Experience an explosive, one-of-a-kind experience through the eyes of Middle School Service Hawai’i student Ezra!
Today, we woke up to our leaders yelling that we were going to chase a volcanic eruption! For anyone who doesn’t know, Pele is the Hawaiian goddess of volcanoes and fire, so we were extra excited to see her power up close.
We made it there just in time — not too long before it stopped. It was about a two-hour drive each way, and we definitely all have some stories from that ride to bring home. We were all desperately trying to get our songs played on the shared aux cord on the drive.
After watching lava spew out of the caldera, we made our way another two hours to a farm that grows many, many fruits—which my parents will be happy to hear I actually ate! There was also an adorable dog named Muffin, which was one of my personal highlights of the day.
On the 30-minute ride back, I managed to sneak into the other car, which was much calmer (not surprising, considering it had five fewer people in it). To end our day and our stay in Waimea, we went to a Hawaiian BBQ spot where we said our final goodbye to Auntie Kehau while we devoured our first non–dining hall dinner of the trip.
Overall, our stay in Waimea was really fulfilling and interesting. We got to learn about the land and the food systems that ancient Hawaiians used in this area, like Puanui, and about how strong the winds are in Waimea. I am very much looking forward to the rest of the trip!
From,
Ezra
To learn more about our Middle School Service Hawai’i program, click here!
