Special Visitor!

I'm very happy that Jessica was able to get some time off work and come all the way out here to see me for a week. Since I still had to work during the week, we had to make the most of the weekend daylight that was available. I'd say we did a pretty good job.

We visited Hanauma Bay to do some snorkeling and see the vibrant aquatic life. The bay has a large coral reef with many different kinds of fish to see and a pretty neat beach to hang out at for awhile. My favorite event, however, was the catamaran excursion that left from Waikiki. This is definitely something anybody that comes here should try to take in. The scenery of the ocean, city and mountains was fantastic. We also saw a group of dolphins out in the water that were putting on quite a show.

It was fun to have someone to go out to eat with in a place where there are many restaurants to choose from. We visited Jimmy Buffets since it was a favorite, a place on the beach called Duke's, and the Cheesecake Factory. We also went to a place called Longhi's at Ala Moana shopping center to meet up with some of Jessica's folk's family friends who are from Hawaii. They were very nice people and greeted Jess with a beautiful real flower lei.

Having a car, it was also possible to visit Pearl Harbor, Punchbowl National Cemetery, Makapuu, Iolani Palace, and Kalakaua shopping area.

Overall, it was a great week and we had a fun time when we could. Hawaii is definitely a better experience when you have someone to see the sights and go out to eat with.

The Workplace

The past few weeks have been very busy at work. For the most part, the office is very similar to the one back home. I mainly work with two other staff and two managers who are very friendly and have been very welcoming.

My desk has a window with a pretty good view looking West. I have been able to catch a couple sunsets from the comfort of the cubicle and even got a great view of a rainbow one day.

The daily lunch plan is usually getting a "plate lunch" at one of the many entrepreneurial eateries downtown. My favorite has been a place called "My BBQ". It is a Korean barbecue joint next to the office and definitely the best value as far as lunch goes. My favorite option is the Spicy Shoyu Chicken, which comes with four sides and a hearty serving of steamed rice.

Routine

Three weeks in, I am very acclimated to this new city. Many of this weekend's non-work activities were just normal chores that I got the chance to take care of. Doing laundry, grocery shopping, and getting a haircut were the highlights.

Laundry took longer than I thought since the machine only fits about 1/3 of what I consider a normal load. This machine hides in a closet by the sink in the bathroom; it is virtually unnoticeable. The first week, I didn't even realize I had these machines until I asked the staff where I could do laundry. They courteously replied that there is a washer/dryer in the bathroom closet. I would assume a smaller load of laundry would also take less time to dry, but it takes about twice as long.

I'm now a valued Safeway customer as I obtained a 'shoppers card' at the local store that I frequent. As if prices weren't already high enough, the store inflates the prices and makes you sign up for the card so they can collect data about your shopping habits and entice you to buy things. I also made a return trip to Walmart, which was twice as crowded as it was the first time (pictured above).

I now know my way around very well and can recite and properly pronounce street names, intersections, and various areas on the island. Overall, this is a good place to spend two months.

What's on the Radio?

One of my favorite parts of the work day is driving to and from downtown with the windows down and the radio on. I'm surprised most of the cars I see don't have the windows down. My theory is that the locals have become accustomed to and spoiled by the constant perfect temperature. The temperature fluctuates about 10 degrees everyday between about 70 degrees(overnight low) and 80 degrees (daytime high). There is absolutely no reason to not ride with the windows down.

My country radio stations have all been replaced by Hawaiian island music. Unfortunately, country music is vastly unpopular here, but I decided I can live without it for two months. Besides island music, other popular tunes are top 40 R&B/rap songs and Ke$ha (think 107.1). All of these stations think it is acceptable to play the same songs over and over again. I had a two week streak going for awhile where I heard the same two songs every time I got in the car (my drive is 10 minutes). It has since lapsed.

The most popular song by far is "Ehu Girl" by Kolohe Kai. I had to do a little research to find out what an Ehu Girl is. Not by surprise, it is a slang term for 'a local girl with reddish brown hair'. It's one of those songs that gets in your head and stays all day. This weekend I was walking by the stores and a street performer kept playing this song over and over again on his ukulele, much like the radio stations. I laughed to myself and kept walking. I caught myself humming this song again later.