Hey, everyone! It has been a while. I’ve now returned back to the mainland, after 15 months away. I wanted to do a write-up offering some glimpses into my time in Maui. There’s much to cover after almost three months on the island. How to condense it into one blog post? I’ll do my best.

Return to America

After a long flight from Thailand to South Korea, South Korea to Honolulu, and finally Honolulu to Maui, I arrived at Howzit Hostel, where I would be staying for about three months. I didn’t know what to expect. I had never done a work exchange at a hostel before, although I’d heard of them. Many moons ago, when I first came to Hawai’i, I stayed at a hostel on the Big Island. I spoke with the volunteers there, who told me about their experience. I’d always kept it in mind, knowing they were able to work at the hostel in exchange for a free bed.

Back in November, in Vang Vieng, Laos, I was in a frenzy trying to figure out what next steps would look like post-Asia. There were so many options. Should I work in Alaska? Try to get a job in Maui? Should I apply for an English-teaching position in South Korea or China? Apply for jobs in the industry I used to work in, in California, New York, and Chicago? I did pretty much all these things. One of the hostel owners at a company in Maui reached out to me.

Keep in mind, over the years, I’d emailed hostels on the Big Island on multiple occasions, trying to secure a work/exchange. I’d never heard back from them. Well, Zac from Howzit got back to me and told me they weren’t hiring paid positions, but that they were always onboarding volunteers. He told me to apply through Worldpackers. Now, Worldpackers is like a $60 annual subscription, so I was hesitant to bite the bullet. Butttt, after consideration, I decided to go for it. That was, after all, basically one night in a Hawaiian hostel. I may as well try it. I saw two of the Big Island hostels on there as well, and also applied to those. I ended up hearing from all three options, and interviewed with two. In the end, it was between the Big Island hostel I’d stayed at back in 2019, and the hostel in Maui. I was feeling torn. I knew the Big Island hostel was steps away from the beach… but Maui ended up winning, due to it being whale season. Maui is THE place to be for whales. Although, it would have been cool to be near the volcano!

After many hours on a plane, I’d arrived in Maui. I took an Uber to the hostel, located in Wailuku. It was… not by the ocean. I rang the doorbell and was buzzed inside. I was greeted by Zollo and Matias. After explaining I was a new volunteer, Zollo called Zac, who came down to greet me and show me around.

The common area in the hostel was huge and so much nicer than majority of the hostels I’d stayed at in Asia – even in New Zealand and Australia for that matter.

Once Zac had showed me around, he called Taryn over to show me the volunteer house. All I wanted to do was sleep, considering I’d had such a long flight. Taryn showed me around and introduced me to some others who were hanging around the common area. My first thought of the place was… messy. It could have been a lot more tidy.

Due to some move-arounds, I didn’t have a bed until nighttime, which sucked. Instead, I spent the day hanging around the common areas, chatting with the other volunteers. I was nervous. I was older and I hadn’t yet figured out everyone’s vibe. Was everyone partying all the time? Was I going to fit in? I told myself I was going to be here for three months – I needed to hunker down and assimilate myself into the situation as soon as possible. So, I tried talking with pretty much everyone that first day. It was overwhelming, but I think necessary. I was happy to know there were a few Latinos in the house – Matias, Sebastian, Nerea, Rita, and Gime. Cool, I’d be able to practice Spanish!

That night, the group had a little hang-session on the lanai. Emma, the assistant general manager, even came by. Everyone was talking, laughing, and having a good time. I also connected with Xavier, a volunteer, and Luke, one of the staff members, regarding snorkeling. We made plans to go out on a snorkel adventure. I felt more comfortable as the first day came to a close.

The next morning, I didn’t have anything planned. Rita and Daimy invited me to join them on a beach day – they were taking the bus down to Lahaina, to a spot called Baby Beach. Deciding to go with the flow, I joined them. The three of us chatted on the bus ride, and then laid out in the sun. On my first full day in Maui, I was able to see an endangered Hawaiian monk seal resting on the beach, a humpback breaching multiple times close-ish to shore, and a turtle popping its head up from the water. It felt like the perfect introduction to my extended stay on Maui. This is why I was here.

