VISTA Hawaii Beginnings

I suppose moving to a new town where everything is unfamiliar does have advantages and disadvantages. Hawaii is pretty far away. this falls under both categories. i also have serious amounts of free time.
I feel like I left Coopersburg months ago. I don't think it has even been two weeks. The 18th I flew into LA for training. Summoning an air of confidence, while my guts rattled with airport food and nervousness, I made my way to the hotel. At the registration table I ran into Adam Stanley, Juniata '08 alum (VISTA Bakersfield, CA). This was only the first of many ridiculous coincidences which logically prove 'its a small world'. Everyone knows everyone and every other person I meet is from the east coast. Training was pleasant. Positive thinking, friendly new faces, and three solid meals a day can't be beat. Tuesday night, Luke and Jodie pulled up to the front door of the Crowne Plaza in their beat rental convertible with disheveled hair and a hungry look of days on the road in their eyes. I think we all realized that LA wasn't really our scene but we were all glad to be there. The volunteers headed to Hawaii quickly formed an exclusive club. In the back of our minds, "The poverty line on a mid-Pacific island rarely sees the mainland." Thursday night we all flew into Honolulu where we were greeted warmly with leis, hugs, and a ride to a nearby dorm for the night. Then more training on Friday morning. I should clarify. They gave us a giant three ring binder full of helpful information. And then training was over. Those 3 1/2 structured days and hours in the confines of hotel conference rooms drifted through my mind. I awoke in a Starbucks parking lot in Ewa Beach, HI. In a few short days everything changed. It was all so familiar, yet I was consciously out of place. Arrive in a strange town. Jet lag and baggage, literally, weighing you down. You become acutely aware of the physical space which you occupy. Not only are you desperately trying not to knock over tables with that bulky rolling suitcase, but the unknown makes even your muscle and bone uncomfortable. Keeping an eye on the sum total of my worldly possessions, sitting with my back against the wall, trying to sip an iced coffee slowly, burning under the shifting sun, I wished I were just a big dude. No one messes with a big dude.
Luckily, the people I have met in Hawaii are incredibly friendly and helpful. At this point, just about everyone I meet makes the transition exponentially easier. I've found a place to live in Makaha. The beach is across the street and the mountains are out my back door. Thinking about it now, there isn't really anywhere on the island where this isn't true, but I'd like to think I got a pretty good deal. I've started work at Nanakuli Elementary School. Tomorrow is day four. Still kind of unclear, but I'm sure it will all begin to make some kind of sense. There is a lot I would like to say about the school and about the area and about my impressions of Hawaii in general, but, another time. Aloha.