21 September, 2017

Twelve o'clock midnight, Thursday morning. I have now been in Hawaii for a total of twenty seven days. The first week or so was definitely rough, and my new life for sure had some getting used to. The second night I was here I cried myself to sleep. I was alone in a foreign land with no one to turn to. My roommate, Heidi, had not yet arrived so I had no one with me, and since meeting people and socializing has always been somewhat of an issue for me, little to say I did not make many friends that first week. The fact that I rarely left my dorm room also did not help my case. The following week was filled with orientation activities, few of which I attended. While at lunch one day I ran into an old friend of mine, Allison, that I previously had classes with in elementary school. I became acquainted with her friend and brother as well, and later that day the four of us went to the Polynesian Cultural Center. During that same day, I found myself eyeing a boy from across the cafeteria. Coincidentally enough, I was later introduced to him by Allison. His name was Eli. We talked just a little that day but I became determined to become friends with this boy.
The day my roommate arrived I did not see a lot of her. She had traveled with her sister and her mom and spent most of the day with them. A few days later, she had to say goodbye to her family and we became very close. Words cannot describe how relieved I was to end up with a nice, normal roommate--that was before I was aware of her hidden love for anime...and her crushes on these non-existent characters. As odd as I found this at first, we eventually became best friends through time. As to be assumed with any two girls, we happened across the topic of boys more than once. I made sure to point out Eli, and clarify that we followed each other on Instagram, so things were getting pretty serious.
Well, weeks later school started. Schoolwork is nowhere near one of my favorite activities on this island, but sadly in order to pass classes I actually have to put forth an effort. Since the time of school starting, Heidi and I began to branch out and talk to more people, mostly just at meal times. One day I finally convinced myself, much to the nagging of Heidi, to sit by Eli's friend, where he would appear minutes later. We finally talked and had to go through the awkward phase of knowing that we previously met, but acting like we hadn't. He and his roommate Nate eventually starting talking to us more, and now we are decently close friends. Last week, Heidi, Nate, Eli, Michelle, Kennedy, and I all took a trip to Waimea to enjoy the beach there. Afterwards we went on a walk and discovered the food trucks (and their costliness) and enjoyed dinner together. Each day we continue to become closer friends, and Michelle and Heidi continue to make fun of me for my supposed "obsession" with Eli. If you knew how Michelle talked about this guy Sam though, you wouldn't think my actions were silly in the slightest. Sam is your typical tall, dark and handsome man. Practically every girl on campus is interested in him, but Heidi and I know he is Michelle's man, and nothing could stop Michelle from thinking the same.
Interesting tidbits from the week; I have recently been listening to a lot of music that I normally do not listen to, like Blink182, Panic! at the Disco, and My Chemical Romance. Heidi went through a slight phase when she was younger where she listened to all the Emo and punk rock bands, and she continues to play it every once in a while. I think some of it may be growing on me. We both share a love for 21 Pilots, so nothing else matters. I started watching Twilight for the first time, and I will honestly say I am a lot less disappointed in the story line than expected. I skipped class this morning (yesterday morning, if you will), and had the first mini meltdown since the first week here. While it may not seem it, that is definitely a huge accomplishment. Yesterday I was thinking to myself how happy I have been, and before today I honestly didn't really have a lot of worries. Life here is different than back home for sure, but I am coming to know the place and the people here as a home of its own. While I still have worries and stress in my life, I think that at the end of the day I can get through it, and I am happy to say I am very excited to see what else life throws at me next.
Yours truly,
Rachael <3