Fresh Perspectives

Rain isn't always bad, right? I can certainly think of several instances in which rain is actually preferred to clear skies.  A light shower to clear out some of the harsh pollen during allergy season.  An afternoon thunderstorm to cool off some of that Carolina humidity. Or even just a steady rain during a much needed nap?  Some people even pay money, for cryin' out loud, simply to have the sounds of rain playing on a machine while they sleep at night.

So...how can you be sick of rain, you ask?  Well....you've obviously never been to Hilo.  Two weeks ago I experienced a Hawaiian flood.  It rained 48 inches in 3 days.  Roads were completely washed away.  Grassy areas turned into ponds and streets became rushing rivers.  The serene waterfalls (like the one shown above - Rainbow Falls) were no longer calming to the onlooker.  The vast amounts of rain Hilo received turned them into deathly torrents.  (You can see how the mist rose as high as the falls.) 

School was canceled due to impassable roadways, but even a day off couldn't be enjoyed.  I watched the waters rise and rise, thinking, "Wow....I'm going to have to start building an ark if this rain keeps up." Finally, it stopped...after nearly 2 weeks of steady rain.  Not intermittent showers...steady, hard, downpours...for hours on end.

As for now, we're back to sunny skies and warm temperatures.  I woke early this morning and reminded myself how lucky I am to be living in Hawaii where my surroundings are undoubtably beautiful. B-E-A-utiful.

Until next time....Aloha!

Posted by Kendall at 03:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Aloha future Gamecocks and all other readers of this blog.  I want to officially apologize for not having written in two weeks.  Believe me…it hasn’t been because nothing interesting has happened.  Oh no, I have survived a flood, some serious schoolwork, and a trip to Oahu.  So stay tuned for more of my Hawaiian adventures; I promise to update in the next day or two.

Until next time…Aloha!

Posted by Kendall at 11:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Remember back in the day (which was definitely a Wednesday, by the way) when your parents constantly hounded you about eating your fruits and vegetables? 

“No dessert until you finish that broccoli, Johnny.”  “If you wanna grow big and strong, Sally, you’ll eat more fruits and vegetables.”  “C’mon, Billy, eat some salad…it’s good for you.”

Yeah, that got old for most of us.  (Now…I have to admit, I actually like apples and bananas, broccoli and cauliflower!  I know…weirdo…so I’ll be speaking for my friends in this one.)  But yeah, I know a few people who began their rebelliousness by refusing to ‘eat the green stuff’.

None of that in Hawaii, I assure you!  Every day of the week (but especially on Saturdays and Wednesdays) the Market is swarming in downtown Hilo.  Farmers come from all over the island to sell their yummy goodies.  It’s a weekly adventure!  Now coming from South Carolina, I expected the usual stuff….corn, potatoes, beans, apples, oranges, etc.  But I was not ready for what I found!

Breadfruit, rambuton, lilikoi, star fruit, guava, durian, mangosteen, dragon fruit….the list could go on forever!  At first I was skeptical…these HAVE to be made up.  But nope, they’re the real thing.  And I’ve had fun trying each and every one of them. 

All of it adds to the cultural experience.  Who would have thought I’d come to Hawaii and add to my fruit vocabulary, ya know?  It’s the little things…like eating apple bananas (not apples or bananas, but apple bananas) or white pineapple…that I’ll remember forever.  I can’t stress enough how important it is to study abroad during your college career.  I wouldn’t trade this experience for the world.

Off to the market….6 papayas for $1.  Not bad!

Until next time…Aloha!

Posted by Kendall at 06:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Alright, let’s get down to a little business.  I’ve had a few questions lately, so this post will answer 2 of them!

1)  How am I able to be a USC student, but spend a year studying (and playing) in Hawaii?

This one’s easy…the National Student Exchange program.  Instead of recapping all the nitty gritty about NSE though, I’ll redirect you to a previous blog post.  On the right hand side of the page, you can access the old archives from previous months and years.  Click on January 2007 and read the entry entitled ‘Exchange Me’.  If you’d like a bit more info, you can always go to http://www.sa.sc.edu/nse/.

2)  Freshmen dorms?  Which ones are the best?

