Once in a lifetime

Aloha everyone! O’ Reeve Warner kou inoea. I’m from Calgary Alberta Canada. I’m currently writing this to you as I sit beneath the stars in Volcanoes National Park. We just got back from seeing the red glow of a volcano with people who were once strangers, who are now the people I would consider my family. I graduated from high school in 2021 in the middle of a pandemic. I felt extremely lost after high school and wondered if I had made the right decision by deciding to work and save for this experience. Let me be the first to say if you are considering taking a gap year to do this program, it is 100% worth it. I knew I wasn't ready for post secondary, I wanted to see the world up close and personal. Pacific Discovery has provided me with a once in a lifetime opportunity. We have already learned so much and it’s only the second week of this amazing experience.

To start, we all met very late at night in the Hilo airport. Everyone got off the plane very tired, but more than excited to start our program. We all come from different backgrounds, as well as from all around the globe,  from India, to the US, to Canada. First week we spent our time in a beautiful cottage in Pahala known as the Plantation cottages. We started the week with games that allowed us to get to know one another and put our guards down.

By day three we were already saying, “I can’t believe we’ve only known each other for three days, you guys are my best friends.” I’m lucky enough to be surrounded by people who I trust and feel validated around. We are all helping each other push our comfort zones whether it’s swimming in the ocean, having to share a room with other people, or getting dirty during community projects. We have worked as a team to get through our rough times and work through our stretch zone area. Liz and Tom, our instructors, are two of the kindest people I have ever met in my entire life. They make us all feel safe and have taught us a lot.

Week one had a lot of incredible moments. Within the first days of orientation we had seen and experienced a lot. We went to Punalu’u black sand beach nearby where we listened to music, relaxed and truly got to know each other. We also were lucky enough to hike to Mahana also known as green sands beach. While we were swimming around in the crystal clear water we got to see a turtle, truly a surreal experience. We hiked across a lava field and stumbled across a crack in the earth where we were able to swim.

The Hawaii program also revolves around traditional Hawaiian practices. We’ve got to see how leis are made, listen to Hawaiian music, build an imu meal, learn the language and work on a macadamia nut farm. The people of Hawaii taught us how to respect the land and to never take anything for granted. We have experienced things that we wouldn’t have been to otherwise. On week two we headed to Volcano National Park, we walked through lava tubes and got to see the lava glowing at night. We’ve seen things we’ve read about in books. This is truly once in a lifetime. I can't express it enough. The gratitude I feel towards the people on this trip and things we have been able to see is infinite.