Well, my blogging lapsed once again--I hope everyone has been able to cope effectively.
My time the last two months has primarily gone toward two activities: surfing & teaching ESL.
I bought a longboard (a big surfboard, better for beginners) in December and started surfing almost everyday, and then I bought a shortboard (smaller, harder, but better for turning and getting street cred) in early March. I go everyday now that the waves on the South Shore have picked up, and I've been quite happy with how quickly I've improved. A picture of me surfing does exist on my friend's camera, and I'll get it up on here at some point.
As for ESL, the non-profit increased my hours a couple months back, which was great because my restaurant hours went to 0 around the same time. As much as I liked restaurant work, I'm loving having my evenings free. I don't think there's any more beautiful view in Hawaii than watching a sunset from the water on a surfboard. I also reffed little kids flag football for a month or two, which was a fun way to make a few bucks. It also got me traveling to various parts of the greater Honolulu area that I probably wouldn't have made it to otherwise.
In addition to teaching ESL, the non-profit is also trying to start up computer literacy classes, and I've been chosen to teach the first test term. Starting next Tuesday, I'll be teaching a four-class session at one of the housing projects on the west side of Honolulu. In some ways I'm almost more excited to teach computer literacy than ESL, in large part because I won't have to struggle to come up with interesting subject matter.
Though I do really enjoy life in Hawaii, I'm actually going to be leaving at the end of the month. I have a flight back to LA on April 28th and will be spending a couple of weeks there and in Claremont (where Pomona is). After Pomona's graduation, I'll be driving to Colorado with a friend, and then from there make it back to Connecticut somehow, possibly with the help of one or both parental units.
I'll be in Connecticut for at least the summer, but the future after that is largely a question mark. At this point, I think it's most likely that I'll teach ESL abroad for a year in Taiwan, but who knows. I've also applied for the Peace Corps and they seem to like me, but I'm not sure if I like them enough.
