Another Week of Orientation

This week I participated in the usual orientation activities and signed up for a little extra...

On Wednesday was a 'Simple Cooking Class' with Azeema, one of the East-West Center fellows from Pakistan. It was great! I learnt about Turmeric - the powder which I only knew as the yellow colouring that often characterises Asian rice, but apparently is remarkably good for you. I also learnt how to make Dahl from scratch and a really tasty potato/vegetable curry. It was a good experience, shared with Vijoy, from Hawaii and Livia, from Indonesia.

Thursday I checked out Pali Lookout, just past downtown Honolulu. The lookout was SO WINDY but so glorious. It never ceases to amaze me just how quickly the clouds seem to move here... I think the only other place I've seen clouds move so quickly is San Francisco...

Friday we visited the Arizona Memorial and the North Shore. The Arizona Memorial was an interesting experience that was incredibly nationalistic. I was amazed at the blatant propaganda throughout the entire exhibit and disappointed that it did not seem to be more supportive of more peaceful international relations. Then again, America is at war... Following the Arizona Memorial we headed up to North Shore.

We didn't get to go to Turtle Bay on this trip to see the Turtle's feeding but we did have a nice lunch on Haleiwa Beach Park followed by a little exploration of Haleiwa 'Historic' Town. It was cute.

And that brings us to the conclusion of the final week of orientation activities. I am now well and truly ready for classes. It has been a nice introduction to the university, Hawaiian culture, and different opportunities about town, but I am needing some serious distractions to stop me from missing home...

k