Big Changes

Saturday morning I kicked a bum off our front steps. I woke at 8 a.m. after six hours of sleep to a text from Retha saying we had to work after all, even though we thought we had the day off and could go on this hike with our friends. As I slowly gained consciousness, I encountered the unpleasant smell of cigarette smoke pouring into our room. I looked out the window to find a guy smoking and drinking a beer and coughing on our stoop. So I got up, flung the door open, and said, "Excuse me, could you please NOT sit on our stoop?" He looked pretty startled, since I doubt he realized somone lived in the shack where he likes to chill after a sleepless Friday night. Don't mess with me in the morning.

It feels like things are changing a lot, but at the same time, not much has "happened." We have this rutted routine and as far as news goes, I've got hardly any. I'll try.

David is back. But not sure if he's going to stay.

Isaac is leaving at the end of July and Micah in early August, I think. I don't like to think about it...I've gotten so close to Isaac especially and I'm going to miss him so much. He is moving to Seattle, so at least I might be able to see him when I go to Portland for Christmas.

So we've all been trying to hang out as much as possible while we still can:

-We went on this intense bike ride, uphill for a couple miles, then around Makawao, this town upcountry, then downhill for like five miles, then through a sugar cane field, then along the ocean. I am so pathetically out of shape. Isaac is a crazy ball of energy and sometimes doesn't realize others aren't quite up to the same level of activity.

-Thursday Micah brough a cheramoya for us all to try--this really sweet fruit that turns out to be the same thing as a custard apple in Kenya. Then at night a bunch of us went to Black Rock, a lava rock that juts out into the ocean and is fun to jump off. I can't get enough of the outdoor stuff you can do here, day or night.

-Friday Isaac came up to Paia and we were going to explore that really old haunted sugar mill we tried to go to with Brook a long time ago (but that time there were people there already and we got scared). On our way, we stopped at this Bon Festival at the Buddhist temple. It seemed to be a big thing and we were curious. Turns out it's a celebration in honor of the dead and it goes on every weekend all summer. There was cool dancing and music and food. We ran into Brook, and he came with us to the mill. Which was awesome! Pitch black cane fields, old crumbled walls, vines and massive trees taking over everything. We climbed stuff and freaked each other out. I love that kind of adventure. We hung out at our place afterwards and talked and played guitar and discovered it's hilarious to throw things into the ceiling fan and watch them shoot out.

-Last night Sarah came over and we had a girls night. Walked to the beach; made chocolate chip pancakes and no-bake cookies; went to the Bon Festival again with Sarina, the 15-year old daughter of one of our Paia work-trade friends; watched P.S. I Love You.

I guess the biggest news is that Jeanie and I talked and realized we were both thinking about leaving Maui sooner than planned. I know she's been antsy for a while, and though I don't feel exactly the same way, I do feel more of a pull to leave than to stay. My hopes for my time in Maui have been overwhelmingly exceeded already, and I can't see the point of staying another year just to follow this same unmotivating routine when there's so much more I want to do. Getting close to people who are picking up and leaving to pursue their dreams has encouraged me to think seriously about what I really want for my future. So right now the plan is to leave in December instead of next summer, which means we'll have been here for a year, nothing to be ashamed of. Jeanie wants to go back to school for nursing. I'd still apply for grad school, then do some kind of overseas volunteer/work thing (in Africa?) until school started, provided I got in and still wanted to go. I'm excited to think of the endless options I have, but I know the stress of trying to choose the "right" thing lies ahead of me. If anyone has any ideas for me, let me know!