Aloha from Hawaii!

Yesterday, we flew from New Bern to Atlanta to Las Angeles to Honolulu. Long Day.

Today, however, was very different. We woke up to a bright, humid, hot morning. It drizzled on and off throughout the day, but it was never very much. Just enough to cool us down. There must be something magical about Hawaii, but we have seen several beautiful rainbows arching over the city. Most of the undergrads spent the morning playing in the ocean at Waikiki Beach. It’s crazy to think that less than a week ago I was skiing in -6 degree weather and not I am walking down to the beach in my bathing suit and shorts! We didn’t have much time at the beach, but it was just long enough for us to finally feel like we were in Hawaii. After checking out of our hotel rooms, we made our way to the University of Hawaii Marine Center and we caught our first glimpse of the Kilo Moana. At 185 feet, the ship is massive!

We were each shown our room and then we spent some time exploring the ship. It is very easy to get lost among the ever-twisting corridors and random staircases. After a quick meeting with the entire Duke group, we began the task of organizing the lab. I can’t believe that a whole lab had to be shipped to Hawaii, complete with a flow cytometer and many boxes of plastic gloves. One of the most important jobs was tying down all of the equipment. Since the ship will be rocking and rolling 24/7, we needed to strap everything to the tables and walls to make sure nothing would shift around or fall off during the cruise.

At six, we had a full scientific meeting to go over the main goals of the cruise and to make important announcements. We had a chance to meet the scientists from the University of Tennessee who will be joining us on the cruise. In total, there are 17 scientists. All 17 of us went out for a celebratory dinner on the eve of our departure!

Things are quieting down here as people prepare for the voyage ahead and try to catch some sleep while the beds are stationary. Tomorrow will be a new and exciting adventure and I cannot wait to see what the next month holds in store!