We arrived Thursday night and Friday morning Garrett was excited to go to the BYU-H orientation and get settled in his dorm. With help with Mom's gps, we learned that the "Hukilau Cafe" used for part of the filming of Adam Sandler's "50 First Dates" was just a few blocks from the school. I was more than excited because I really like that movie, so took lots of pictures of the outside and the food. Whatever they served I would sware was authentic Hawaiin fare, because we could have spam and eggs, vienna sausage and eggs, macaroni salad and eggs, etc.
Of course even better than the Hukilau were the Laie Temple grounds. We were up early Friday morning due to time clock settings, so we walked around the grounds and made plans to go to a session. We saw students and locals coming and going.
This lovely student started the orientation by teaching a hula dance. Most of the freshman stood and just stared at her and didn't dance at all, and at the end she said "good job guys" with enthusiasm. There are about 500 - 700 entering freshman. Garrett says most are returned missionaries and many married couples. I was so proud of Garrett for jumping right into the social scene and making friends the first day. After talking with him on skype tonight, he is happy to have friends from so many different countries. The beautiful girls from Sweden and Russia also helped ease the transition. We joked that he is a "mini UN". He is assigned to Hale 4 (pronounced Hahlle) So the dorms are pretty ghetto with no air conditioning, but who cares? You're in Hawaii. His RA met us with a broken nose from a surfing accident (so he said), and all the RA's looked a little rough at first. I also worried when some jerky guys from Southern California back from a golf trip said some jerky things to Garrett. I didn't need to worry long because he is meeting the people that are like him and appreciate him for who he is. The food is cooked by Asian cooks, and Garrett says he has rice and asian food daily, with not much choice in food. Mom and I tried the food and it was not so great. Fortunately he has a good salad bar with fresh fruit. 
1 comment:
Great job, Melecia! Thanks for posting. You got some beautiful pictures, for sure, Mrs. Camera Expert! I LOVE them! I think the one of the moon is really spectacular.
Going on this trip with you (and Garrett) was incredibly special for me. I loved spending all the time with you - - -laughing lots, talking, going to the Temple, driving "our" convertible, sharing experiences - - oh, and watching you text! :) I will be forever grateful for the time we had together, just Mom and daughter. Thanks so much. I love you forever and always.
Mom
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