This question’s a little tougher, since it’s opinion based, but you’ve been putting up with mine all year, so I suppose a little more won’t hurt!  Now, guys, I’m sure you all would love to be assigned a room in Patterson.  And girls, you’re probably ready to skip the dorms and start decorating your own house.  Too bad boys – Patterson is a women’s dorm.  And sorry girls – mommy and daddy probably aren’t ready to throw out the big bucks for a house just yet.

So…that takes us back to where we began.  Which freshman dorms (in my opinion) are the best?  Well let’s start with the 11 University Freshman Centers at USC and narrow it down from there.  All of these dorms are designed for increased social interaction and assistance with a smooth transition into college.

The first thing you need to decide is whether you’d rather live in a co-ed or all male/female dorm.  (I know what you’re thinking…. “co-ed, duh!”)  But really, give it some deep thought; living in a one gender dorm really allows you to connect with the guys or girls you’re living with.  Annnnd, I’d say there’ll probably be less distractions come study time!

Let’s break it down into my top 3 choices: 

1. Capstone 
   Co-ed.  Suite style.  Large rooms (in comparison to other dorms).  Dining Hall on the bottom floor. Close to most freshman classes.  Home to the Capstone Scholars program (therefore, this is where almost all Freshman Capstone Scholars live.)  What more could you ask for?!  (Alright, alright…maybe I’m being somewhat biased, but really Capstone’s great! It’s where I spent my Freshman year.)
2. Columbia Hall
   Very similar to Capstone – co-ed, suite style rooms, and close to where the majority of your freshman classes will be held.  And again, there’s a dining hall right next door in Capstone.
3. Patterson Hall
   This is where the majority of freshman women reside on campus.  So, future female Gamecocks, this is my pick for the all women’s dorm.  (One nice feature to Patterson is the ‘health conscious’ dining hall on the bottom floor…say bye-bye to the Freshman 15!)

Okay, so there you have it!  My top 3 choices for freshman dorms.  You can also find out more information on the University’s website at:  

http://www.housing.sc.edu/virtualtour/freshman_centers_index.html

Hope this helps a few of you out there.  Keep your questions coming and I’ll do my best to point you in the right direction.

Until next time…aloha!

Posted by Kendall at 12:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Blue skies. Warm sunshine. 82 degrees Fahrenheit.  Jealous yet?

Now, don’t think I’m not keeping up with what’s going on over there in South Carolina.  Oh no, just because I’m on a rock in the middle of the Pacific does not mean I’m completely isolated from current events.  I’ve been hearing all about Mother Nature’s attempt to snow and the frigid temperatures y’all’ve been experiencing for the past week. (I’m aware this is completely off topic but don’t you just love how Southerners have the liberty to combine ‘you’ ‘all’ and ‘have’ into one long conjunction!  That’s one of the benefits of being from the south – the freedom to twang, twist, and lengthen just about any word in the English language.)

But back to my point – that ‘rock in the middle of the Pacific’ I spoke of above. 

When I think of rocks, two specific things immediately come to mind.  One – 8^th grade science class where we spent a month learning to distinguish between different kinds of rocks (i.e. limestone vs. sandstone or marble vs. slate).  And Two – Rocky Balboa (“Yo, Adrian. It’s me, Rocky”)  Now, I’m not too fond of either of these memories, and so I usually shy away from rocks, unless they come in the form of crazy front men, loud drums, and some pretty insane guitar solos. (Of course I’m referring to my beloved Rock and Roll music!)

However, there is one rock I’m now completely fanatical about….THE BIG ISLAND!  Since August, I’ve had the pleasure of residing in Hilo and have gotten pretty familiar with the entire island.  It’s so diverse – really, it blows my mind.  Hilo is a rainforest. Waimea is home to ranches with horses and cattle.  The southeast tip of the island looks eerily similar to the coast of Scotland.  The area surrounding Kona looks like the surface of the moon, or a bunch of dried up lava rocks (whichever you prefer).  Speaking of lava, it is currently streaming into the ocean near the Puna district, and Mauna Kea, which translates to ‘white mountain’ in English, has snow-capped mountains on it’s almost 14,000 ft. summit for nearly half the year.  How is this possible?  One small island with 12 different climate zones.  Amazing!

