Friday: Scuba diving and Laser Tag!

               We could not hardly believe that today was our last day but we rocked this day! After our good breakfast a Taxi brought us in single groups to the Hanauma Bay. There we spent our day snorkeling, seeing the beautiful underwater world, lots of colorful fishes and sea turtles. We had a fantastic sunshine and many of us got a sun burn. Then we went back to our hotel and suddenly the weather changed- therefore our plans changed too. Instead of the luau we went to a Game Center, where we played Laser Tag, Mini Golf, bowling and more. Every one of us enjoyed the time together and also we had lots of fun. After the awesome week that we get to know each other better, the day was coming to say goodbye. We talked about our departure time and we realized that the time went so fast. We say thank you- ‘Mahalo’ -for an incredible week with lots of fun, to make new friends and to get the Hawaiian spirit! At least every one of us got a delicious ice cream cup and all of us will keep the Hawaiian trip in mind! Aloha!

Stella Were and Marisa Witting 

The beautiful Hanauma Bay

Tattoos - airbrush of course!

Thursday: Peal Harbor and Hawaiian Sunshine!

Aloha!

Today was another beautiful Hawaiian day with plenty of sunshine. We left early in the morning and went straight to Pearl Harbor. On the way our great driver, Rhonda, told us more about the actual history of the port, and just a little bit about the dramatic attack, as we had an organized tour with a guide on the USS Missouri. When we arrived at the battleship we split up in two groups. One group did volunteer work: cleaning the handrails on one side of the ship, while the other group followed the guide. After that we switched.

From there we left to grab a quick lunch, and drove to the USS Arizona. There we watched a movie with actual footage of the attack and then went on a boat which took us to the memorial site. The memorial was built above the battleship that sank, which is still visible from the memorial. Standing on the ship that sank was pretty intense, especially after looking at the wall with all the names of the people that died in the ship, and still remain there. Over all it was the most serious day of the whole week, but also one of the most interesting, as we did learn a lot more than what they teach us in history class.

After leaving the memorial we had a drive home which was fun, as every country had to sing their national anthem. Some were completely new to me, and others I had heard of, but all of them were interesting to listen to. Even though I didn’t understand a word…

The rest of the day was just relaxing: laying on the beach, going shopping, or sitting in the pool to cool down.

In the evening we went to Mac 24/7, a restaurant in Waikiki, which had great Macaroni and Cheese, but also Chicken Teriyaki and Cheeseburger.

The rest of the night most of us went walking up and down the main road and spending all of the money that was left on food and other important things.

After the daily meeting in the lobby we all went to bed, tired and exhausted, but also relaxed, still enjoying the short time we have left in Hawaii, sadly.

Aloha for now for another great day in paradise!

Alexander Voigt

Wednesday: Volcano Views and Sunshine!

            Today, we could sleep a little longer than usually, which was very nice after an amazing beach day.
We started our walk to Diamond Head with an international stretch circle. Every country had to show one exercise and count in their own language to ten.

             When we arrived at the bottom of the volcano, we were already pretty exhausted. After we filled up our water bottles, our hike began. Some people saw the hike as a competition and tried to get the fastest time: They ran up to the top.

            The path was surrounded by the beautiful nature of Hawaii. Our payment of the hard work was the fantastic view on top of the mountain, down to the beaches, the endless sea, and the skyline of Honolulu. After taking pictures, we started our way back. At the bottom, the ‘shave ice’ was waiting for us. Most of us were tired from the hike and the heat, and didn’t want to think of the long way back. A surprise was waiting for us: A bus. But some people still had energy and wanted to walk, instead of taking the bus.

           This afternoon, we had the possibility to choose between taking another surfing lesson, going shopping or just hanging out at the beach. Everyone enjoyed their afternoon.

          Our dinner tonight was an ‘All you can eat’ pizza buffet. The pizzas were going around the tables and sometimes you had to search for the right piece. All in all we had a sporty day today and can show our families and friends many pictures.

Flurina Dobler, Switzerland and Sarah Goergen, Germany

Another beautiful sunset in Waikiki!

Tuesday: Blue Skies and Lots of Beach!

We started our 3^rd day early  with a great cereal and fruit breakfast. After that we all went to the bus to go to Pali Lookout where the first King, King Kamehameha had the bloodiest battle the island had ever seen. We had an awesome view and we took a lot of pictures to have wonderful memories on our Hawaii trip.

After everybody was done taking pictures we climbed into the bus and drove down towards the beach, but made a quick stop to get food and drinks for the picnic at the beach. The beach we went to was ranked 9^th in 2011 for the most beautiful beaches world wide. The beach looked like a beach from a Hollywood movie. We saw a couple taking wedding pictures and were really happy to have a “wet” day again after our surfing experience. We also had our own Lifeguard who watched carefully after us.

We spent about 5 hours at the beach and had tons of fun. We went swimming, play catch in the water with the football, played volleyball, sun bathed, build sand-castles, ate lunch, and took fantastic pictures of the beach and the Mountain View around us. With all the fun we had the time went by very fast. Rabia, the student from Pakistan, went into the water today for the very first time in her life! It was very cool to see and we were very proud of her! We then went back to the hotel to get prepared for our dinner party at the famous Hard Rock Café Honolulu! We had a great time and an awesome dinner with very good music. After the dinner we went into the Hard Rock Café store to buy souvenirs to take home. Most of us bought the famous shirts. We got 2 hours of free time to walk through Waikikki and all the stores besides the streets. Tired but very happy we all meet back in the hotel to get over the next day - Let’s see what Hawaii will bring to us tomorrow!

Niklas Tilgner

Pali Lookout!

Scandinavians love their fresh fish! 

Nathalia experiencing her 'winter'!

Human pyramid One

Human pyramid Two!

The girls enjoying Cold Stone on the Waikiki Strip after dinner!

Monday: Pineapple galore and the Polynesian Cultural Center!

Today we went up to the beautiful North Shore of Oahu! On the way there we stopped at the Iolani Palace, where we met the King and Queen of Hawaii and saw the only palace in the U.S.
After that we went to the Dole pineapple plantation. Where we got the chance to buy bracelets, engraved with our Hawaiian name and tried delicious pineapple whip. - Everybody loved it!

As we spent our lunch in Haleiwa, an authentic little surf town, we could try local food like pineapple burgers and sea food, so everybody found something they liked. Then we explored all the small souvenir and surf shops and wandered around the cute town.

On our way to the Polynesian Cultural Center, we drove by some beautiful beaches, where famous international surf contests are held.

In the Polynesian Cultural Center we spent the whole afternoon learning about and experiencing the 6 Polynesian cultures Hawaii is made of (Tonga, Samoa, Hawaii, Aotearoa, Tahiti and Fiji). This was definitely the highlight of our day! While some of us learned how to play Ukulele, others were dancing Hula, tried to make fire or drank fresh coconut juice. For us the day ended with an amazing show about a boy growing up in the Hawaiian culture.

While getting more familiar with the Hawaiian cultures today, we as a group are growing more and more together and becoming a big ohana!

Sarah Straetz and Kati Stelz from Germany

Hawaii was made a state in 1959! 

Looking at the State Capitol Building that's shaped like a volcano! 

All the females with Queen Liluokalani

And all the boys taking the photos! 

Now the men- with King Kamehameha

Pineapple whip at the Dole Plantation!

Pineapple whip with pineapple juice! 

Henna tattoos!

The cute surfer town of Hale'iwa!

Pineapple burger - yum!!

Thank you Mum & Dad!

Ukulele lessons