Adventures in Kona

My name is Diana and I am one lucky duck. I get to spend the next three months of my life living in Kona, Hawaii. Follow my journey here as I explore the beautiful world around me and seek to find my true self within it. If you feel led to help me cover my never-ending list of bills, click the button below! Note: To browse through more pictures in my posts, click the arrows to the right and left of the picture. Easy-peasy!

[awelltraveledman]

"Most people understand that in order to get from one place to the next, you must travel; you have to move. But few are willing to accept this in areas of personal growth. We can’t stand still; we will stagnate. The irony is that while we think we are standing still, we are actually growing the most. What gets us to our destinations are the pauses, the breaks, the in-between."

The In-Between, Jeff Goins

[frankgoransson]

A surf day on Pine Trees.

[russiantohawaii]

My last day in Kona, right there.

[russiantohawaii]

super-fast update

Seattle was amazing! I must move there ASAP. I'm working on a post with pictures from my visit there, it's just taking a while because...

I'M HOME! I came back to a Charlotte full of blue skies, fall leaves and sweater weather. Bliss. I have yet to leave the comfort of my home since arriving on Friday. I can't help it: after being gone so long, it feels wrong to leave (even for a grocery run).

Do I miss Kona? Yes. Do I miss Mission Builders/YWAM? HELL NO. Do I miss my friends in Hawaii? Of course. Am I glad to be home? Yes!!

I'll try to write up some more substantial posts in the near future... there is so much to do now that I'm home, and I feel like I need a looong time to process all that I experienced these past three months.

Thanks for sticking with me, y'all.

[veesko]

To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.

Bill Bryson

[russiantohawaii]

I have made it to the promised land. It's a land of coffee, tea, sweaters, rain and colorful leaves and I have fallen in love. If you need me, look for the girl crying tears of joy while walking in the brisk November air down Ballard Avenue.

Seattle, you have stolen my heart.

[russiantohawaii]

My last 24 hours in Kona were absolutely delightful: brunch and mimosas with darling friends, Nacho Libre movie night, sunbathing and surfing, sushi on the waterfront and a farewell kombucha at my favorite cafe.

I was showered with more love and affection than my heart could handle. I can't believe how lucky I've been over these past three months. Yes, it's been challenging. Yes, it's occasionally been lonely and confusing. But I don't regret a single moment, and these memories will be etched in my heart for the rest of my life.

I'm spending a lot of time journaling and processing, and hopefully I can sometime soon find more coherent words to express myself. In the meantime, just know that I am blissfully happy walking the path I am on.

[awkwardsituationist]

Visit Original Link

one of her babies is rotting in the sun and the other one was found drowned in the ocean. her mom and dad are in their van, crushed and bloated, and her husband was thrown from his fishing boat. so please give me a break from all your complaining about who was mean to you and how your stepdad is a pain. i care, i swear, but i just can’t take it, not today, all i can think about are tsunamis and earthquakes.

everything she’s ever known is gone. everyone she’s ever loved is gone. the only reason she’s alive is she grabbed a palm frond and held on.

you can call me crazy, but it seems to me we could have sent more than we spend in one day killing iraqis to help the hundreds of thousands who are injured and diseased and hungry and homeless and without families. i’m appalled by our government’s initial reaction and the fact that they asked for a verbal retraction from the folks who called them stingy. they’re just covering their assets, while they thank their greedy god for wiping out the lower class.

everything she’s ever known is gone. everyone she’s ever loved is gone. the only reason she’s alive is she grabbed a palm frond and held on.

one of her babies is rotting in the sun and the other one was found drowned in the ocean. her mom and dad are in their van, they crushed and bloated and her husband was thrown from his fishing boat. we’d have 12/26 tattooed across our foreheads if something this atrocious happened on our coast instead. well, a tragedy’s a tragedy no matter where it happens. close your eyes really tight and try to imagine that everything you’ve ever known is gone. and everyone you’ve ever loved is gone. and the only reason you’re alive is you were lucky and you were strong enough to hold on. while you watched your family die.

[dianamn]

Help Typhoon Haiyan survivors by donating to any one of the organizations listed here. 

[russiantohawaii]

It's officially my last weekend in Kona. I've spent the past few days slowly packing up my belongings, writing goodbye letters, and cleaning my room for my departure tomorrow night. It all feels so surreal.

