Week Two - Let's Get Local

I've gotten used to a number of things on the island after spending almost two weeks here.

The most notable of which is the concept of what we have dubbed the "inside-outside" model for constructing buildings. Everything is inside-outside, which means that a building (of any kind) looks like it's inside, but it really isn't given that its hallways are not fully enclosed, but the indivdual rooms are. It's nearly impossible to describe. Our classroom buildings are inside-outside. The Taco Bell is inside-outside. The high school down the street is inside-outside. The bathroom at the beach is even inside-outside (the toliets inside and the sinks/mirrors outside).

My friend, and all around good guy, Neil, a transfer from a small school in Wisconsin, created the inside-outside terminology and the more we see of the island the more we see inside-outside buildings. It's not a bad thing, just a different thing, and a direct result of the perfect weather Hawaii is famous for (never over 90 and never below 70).

Speaking of the weather, before watching the local news (something required for locals) I was unsure of the role a weatherman would play in this fair state. The weather never changes. Seriously. It's the same everyday. We all know what happens when you assume, and I was again proven a fool. The weather man might actually be the most popular person on television here in Hawaii. Why? He forcasts the height and intesity of the swells for all the major beaches. Translation: He tells you if its a good surf day or a bad one.

Another thing that we (Neil especially) have committed ourselves to is the idea of at least appearing local. Generally speaking, there are two different types of people in O'ahu. There are tourists and locals. Given the fact that we are going to be here for about four months, we obviously decided the latter would be much preferred over the former.

There are some things we've noticed around the island that are clearly local, and some that are clearly tourist. And in order to, at the very least, appear local we are going to have to see, recognize and react to such things as ordinary occurances.

It's going to be a long and rather laborious process, but I promise we will get there. We're already making strides in only our second week on the island. We've adopted a slogan to challenge our traditional ways of thinking when faced with a local/tourist dillemma: WWLD? What Would a Local Do? It helps us to focus on solving problems.

We are making serious strides in our quest. This past Monday, Labor Day, we decided the day off would serve as a perfect zoo day. If the zoo itself wasn't tremendous enough, we also payed the discounted resident rate. Which, by virtue, means we're local. I defy any tourist to walk up to the zoo and pay the $4.00 we payed. You will pay $8 because you aren't a local. We are.

Zoo day was a complete success and everyone had a great time. One observation I came away with at the zoo pertains again to the weather. Most of the African animals, including the wild dogs (Garrett and Luke's favorite, until we got there and the dogs didn't even move. Lame.) ran and hid in the shade, and, as stated, did not move. The cheetahs even sat on the grass in the shade. These events led me to the only logical conclusion: Honolulu is hotter than Africa.

Neil has done such a spectacular job becoming local that random tourists on the Waikiki Beach (our local beach, and the subject of the photo at the top) come up to him and ask him for advice as to where to swim (in front of or past the break wall). Apparently, he looks that local. He gave the man the advice he desired and then the man asked Neil if he lived here. Neil truthfully responded with a yes.

We have also participated in Karaoke, which seems to be a night-life activity well-liked by Hawaiians seeing as there are multiple karaoke bars. Our bar of choice is the, now infamous, Karaoke Hut. Neil seems to be the shining star, followed rather closely by Garrett, and I've been known to at least bust a move or two, but have not sung. Nor will I ever.

Some of the names of the individuals mentioned might not seem familiar, and I understand that. That is why next week we will have a break down of all the kids I hang out with around these parts, so you can get to know these people well. Because trust me, they're people worth knowing. I have gone to the same school with most of them for three years now, and I can't believe this is the first time I've met them. It seems cruel almost to keep us apart for all this time, but now we have Hawaii, and for that I am grateful.