I hope I don’t sound like a travel brochure, but really, you have got to see this.  New York City, Florida beaches….they can all wait until next year.  The Big Island of Hawaii is truly a remarkable sight.  And I am honored to be able to experience a whole year of its wonder!

Until next time…Aloha! 

Mauna Kea from Hilo Bay

Posted by Kendall at 02:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

With 6 classes, 19 hours, and 2 writing intensive courses this semester, it will be a miracle if I last till May.  It’s been one full week of classes and I’m already swamped with homework.  I was venting to a friend yesterday about how stressed I am and she said to me, “Have you not heard the rule?”

Rule, I thought?  I’m not aware of any college stress rules, are you? 

“You’re not allowed to get stressed out until the SECOND week of classes,” she said “duh!”  Her humor made me fell a bit better and I think I’ll even take her advice for the meantime.  But, um, check with me again in 7 days!

You know, at one time in my life, like most of us I think, I couldn’t wait to grow up.  But at times like these, I’m realizing I’d much rather be a naïve 6 year old back in first grade getting gold stars for good behavior each day.  Life was so much simpler back then, eh? 

No accounting textbooks that cost $160, no writing a short story for an hour off the top of your head on the first day of class, and certainly no final exams consisting of a 20 page report and a 2 hour written test.  Man, Neverland is looking better and better these days!  You know, “second star to the right, and straight on till morning”, Peter Pan’s home, the place where kids never grow up.  Too bad fairy tales aren’t real.

Anyway, enough complaining and daydreaming for now.  I’m off to do a little work (yes…on a Saturday morning).  I’ve decided there will be NO procrastinating this semester.  It’s gunna take all I got just to keep up, so I’ll be doomed if I get behind.

Look for a post coming up soon on Freshman Housing, in response to a question I recently received.  Have a great weekend all you Future Gamecocks!

Until next time…Aloha!

Posted by Kendall at 04:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

About a week before Christmas break, I was asked the question, “What are some things incoming freshmen students need to know to be successful during their first year of college?”

I pondered this question for a few days and then got wrapped up in the holiday cheer, but no worries, I’m finally ready with an answer (a month later).

A’hem (throat clearing)…in order to evolve into a prosperous individual during the course of your college career…

OKAY, OKAY.  Let’s cut out all that fancy-shmancy talk!  Succeeding in college isn’t impossible, or even difficult really.  There’s no need for a huge introduction.  No ‘How To’ manual or even a clear cut checklist to follow.  Most of the things you need to know/do to succeed your first year in college are common sense when you think about it. 

Now, I realize that ‘thinking’ and ‘common sense’ may be hard for a few freshmen, especially the ones with the ‘WHOOOO….freedom to do whatever I want so let’s party all the time and never study’ mentality. Yeah…bad idea!  Not only will you not succeed with this mind frame, you’ll probably fail out of school and end up back in the ole parental unit’s household again.  So…to assure you that doesn’t happen, I’ve narrowed my ‘College Success Rant’ down to 2 main instructions.  The first addresses academic success and the second, social. 

ONE:  Go to class.  If you never open a book or do any homework (which I don’t recommend) you will at least be somewhat knowledgeable of the material by simply being present during lectures, class discussions, etc.   Also, attendance is often times a percentage of your grade in a course, so what easier way to start off with higher than a 0% than showing up, right?  And for all you beauty queens complaining you didn’t get enough beauty rest the night before – remember - there’s no dress code in college, so even if you’re rockin’ the Tweety bird slippers and Barbie night gown, at least you’re there.

TWO:  Get involved.  This will ensure happiness during your college years.  There are hundreds of opportunities to have fun and make friends at school.  Whether you join a Greek organization, intramural sports team, academic club, community service crew (you get the point), there’s something for everyone to find.  But YOU have to take the initiative to get out there and get involved around campus.  I promise, doing so will not disappoint!  By getting involved, you create for yourself an avenue to meet people, develop lasting relationships, and unforgettable memories.

So, there…you have it!  I hope my two easy rules will help a few college freshmen along the way!  Any other questions regarding the freshman experience or life at USC are completely welcome!

Until next time….Aloha!

Posted by Kendall at 09:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)