Freediving

Maybe a week later, I joined Xavier and Luke on a snorkeling adventure. We went to Baby Beach as well. On the drive, Luke had us all practice breathing exercises. He was into freediving, which is dunking beneath the surface and diving down to get a better look at wildlife. Some people get so good at holding their breath, they’re able to stay down for multiple minutes. For me..? Geez, it must have been five seconds to start.

We arrived at Baby Beach and geared up. Luke explained it was one of his favorite spots for snorkeling around the island. I had been pretty spoiled with my underwater scuba adventures in Asia and, to be honest, had gotten a little bored with snorkeling. Hovering at the surface was not at all the same as being immersed underwater. But then… freediving was the perfect mix of the two. And the bonus was being able to hear the whales singing underwater.

First step is to dive down. As you’re diving, you have to plug your nose and blow out your ears to “equalize”. Once equalized, you’re able to hear the whales singing. Although, sometimes they’re so loud you can even hear them just below the surface without equalizing. That day was amazing. I was able to see so many turtles, a couple of white-tip reef sharks, and a spotted eagle ray. I couldn’t believe how good of a snorkeling spot it was. Luke explained “at the end, there’s a turtle-cleaning station. They come to get the algae cleaned off their shells. And it’s also a white-tip reef shark breeding station, so they’re pretty much always here.”

We left, and I told Luke and Xavier, “I feel like a kid again.”

During my time in Maui, I went on tons of snorkeling/freediving adventures at many different spots. I learned to hold my breath a little longer, and saw many cool critters. I saw octopus on multiple occasions, eagle rays swimming in pairs, in trios, and once in a quad. I was able to dive down right next to the white-tipped reef sharks, where they rested on the sandy bottom or at the most swam away calmly. I saw a grey shark once, eels, and tons of fish, including the Hawaiian state fish: the humuhumunukunukuapua’a. Of all the sightings, my favorite were the reef sharks. I’d seen them in passing before, but usually they were very brief encounters, and always felt pretty lucky. In Maui, I was able to observe them and really fall in love with them. On my penultimate snorkeling session, I saw a pregnant reef shark. And my final session, I saw a baby.

Throughout my time in Maui, despite other cool snorkeling spots, Baby Beach remained my favorite. It was the first and last beach I went to, the first and last snorkeling spot I went to, and the first and last place I saw a whale breaching.

A Future in Maui

Because my future was in flux, I was planning for a couple of potential options. I had reached out to a few whale-watching companies before arriving and had a quasi-interview with one of them lined up. “You’re not coming back,” my brother Dan said to me.

Part of me had my fingers crossed that a paid position would open up at the hostel. Zac had alluded to a position being available around June, but the details weren’t totally clear.

The day before my whale-watching meeting, I got an email from my former boss back in Chicago, informing me a role had opened up that she felt I would be a good fit for. After my meeting, I was feeling torn. Working on a whale-watching boat had been my dream for years. It hadn’t worked out in Australia or New Zealand, but now I had the opportunity… but I would have to wait until I could work full time, after my volunteer commitment was over. And by then, the whales would have fled back to Alaska, which meant I’d be waiting until November for them to come back.

For a couple of days, I was experiencing a lot of unrest, trying to weigh my two options. To make pennies, but living in the beautiful island of Maui… or to make good money, living back home in Chicago.

What would I do? It felt like a major fork in the road

In the end, I decided on Chicago. It felt like the right choice. I’d been missing my family, my friends back home. The offer was too good to pass up. And after all, Maui would always be temporary. Despite my love for the island, I couldn’t picture myself there long term. So, I would make the most of it while I could.

There are three paid positions that will be opening at Howzit in the next month or so. Timing is so funny that way. Had I not had the offer from my old employer, I likely would have gotten hired and lived in Maui for the foreseeable future. I think that will always be a “what if” for me. But even so, I am so grateful for the time I’d had there.

