Thanksgiving in Hawaii!

Never in a million years did I think I would be spending Thanksgiving Day on the beach in Honolulu with a group of 20 people that I had known for about 3 months.

We arrived in Honolulu around 8 in the morning but didn’t get cleared for disembarkation until around 10. Since we only had a day in Hawaii, everyone was trying to get off the boat as soon as possible. The gangway was on Deck 2 and the line to get out went all the way up to Deck 5. We had to be back on the boat by 9 pm that night so we literally had a matter of hours in Hawaii.

The first thing my friends and I did was head to Wal-mart to pick up some food for the day. I really wanted an entire Thanksgiving feast, complete with stuffing and pumpkin pie, but Wal-mart didn’t really have the best options. The closest I came to eating anything Thanksgiving-related was a turkey sandwich. After our blitz through Wal-mart we rushed to the beach. All 20 of us crammed onto a bus that was already quite full, carrying bags and bags of food, drinks, ice, and coolers. Nothing could have made us look more like a bunch of college kids trying to have a good time.

The rest of the day (from noon to 7:00) was spent on the beach. We laid out, played frisbee, ate turkey sandwiches and Doritos, and took lots of pictures. We stayed on the beach long enough to watch the sun set and then decided to go back to the boat. We gave ourselves about 2 hours to get back and go through the line. Sometimes it can take close to an hour just standing in line to get on the boat, and we definitely didn’t want to risk having dock time in Costa Rica.

Luckily the line getting back on the boat was not long and we made it just in time to grab dinner. Speaking of which, I am getting so sick of meals on the boat. All they serve us is white lettuce, potatoes, pasta, and wanna-be meat. I have never had so many carbs in my life. I am usually not one to complain about food, but the meal situation has been beyond monotonous. I don’t care how many ways they can serve me potatoes, they still taste the same. I can’t wait to have Manuel’s hot wings, El Torero’s jalapeño cheese dip, a Vortex burger, and Melton’s buffalo tenders.

Anyway, I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I’m sure dinner at the Chaviano’s was fun and eventful. It was so nice being able to use my cell phone for a few hours. It actually took me a while to send my first text message. Talking to you all made me all the more excited to return home. We only have two more class days left and then 5 days of studying and finals. After finals we’ll be in Costa Rica for 3 days, and then it’s back to the USA!