Yesterday I took my final Mission Builder 'tour' to South Point. You might remember this post, where I cam to terms with my mortality and (very rational) fear of jumping off of a 35+ foot cliff. We returned to this place yesterday, but instead of hanging out by the cliffs Lizzy and I decided to hike the 2.5 miles of desert-esque landscape to get to Green Sands beach.

Officially named "Papakolea Beach", this beach is one of four green sands beaches in the world. Green sand is made primarily out of olivine crystals which erode out of lava flow. They're heavier than the particles of sand and ash, so while those get washed out to sea, the olivine particles stay put on the beach. However it is projected that eventually the green sands will be eroded to the point that they, too, will be washed out to sea and "Green Sands Beach" will be no more.

(Pictures 1-3) The hike to the beach was stunning. In the hour it took us to hike to the beach, I saw an array of natural landscapes that blew my mind. Desert sands, red Carolina clay, fields of amber shrubbery, landscapes of lava rock and so much more stretched out before my eyes. Pictures will never do it justice.

(Pictures 4 and 5) Close to halfway through our hike, we accidentally came across a small patch of beach that was covered in bright-green sand. We were ecstatic! I had seen pictures of the Green Sand beach and was not terribly impressed by the color of the sand, but this random little patch was shades brighter than anything I had seen or imagined. 

(Pictures 6, 7 and 8) The Green Sands Cliff was breath-taking! Geologists believe that the cliff (or "the cone" as some call it) was formed as a result of molten lava reaching the ocean and quickly cooling to form this massive beauty. It looked like a layer cake, with varying shades of gray and brown throughout its levels. I was blown away.

We swam for a little while on the coast and laid out on the beach, resting in the afternoon sun and enjoying this once-in-a-lifetime spot. I can't believe how beautiful nature is, and how lucky I am to have had an opportunity to go somewhere like this.

[thetallestpine-blog]

Do not look back and grieve over the past, for it is gone; and do not be troubled about the future, for it has yet to come. Live in the present, and make it so beautiful that it will be worth remembering.

Ida Scott Taylor

[russiantohawaii]

What do you do when you're celebrating your two-year anniversary with the love of your life from 4,000+ miles away? You improvise!

Earlier this week Jared sent me a package with a placemat, a crystal goblet, a ceramic plate, a glass vase and fake flowers, a backpacker's instant meal, a CD of romantic songs and some popcorn/candy. He wrote me the sweetest letter I've ever read and we set a "dinner date" for our anniversary...

Tonight Jared and I celebrated two years of bliss. We chatted about our lives, ate and watched Hercules on Netflix "together"... gotta love technology, eh? Jared is my best friend, my confidant, my safe place and my hero. I can't imagine life without him and these past three months have been impossibly hard to enjoy without him beside me. Hawaii is beautiful, but paradise simply isn't paradise if you're not sharing it with the person you love most.

“One of my philosophy professors lectured wildly about love once, yelling: “When you’re in love with someone, that person is the lighthouse of your universe.” (I scrawled it inside Science and Poetry in pencil—lighthouse of your universe—as if I would ever forget that phrase.) He was a delightful caricature of his position. I could swear he literally tore his hair out while howling at us. He went on, “Nothing means as much without that person.” One of the men in the class repeated, incredulous, half-laughing, “So you’re saying you can’t enjoy, like, a vacation, without someone if you’re really in love with them?” “Of course not.” the professor replied. “Not completely. You recognize beauty, but beauty means less if they don’t witness it with you. Beauty is less. You see something sublime and your first thought is that they should be there with you. It’s not as good without them. They illuminate. They make everything more.”

Jared, you make everything more and I can't wait to be reunited with you in 11 days. Thank you for always supporting me and loving me unconditionally. You are my favorite thing in life and make every day a dream. I love you!!

[russiantohawaii]

Last night I threw a "Halloween in Hawaii" costume party at Hale Ola. A large number of our non-US Mission Builders have never been to a Halloween party and I figured now was a good a time as ever to make it happen (and I also happen to love a good dance party). To be honest, I was nervous about how the evening was going to turn out. I wasn't sure that very many people would show up, let alone participate. Oh man, was I wrong! Not only did people dress up but they KILLED IT. I was blown away by the creativity, time and effort that people put into their costumes.