Whale Watching

Because the whales were a major part of my decision to come to Maui, I tried to see them as much as I could. Early on, I was able to see them constantly any time I was at the beach. But I went on a few whale watching tours, too. The first was one week in. A whale breached pretty close to our boat, but otherwise it was a pretty typical tour – chasing dorsal fins and flukes.

I went on four whale watching tours in Maui. Two with Makai Adventures, one with Ultimate Whale Watch, and one with Pac Whale. I actually wish I’d gone on more, but the price adds up!

Some of my favorite moments, though, weren’t even on whale watching tours.

Nerea, Xavier, Taryn, Morgan, and I rented kayaks for two hours before sunset. Our hope was to see some whales up close. By this point, it was already mid March, and many of the whales had started leaving Maui. For the first hour, we only saw a blowhole or two off in the distance.

But then… there was one very close to Taryn and Morgan. Nerea and I paddled over to them and before long, there was a whale RIGHT next to their kayak. It was so close and such an intimate experience. Even though I’d been on zodiac boats before, very low to the water, seeing them in a kayak was a completely different perspective. They truly looked massive. I couldn’t believe the size of the fluke as it dipped into the water. It was magical. I was screaming with delight. Taryn and Nerea tried to shush me, but I said, “the whale doesn’t care!!” In fact, whales tend to be attracted to excited humans. Back in Hervey Bay, Australia, the naturalists instructed us to cheer for the whales and call out to them – the whales would in turn be curious and come to check us out. And they did!

Probably my #1 whale experience was in the most unexpected way. Britany had a +1 on her snorkel tour to Molokini Crater, a spot I’d been dying to get to, but thought was a little too expensive. Conor had responded to Britany’s text in the group chat first, so his spot was secured. I responded saying I’d love to be a back-up. Well, Conor made my day when, the night before, he said to me, “you can go, tomorrow. There’s no way I’m wakin’ up that early.”

The tour was scheduled during a minor break in the rains that I’ll talk about in a few sections. That morning, I woke up at 5.30am and was very discouraged to find that… yeah, it was raining again. Damn it. Britany and I drove down to Kihei and boarded the boat. Unfortunately, a snorkel visit to Turtle Town was cancelled, but we would still try to head to Molokini. The rains had stopped, albeit briefly. We went for a snorkel in the crystal-clear waters of Molokini and then were called back to the boat. A storm front was brewing in and so we slowly made our way back to shore. But on the way… we were given one of the best whale breaching experiences I’d ever seen. A momma and baby were breaching over and over, not too far from us. But then they just kept getting closer and closer. I was screaming, “oh, my God!” over and over, then apologizing to the other guests. But most of them were amused by my excitement, I think. The whales passed by our boat and must have been twenty feet away from us, fully breaching out of the water. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I tried to film it with my camera but because I was watching it through my eyes and not the camera… it wasn’t the best footage. I didn’t care – it was something I wanted to observe, not record.

The breaching just went on, and on, and on. It was incredible.

There was one more really special breaching experience, on my last whale watching tour in Maui. I went with Mo, one of the newer volunteers. He’d never seen a whale before, and boy did he bring the luck that day. While we saw a number of different whales, including one repeatedly slapping its fluke, the most notable of the day was a baby humpback repeatedly breaching, very close to the boat. It was really special.

Whales, whales, whales. I love them so.

As time went on, the concentration of whales dwindled. Where before, we would see them all the time, suddenly we were lucky to see one off in the distance. For a long time, we were still able to hear them singing while freediving. But then even that stopped. I couldn’t believe it when, as mentioned before, my final beach day, I was able to hear them underwater and even saw one breaching a few times along the horizon.

