I Finally Have a Home!

It's not much, but I found an apartment.  I'm about twenty minutes from everything on the island except school--that's about a 35 minute walk.  Waikiki, a big shopping center called Ala Moana Center, and even Wal-Mart are only about twenty minutes away (in different directions, of course).  My walk to school is a little long, but the weather is nice and I'm walking on flat ground for the majority of the trek.  I finished my first duty week as a grad assistant.  The shop here is very different right down to the kind of lumber we get.  There is a full-time shop foreman-type person who also TDs some of the shows and then there's David who is (I think) the actual Tech Director.  I think the biggest difference between the two is that Gerry, the foreman, is the staff TD, and David is the faculty TD.

So far things have been difficult and expensive, but I'm having fun and I think I will really like it here.  It looks like I am going to have enough freedom and time to get my MFA and an MA in Asian Studies.  One of my teachers encouraged me to pursue both--it's like a two-for-one deal.

Friends and loved ones:  if I haven't contacted you personally via email, please don't feel ignored.  I've been pretty busy and I only managed to get one or two emails out before I left for the island last week.  I miss my friends and family a lot!  And, maybe surprisingly, I miss the mainland.  For all its beauty, Hawaii is definitely not home.  At least, not yet.  (Don't panic, mom, I'm not staying here forever...I'd miss your cooking too much!)

I'll post pics of my place ASAP, and I'll try to be in touch as often as I can.  Wish me luck; Monday is the first actual day of classes.