There's something about looking goofy and dancing like a fool to wall-shaking music that really brings people together. Throughout the night I felt a sense of camaraderie and friendship with the Mission Builders unlike I've felt since arriving here almost three months ago. Last night we were all one big, sweaty, costumed mass of arms and legs and voices, grooving to whatever I had in my iTunes library or could find on YouTube. It was more fun than I can put into words. Why don't we have dance parties every weekend?!

If you'd like to see all 100+ pictures that I took last night, check out my Google Drive folder here. The pictures will only be up for one week, so if you'd like to download and save some of your favorites you should do it now (:

[russiantohawaii]

Pictures #1 and #2: Grabbing my favorite meal on the island, an acai bowl from Basik, with my favorite roommate on the island, Ida.

Pictures #3-#6: Writing, blogging, drawing and resting my mind in what might be the most beautiful coffee shop I have ever been to. I love Daylight Mind and if you're ever in Kona, you absolutely must swing by.

Tomorrow my beautiful roommate leaves me to go back home to Denmark. I can't imagine a Kona without her and my heart hurts when I think of having to say goodbye. I don't know if or when I'll be able to see her again, but I am so grateful to have spent these precious three months living with her.

PS: Yesterday I woke up at the crack of dawn to go swimming with wild dolphins. No, seriously. It was unreal. I literally swam a few feet away from a pod of DOLPHINS. PINCH ME. I didn't get pictures because, alas, I don't have a waterproof camera... but hopefully someone that went with us got some pictures that I can snag.

PPS: I'm in the home stretch: 8 days until I leave Kona and 12 days until I step foot on that sweet, sweet Carolina soil. Woah.

[russiantohawaii]

Writing goodbye letters is pretty wild.

Sometimes you forget how amazing, inspiring and wonderful people are until you put it into writing. 

I leave Kona in 13 days.

[russiantohawaii]

An Afternoon at the Hilton

This is the grand stairway leading from the main lobby to the lagoon/pools/beach area. Stunning. I felt like Cleopatra!

One of the many creatures to be found at the Hilton: a sea turtle.

The guest-only pool that flows underneath the caves and has enough waterfalls and slides to keep a kid (or kid-at-heart) busy for hours.

"You can't take a bad picture at the Hilton. Everything's too beautiful."

There is a ridiculous amount of sculptures, painting and artwork at the resort. At every turn, there's something fascinating to look at or photograph. We were inspired and decided to become living art.

There were dolphins at the hotel. Although they were beautiful and fascinating, I couldn't help but feel terribly sorry for them. Bred in captivity and living in what is essentially a very large bathtub, these majestic creatures spend their lives swimming in circles and being used as props for human entertainment. It's a damn shame.

[russiantohawaii]

Mauka Meadows is a coffee farm/botanical garden located on the Kona Coffee Belt. Spread out over several acres of land, this beautiful patch of greenery is covered with every tropical flower, bush and tree you can imagine. It's so peaceful, quiet, and you can pick the fruit right off the trees to snack on as you walk! At the end of your walk you're greeted by several Mauka Meadows employees who offer you samples of honey and coffee. You can sit at the edge of their infinity pool, sip on freshly-brewed coffee and take in the sights and sounds of luxury. The best part? It's completely FREE!

After a stressful work week, I desperately needed to take a mini-vacation from the Mission Builder life. Our visit to Mauka Meadows was exactly what my soul needed. Happy Saturday!

[russiantohawaii]

A few days ago a handful of us walked to Queens Bath, a small beach located several miles from Hale Ola. It's a little plot of sand, lava rocks and ocean surrounded by multi-million dollar homes and is known for being a quiet retreat. I've been there several times and have only ran into a few locals there- I love it. There is one tree at Queens Bath that is the PERFECT spot to hang a hammock... or three! So we strung up our hammocks, watched the sun set and the Carnival cruise ship depart from our shores. It was a perfectly relaxing way to spend a Friday.

[anancientheart]

Patience child, patience. Remember, life is a journey. If you got everything you wanted all at once there’d be no point to living. Enjoy the ride, and in the end you’ll see these “set backs” as giant leaps forward, only you couldn’t see the bigger picture in the moment. Remain calm, all is within reach; all you have to do is show up everyday, stay true to your path and you will surely find the treasure you seek.

Jackson Kiddard