Regina HQ

One thing I haven’t yet touched on is the connections I’d formed with the other volunteers. To start, it was: Ava, Taryn, Morgan, Gime, Evan, Daimy, Victoria, Britany, Cole, Conor, Nerea, Rita, Zollo, Xavier, Matias, Sebastian, and me. Later, we had Nick, Haizea, Alice, Kate, Kaan, McKenna, Jenny, Brayden, Cinthia, Mo. And then, as my entire group had left, there were many others that I didn’t really get the chance to know. There were a lot of us.

But for a time, it was just this group: Taryn, Morgan, Nick, Daimy, Victoria, Britany, Cole, Conor, Nerea, Rita, Zollo, Haizea, Alice, Kate, Kaan, me. We all had two months together. Seeing each other every day, often going to the beach or on adventures together.

After three years of traveling on my own, it was amazing to have a sense of community – a friendship circle filled with others who loved to travel.

I was apprehensive at first, moving into a house with so many people. I didn’t know what it would be like. On Valentine’s Day, I sent a text in the group chat, sharing how I often feel like a bit of a black sheep but thanking everyone for being so welcoming. Everyone was very receptive to that message and in turn, they truly became like a family to me.

On Valentine’s Day, Evan and Victoria did arts-and-crafts and made little “mailboxes” for all of us to write each other love notes. They tried to draw an animal for each person. “What kind of animal would you be?” Victoria asked. “A snake,” I said. “Often misunderstood, they are actually very chill and goofy once you get to know them.”

Not a perfect family – there would occasionally be minor dramas between people – like when Mystery Slobs weren’t washing their dishes, or when Blood Moons hung in the sky… but for the most part, it was just a lot of fun.

We would hang out on the lanai, some people smoking joints, others cigarettes. Some, like me, would be vaping. In the good ol’ days, Haizea, Rita, and Nerea would be playing music on the speakers and would be dancing until 1am, if not later. Kaan, Alice, and I would join occasionally.

Now and again, we would load into the hostel van (“Judy”) and head to the beach at night to make a bonfire and hang out. Some of us would go skinny dipping.

We would cram 7 people into Taryn’s red toy car, driving to Kihei or Baldwin Beach or Lahaina. We would watch sunsets together, enjoying the whales playing off in the distance.

And, of course, a trip to Haleakala. I have no idea how Judy made it up there, or back down. On the way down, the brakes started smoking so we had to pull over to let them cool off for half an hour. That was a memorable evening – we went up for sunset and ended up taking group selfies majority of the time… so much so, we nearly missed the sunset – our whole purpose of going there.

We celebrated birthdays – the most notable probably being Morgan’s, where someone called the cops due to a noise complaint… and when I noticed them shining a light into our window, I warned the others and Morgan shouted out, “fuck the police!” The only sober person, I went to go talk to them and to apologize for the noise, that we would turn it down. They were total dicks about it, but basically said if we kept making noise they would shut it down. Everyone agreed… but then a few minutes later, the police came banging on the door. They wanted Morgan to come down and apologize. Because it was getting too “big,” Taryn called Zac to come chat with them. In the end, they were NOT leaving until Morgan apologized. And so he did. EEK!

One time, when exploring the attic, Cole fell through the ceiling. I remember his leg dangling.

And of course, the many magnificent adventures around the island – especially with my beloved car, Pele. The Road to Hana. The west side loop. The crazy, secret waterfall hikes. The Pipiwai Trail.

Harry Potter night, where we were all sorted into different Houses – I got Slytherin, of course.

We would go dancing at Wai Bar, occasionally. We’d crash Banana Bungalows’ party nights as well. Basically, we were always on little adventures and side quests.

So many memories, so much laughter. Lots of hours in the car.

We all had a lot of fun together.

The Rains

For basically two weeks straight, we were all trapped inside due to historic rains. There was nothing to do, nowhere to go. It was simply raining too much and Maui is very much an outdoorsy place. Snorkeling, hiking, beach. What is there to do when it’s raining?

One day, Nerea, Conor, and I went frolicking in the rain. We ran barefoot along the street, the rain crashing down on us from above.

Another day, Daimy led a dance class featuring Nerea, Alice, and me. We coined our dance group Daimy and the Daimies. The song was Espresso by Sabrina Carpenter.

