Days 3 & 4

Yesterday we all painted the house for a few hours in the morning and then headed for Yokohama beach. It was an overcast day, so it wasn't too hot, but the water was warm enough. Josh and I floated in the shore break for a few hours and tossed around the frisbee.

The weather today was much better. Hot, sunny and breezy :) I started off the day by running with Josh on Maili Beach; running with such beautiful scenery has to be the best way to run. Then Josh, my aunt Jackie and I went to the swap meet (pretty much a flea market) at aloha stadium. Everything was pretty cheap and I spent more than I should have.


Once we had our fill of the market we headed out to Waimea Bay...one of the more popular beaches in O'ahu (featured in the movie Point Break starring Hawaiian Keanu Reeves). This beach has been my favorite by far. If you ever get out to O'ahu I'd recommend spending some time here. Huge beach, beautiful water, girls, and a big rock to jump off of. The plunge was only about 20 feet but still fun. We laid out for a while but I spent the majority of my time in the water (I'm a water bug). Josh and I swam out a little ways. I am still trying to get used to the salt-water aquatic life. There isn't anything dangerous in the freshwaters of Michigan lakes...I guess I should just stop being a baby, no?


I talked to my aunt Kimiya this morning about my plans for this summer - something I should really start to figure out. My grandparents have been gracious enough to offer me a place to stay if I need to stay out here longer. I am going to do all that I can to get to Micronesia as soon as I can; I don't want to overstay my welcome here. I think for now I will plan to go to Guam first to meet with my grandma and travel to Pohnpei with her. It will be a lot cheaper to get our there and a lot easier to be taken more seriously if I am with my grandma. My aunt Kimiya is loaning me some cash for airfare out there and I love her even more for that. You have no idea how much this helps and how much I appreciate the help. Thank you thank you thank you :). Hopefully I will start to hear from some opportunities I have in Pohnpei, but a little time on Guam is something I am actually looking forward to. I can visit the Traditional Seafaring Society and the family I have out there I would like to visit (or even meet:)).


In any event, I feel lucky to even have this opportunity to be traveling and really connecting with- and learning about my heritage. The whole point of this trip is to learn more about my background, heritage, and thus, myself. Thanks for reading. Mahalo. Justin

P.S. are the posts too long? let me know please.