Friends in Beautiful Places

I’ve officially been in Hawaii for a week and with every day I’m here it’s feeling more and more like home. Island life is something that I’ve always dreamed of but I never quite imagined myself actually experiencing. There’s something about the island of Oahu that makes my heart sing; it might be the endless sunshine, the deep, crystal clear waters, the canopied, green mountains, or the million other breathtaking sights the island has to offer.

For the next two weeks I’ll be staying with my soul-sistah, Karalee, and her family on base. I still can’t really believe that I get to stay with her family for free or that I get to explore this Island with such an adventurous friend. I met Karalee on my study abroad trip in Switzerland in 2016 and, despite our friendship now, we didn’t really hang out much until the end of our trip. We spent five weeks in Rwanda together working with NGOs and got really close. We took a road trip to Alabama in May of 2017 to volunteer at Hangout Music Festival and had the experience of a lifetime. After she moved to Hawaii, fate intervened in the form of a graduation present: round trip airfare to Hawaii. So now that I’m here, we’re using all the time we have to explore and adventure!

I’ve also made some awesome new friends since I’ve been hanging at the hostel. It’s been a blast to always have people to chat with, adventure with, and flat out chill with. We’ve done everything from rooftop parties to hotel sunsets, dancing at clubs to hanging out on the beach at night. It’s been so much freaking fun to have a place to go to meet and hang out with really cool people. I’m so happy to have found this place and these people!

Stay curious and happy travels!