Cole set up a tent on the lanai and camped out there with a few others, even though the rain was pelting onto the edges of the lanai, soaking the wooden benches. Nick accidentally left his phone out there one night and it got soaked beyond repair.

Movie nights commenced, and Alice would pick out-there movies that everyone ended up loving. Her constant commentary and astonished gasps (even though she’d seen them before) always cracked me up… UNLESS it was a movie I wanted to watch in silence, damn it!

One night, Morgan, Nick, and Britany pulled out the boogie boards and attempted to surf down the street – the rains were so heavy it was like a pseudo-river. They didn’t get far.

Because the rains were getting to us all, Taryn organized a field outing. We loaded up in the van and went to a park nearby to play games. Capture the flag, water balloon fights, and more. The rain poured down, then stopped, then started again. A rainbow appeared among the clouds.

Even though we couldn’t do much with the rains, we all bonded perhaps more than ever. On a typical day in Maui, the group becomes fragmented. Maybe one group of people are off work, so they go do one thing. The housekeepers finish at 2pm, so they do something else. AM reception doesn’t finish until 4pm, so then there’s an afternoon group. But with the rains… we were all together, always indoors.

On one evening, the rain was so bad that one of the ceiling lights started leaking. The power went out. We all moved from the volunteer house to the hostel and hung out in the dark. Some people played pool under their phone torches.

Before Daimy was leaving, she wanted to go to Walmart and I planned to take her. As we were driving down towards Kahului, we hit some flooded roads… and water started flooding in next to the gas pedal. We had to turn around and luckily other than damp mats, Pele (my car) ended up being fine.

Some things were impacted long term because of the rains. We were never able to get back to Iao Valley, a river/valley very near to our hostel that we used to go chill at regularly. And another spot was Polipoli State Park. I never was able to get there due to road closures as a result of the storms.

It was… quite the experience. And the worst storm in 20 years or so.

The Goodbyes

During and after the storms, the goodbyes really started kicking into gear. Haizea left first, then Nick. Then Daimy. And Morgan. Staples of our household, true personalities that were the core of our group.

These goodbyes were emotional. I never expected to connect with people in the way that I did, but I shed tears basically every time we took people to the airport.

Because so many more people were leaving soon, I decided to sing a song for everyone. On Thursdays, we hosted Margarita Night at the hostel, which meant free margaritas for guests of the hostel. It usually was a time for all the volunteers to hang out together as well. I decided to sing the song Gypsy by Gaga for everyone. The song is tied to me in a number of special ways at this point – I first performed it for my friend Michael as he was getting ready to begin his 1+ year sojourn around the world. And then, years later, I sang it for my parents as I was getting ready to begin my own adventure. When leaving New Zealand, I sang the song to my friends at the hostel. And now, here I was again, singing this song to my fellow volunteers. They stood in front of the stage, arms around one anothers’ shoulders, swaying back and forth as I sang to them. We all shared a group hug after.

Shortly after, there was a three day span where five people left. Victoria the first day, followed by Taryn, Cole, and Alice the next. And Rita the day after. It was like whiplash – constantly driving back and forth to the airport. And then new people were coming in. Who were these people? I didn’t have much time left at the hostel, so I wasn’t that keen on forming new bonds – even though I still tried to be polite.

And a few days later, another batch of three – Brayden, Conor, and Nerea.

Suddenly, with Nerea’s departure, I was the oldest of the group (sans Britany, who didn’t live at the volunteer house but rather in the hostel). I was surrounded by a flurry of people who had only just started, who were part of the New Generation of volunteers. How weird.

The common areas of the volunteer house are saturated with paintings of peoples’ names and dates of which they volunteered. We all signed our names before leaving (although some, like Brayden, never finished). I imagine one day, the names will be painted over to start fresh, so I wanted to take photos of all of our groups names.

