I expected Hawaii to be a land of good fortune since people who moved to Hawaii always sent money to loved ones. I also expected to get a lot of money faster and easier but those expectations were crushed by reality since I only get paid $4 a month which isn’t as much as I was hoping for. I have to wake up at 5:00 AM to start working on the plantations, I eat lunch at 11:00 AM, and I go to sleep at 8:00 PM. I was provided with free housing and medicine by the estate owner. The men lived in dorm housing if they were single and the room I was in wasn’t the best but it had a bed with a pillow, one window in the back of the room, and a table with one chair. On my time off, I would gamble and talk about stories with others.
When I stepped out of the hot, airless plane into the bright, dazzling sunlight beaming down across the burning concreate, I felt excited and nervous. Holding my beach bag in my hand and slipping my Ray Ban sunglasses on with my other, I flip-flopped down the airspace. Overhead I heard the screams of gulls and the chatter of the small fluffy birds. I suddenly realized I had arrived to Hawaii. This trip was such an unforgettable vacation for me because I got to witness the beauty of nature that Hawaii has to offer.
Imagine yourself sitting on a lava rock cliff, hearing the ocean pounding the rock wall below. The salty sea spray cools your lips and the taste tickles your tongue. Feeling the sun against your skin, it is cooled by the mix of mist and breeze that plays with the palm trees. You could say I grew up in a place most people can only daydream about. When most people hear of where I grew up all they can picture is paradise. There is so much more to the “Aloha State” than the stale beachside hotels covered in an abundance of hibiscus prints with pineapples around every turn. The people, food, and land are the heart of the Hawaiian Islands.
It was the fall of 2010 and little did I know that my world was about to change drastically. We had moved back to Kenosha, Wisconsin in 2008 after living in Mexico, and I was starting to enjoy my life in the dairy state. My 6th Grade classes had just started at Bullen Middle School. It was right at this time when my world seemingly got flipped upside down. My parents had a family meeting and informed my siblings and me that we were moving to a small Iowa town called Orange City. I had feelings of nervousness, excitement, and sadness all mixed together.
As my family and I walked into the plane, we were excited. The plane ride to jamaica stopped in L.A. and, after that, it went to jamaica. When we arrived in Jamaica it was really hot, but it was wet. I immediately took off my sweater I was wearing on the plane. We took a bus to our hotel. Then we started swimming in the water park. Every night there was a show in the main stage. The next day we woke up early to go to chukka. It was awesome. We saw a great house, rode on horses, and did a challenge course. After we came back from Chukka, we went to the water park and swimming pool at the hotel. Then we ate at fresh, which we went most of the time. The next day we woke up earlier to go to the dolphin cove. The bus was an hour late, but the wait
Hawai'i is a land full of diverse people and ideas, starting from the Polynesians who decided to cross the ocean to settle and form the traditions practiced today by the Hawaiians. Unlike many other states, the beliefs of Hawai'i have managed to stay alive. Its unique culture is what attracts tourists most. Many people see it as a vacation spot, full of fun attractions and say, “When I go to Hawai'i I'm going to get some Hawaiian tattoos, they look so cool!” or “I'm going to buy a hula skirt, they're really pretty!” But all those hula dances and tattoos are not just for show. People do not know that there is more to it than ink or hip swaying; behind every hula skirt and every tattoo there is a story. Hawai’i’s culture consists of the significance of its dances, tattoos, and traditions that give Hawaiians their unique lifestyle.
In the summer of 2015, the summer before my freshman year, my grandmother and I took a trip to the other side of the country. I had never been anywhere west of Tennessee before, so going to California was going to be an exciting experience. My vacation there was like going to a whole other country. The morning of our flight I double checked my bags and made sure I had everything I would need for my trip. Flying into Fresno everything I saw was brown, except for the golf courses. The reason for everything being so brown was because during this time California was in a 5-year drought. Also being in the central valley it’s sandy and desert like. After landing and getting our luggage we stood outside waiting for my uncle to pick us up from the airport. When you think of California you think of perfect weather but stepping outside we were met with 115 degrees of the blazing hot sun. Not exactly what I consider “perfect” weather.
Moving from Wisconsin to California wasn’t an easy decision. Despite the first few difficulties I experienced, I learned to not be afraid of change but to take it and mold it into an opportunity for me to grow. The act of selflessness, as I’ve seen throughout my life, has prepared me to contribute to UW-Madison.
months was not paradise. I lived on the hillside of an African village and I
A few months before all of this I was pleased with my calm life in a local city of Taiwan. I settled there at the age of two with my family, and things were going well so far. Because I lived there for ten years, the longest time that I ever spent living in one place, I had made really good friends and was not looking forward to any significant changes although my mom had told me a long time ago, we might move to USA to settle with our uncle and grandma. My mom also told me that the other reason we move is for a better education and life there but I was not listening at that time. I thought she was just joking around because my brother and I have always expected to have a vacation to other countries. By the time I finished my first year of middle school I knew that this was nearly impossible. My family was already packing up, cleaning out the house, and reserving four airplane tickets to USA.
If you are considering living in Hawaii, Here is some facts that you should know. Hawaii became a state in August twenty first, nineteen fifty nine. Its state number is fifty. In total there is eight islands in Hawaii.
When I was nine years old, my parents, two siblings, and uncle decided that it was time for us to move from Missouri up to chilly Massachusetts. Both my uncle and father were construction workers. There were so many projects in Massachusetts, it was sensible for us to move. Financially, this was also the solution to our money problems. All around we were all very excited for this move, all except for myself. About halfway to Massachusetts, I had a gut feeling that this was a bad decision. Upon arrival, I felt like a fish out of water and, I was. Everything was so different compared to how Missouri was.
“What should I do? Maybe if I tell them I really don’t want to move to California they’ll change their minds? Maybe it’s too late to change minds since we're already here? Why did we have to move so far?” All these thoughts were popping through my head as I stepped onto the plane, “We’re we really doing this? Were we moving to California?” I keep on thinking about all these things. “What was gonna happen tomorrow at school?” My thoughts were like a highway. The cars were each of my thoughts and the cars were zooming by me over and over again. All I think about is what lies ahead. Tomorrow was my first day at school and I felt like I was gonna puke.
The world around us is amazingly beautiful, but if one ever wanted to experience the most beautiful part they would have to take a trip to Hawaii. Hawaii has the most relaxing climate, in perfect temperatures year round. Hawaii is the most beautiful island with must see attractions, and has flora and fauna that cannot be experienced anywhere else in the world. It is a family friendly location and one of the safest states in the United States. The culture is amazing and the people on the island are friendly and welcoming. There are so many once in a lifetime activities to do while in Hawaii. Hawaii is different than any other location in the United States, Hawaii is the perfect destination. Besides the fact Hawaii is full of beauty and breathtaking sights, there are so many fun activities to do on the island and the culture is something to be experienced.
I came with high hopes and aspirations. My hometown is not near Arizona, it is Lake Tahoe, Nevada, so going home for the weekend was simply out of the question. I had a great time for the first month, enjoying freedom. However, I was sitting in my room one night writing a paper with my roommate, and one of my friends from home called me. She said that one of her good friends from high school had just committed suicide earlier that day.
Do you know what it is like to move to a whole new different world? You would think that it would be really crazy, and it would be hard to get used to it. You might get tired of it, but you can’t run away. When I was in the third grade, my mom suddenly told me that my family would move to U.S.A. That was a really surprising news for me. I had a really good life in Japan. I had nice friends, I liked the school, and I had so many other things that I loved. It made me really unhappy. I had to leave all of my friends and the life I had. I had to start over everything, even the language.