all, "No, those villas over there------->" And I'm like thinking, oh shiz... And the cop's all, "Oh, okay, well I don't think there is any parking, but you guys might get lucky! Have a good night..." We pull through. Lucky enough. So we drive into the parking lot and the fireworks start. Freak!!! Kelehi pulls into the bus lane and parks and gets out and me and another girl jump out of the car and RUN to the beach as fast as we can. I was NOT missing this. We got there not too long after and witnessed the most spectacular show over the ocean. I only wish it would have lasted longer!!

After the firework show, the boys re-parked the car [because people were leaving obviously] and we all went hot tubbing. Oh, I almost forgot to mention, at 8:25, 5 minutes after the show was over, Delaney texts me and asks me where she should park... Well, it's over so it doesn't really matter was my reply!! Man was I grateful I went with these guys. Oh, and the other car with Jess and Whit, yeah, they parked forever and a mile away and were walking on the highway still when the fireworks started... So yes, I got super lucky in picking when and who to go with.. Okay so yes, like I mentioned, hot tubbing. We jumped in one of the hot tubs there at Turtle Bay, most of us just put our feet in and just all talked and laughed about stuff. There was a ka-jillion of us. It was a good time. Hot tubs closed at 10, so one of the kids with us, Justin, his parents were staying there at Turtle Bay for the week, so we walked over to his parents condo place and they had rootbeer floats for us! How American is that? Then we watched a movie and order in pizza.

It turned out to be such a great day and night. I am so lucky that I was able to be adopted and live here in America. I love this country and the freedom I experience everyday by living in it. Even though I wasn't home today, I am so grateful I was able to experience a taste of the patriotism America still has to offer here in the 808 state.

Kisses from this American lover across the sea xoxoxoxo