I must admit that I came to Hawaii wondering how people living in such paradise could possibly require our help. This same opinion seemed to be reflected in the response of every person with whom I shared my spring break plans. Each would immediately praise my thoughtfulness for volunteering to help build low-income housing, but after discovering that I would be doing so in Hawaii, everything took on a new perspective. "Ahhhhhhh, now I understand ... you're volunteering in Hawaii. So, why aren't you going to the Gulf Coast instead?" Indeed, there were some perks. The ability to go to the beach every day after work was certainly nice. It seems, however, that there is the general misguided assumption that all is well in the land of surf, sunshine, and hula skirts.

Continue reading "Some closing thoughts" »

Our last day in Hawaii!!! Some of us got dropped off early at the docks while the others had a day of shopping and the beach. Those of us who went to the docks took a sailing and snorkeling tour of the Na Pali coast. The Na Pali coast is the rugged western coast of the island. The island doesn't actually have a road going all the way around it because a road was unable to be built through the western terrain. Out boat set out and headed to a reef where we would go snorkeling. On the way, there we passed about 15 sea turtles swimming alongside our boat!

Continue reading "Dolphins and whales and turtles!" »

After several weeks of planning, Sarah and I had finally secured a ride to the Waimea Canyon, a river valley often referred to as the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific." When I saw pictures and read a review of the Awa'awapuhi trail, I knew I had to go. Unfortunately, Habitat couldn't let us take the van up the canyon road. Evidently, previous groups had managed to destroy two transmissions and overheat the engines of their vans attempting to ascend the mile-high climb to the summit. So, we were left with the options of renting, borrowing, stealing, or hitchhiking our own ride up. Renting became a problem due to such annoying obstacles as penalties for being under 24 and three-day minimum rental periods. Fortunately, we were never forced to explore the latter options.

Continue reading "Road trip to Waimea Canyon" »

Today was our first day not working, but we still had to get up early. We drove an hour up to the north shore to meet a Bucknell alum, Don, and his wife.

Continue reading "A visit to an alum" »

Wednesday began in high spirits, for it was the last day of four to be spent toiling under Bob's iron whip. We were weary, but not yet broken. A hearty few even endeavored to begin work on a second ditch, inspired perhaps by the completion of the first one the day before. The first ditch took three days. This time we were shooting for one. Two lucky individuals secured for themselves the most important task of the day - driving to the beach early in the afternoon to reserve a pavilion for the night's festivities. Other group members made due with their own assignments, switching places between painting and sunning in the grass so as to balance progress on the pigment of the house with that of their tans.

Continue reading "Our last day of work" »

This morning, we headed to the warehouse and began work in the thrift store. I had worked outside the morning before picking up dead leaves and plants in the entrance area (after Dale and Brad battled spiders with a MACHETE), and thought it would be a nice change to work inside. The woman who worked the register set us to work sorting nails, screws, and other hardware into boxes. Reaching into one of the boxes, I saw a giant spider right next to my hand. We had seen several of these spiders, Cane Spiders, in the warehouse, store, and job site. The Internet describes them as being three- to four-inches wide and comparable in size to a can of tuna. Once you see one, though, you think this is a gross underestimation. The locals thought it was funny that we were so scared of the spiders, telling us that they were completely harmless and that we just had to tell them to leave.

Continue reading "Drywall and teriyaki burgers" »

A feature of Kauai that most visitors are unlikely to soon forget is its chickens. People who think they know what they're talking about will tell you that the island has been overrun by wild chickens since Hurricane Iniki in 1992. Supposedly, the gale-force winds tore open the chicken coops and liberated the fortunate fowl to a comfortable existence of pilfering food from tourists and crowing at all hours of the day. Locals have informed us, however, that chickens have run wild on Kauai ever since they can remember. Contrary to popular belief, roosters don't give a cock-a-doodle-doo about whether the sun is over the horizon or not before they begin their morning ritual of waking up the rest of the animal kingdom. My initiation to this occurred on the second morning at 3 a.m ... and every half hour after that. I may have come across the reason why everyone goes to bed so early here.

Continue reading "Cock-a-doodle-doo" »

Last night, the ride from the airport to the cabins was a little scary. We turned off the main road onto a little dirt road that led back to our cabins. The rough road was several miles long, and all we could see in the light from the headlights were tall reeds and jungle looming up on either side of the road. We finally arrived at the cabins, unloaded the van, and moved in. The area around the cabins was pitch black and the only light came from a tiny light on the bathroom building, a tiny light on the shower building, and the moon. Naturally, Dale was the only one who brought a flashlight, so we all stumbled around getting ready for bed.

Continue reading "The first day of work" »

Friday ended the same as every other Friday this semester, scrambling to turn in my engineering lab report before the 5 p.m. deadline. However, better things were to come. After walking back down the hill from Dana, I began the process of cramming everything I would need for the week into my one gargantuan duffel bag. Among the supplies that I probably would not need - but decided to take anyway - were a mask and snorkel, tool belt, and heavy pack boots should I decide to do some substantial hiking. Packed, I hit the sack and attempted to maximize the only three hours of sleep I would be getting in the next 36.

Continue reading "A very long day" »

The Bucknell Habitat for Humanity team in Hawaii won't have immediate Internet access. They promise to post their messages as soon as they are connected. Stay tuned.