The good news is that we are all either from America or Europe. The distance isn’t the same as America vs. New Zealand. Getting together is possible and actually pretty realistic. A five year reunion in New York or London would be doable for pretty much everyone, circumstances pending.

Of course, I have to make note of our inside jokes, so I can remember them one day in the future:

Malawe
Chica guapa
5, 6, 7, 8
Mrs. Chen Surprise
Vait, vut?
Regina
Maui giveth, Maui taketh
Da fuq?
Period
Thank you, Cole
Cowsin
Happy bir–
Is this.. dream?
As you should
[She] ate with that
Tabitha Pringle
Dr. Cole
“Supe!”
Dilly dally
Invisible grey cars
I love Iao Valley
Kamaole Beach Park THREE
One for you, one for me
Can I ask you a question?

When it was my turn to leave, there was no fanfare. In fact, most people had left on adventures early in the afternoon, maybe thinking they would get back before I left, or maybe not really caring since they were new and didn’t know me that well. In the end, I had only shared goodbyes with McKenna, Jenny, and Britany. Britany drove me to the airport, and I was left feeling a little disappointed. Kate and Kaan had been with me for a while, and I felt they hadn’t made an effort to be there for my goodbye.

When I got through security at the airport, I read the note that everyone had signed. I had started a new tradition of making cards for everyone as they were leaving. Kaan had once made a remark “everyone’s gonna be gone by the time I leave so no one’s going to sign mine!” so I came up with the idea to just make cards for EVERYONE, so we can all sign one anothers while we were still there. So, at the airport, I was able to read through the thoughtful notes that all my former group had written for me. It made me chuckle multiple times. I felt touched at the kind words that went into them. I texted our group chat and talked about the lame goodbye – they all told me that I am so loved and that they would have of course gone with me to the airport had they still been there.

And yet… it felt right. I’d had this amazing experience with these incredible people… but those people were gone, the next generation was in, and now it was my time to go. Time to return home.

Art of the Week

I decided to paint a white-tip reef shark for my name. I imagine a humpback would have been the easy choice, but I chose a white-tip because I never expected I would get to observe them so regularly during my time in Maui. Seeing them up close, watching them resting or gracefully swimming around was always such a special treat during my time at Baby Beach. And so… a white-tip it is.

I have been very lazy with my art, lately. I think once I’m moved into my apartment in the city, and have a desk, I’ll be more inclined to make art. And if not, it’s okay. I don’t feel as pressed these days to constantly be productive. Just Being is enough, I think. Connecting with myself, with my community… that is satisfying, too. Although, I am sure I will get back into the groove re: art sooner than later.

Reflections

“Four Years from Home” is going to be the title of my book, if I ever get around to writing it. A section for Australia, for New Zealand, for Asia, and for Maui. A condensed version of this blog that I’ve been writing weekly for nearly four years at this point.

I flew from Maui to San Diego, had a super brief layover, and then had a flight from San Diego to Chicago.

My parents picked me up. My mom was waiting at the bottom of the escalator, holding Gizmo on a leash, and crying as she saw me. It had been 15 months since we’d seen one another. And now I was home. The long adventure, come to an end at last. (Not to say there won’t be another long adventure one day in the far future!)

From Midway, we drove to Darien to surprise my brother Dan. And then we went to surprise my brother Mike. And then we went to surprise my nephew Dillan. It was a full day, but it felt great to reunite with my family.

I spent time back at my parents’ home in Michigan, trying to adjust to the new time zone. It took days for my body to acclimate. The weather is much cooler here, my mind still thought I was on Maui time, etc. But I think I’m good now.

I moved into my apartment on May 1st, and start my job on May 20th. The idea of having a “real” job again is a little intimidating, but I think it will all go smoothly. I feel very grateful I was given the opportunity to come back to my former place of employment, making good money and having solid vacation time. “The Godfather offer,” as my mom has been saying.

So, here I am… back in Chicago, all these years later. The same person, but with many different experiences. I feel I’ve lived many, many lives. And I’m so grateful for it.

Until next time, sending you all my love. x