When I got to work this morning I quickly logged into Pandora and created a new radio station--Iz. As I started listening to the music it quickly brought me back to the many hours I spent working at the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC) where they played all the same music over the sound system. Then, I began daydreaming about my beach cruiser, acai bowls, waiting for "The Bus," studying at the beach, people strolling along on their skateboards playing the ukelele, jumping off Waimea and being caught in a 30-second rain shower on my way to class. 
I can say that I truly tried to not take a single day for granted while I was there. Each day I rode my bike to school I would pass the temple and stare at all its wonderment. On my way to a dreaded class, I would close my eyes and listen to the Tongan drums playing at the PCC. On days when I was really busy and felt there was no time to get anything done, I would go into the Aloha Center and listen to the many different languages swirling around me....the sound was beautiful.
I miss not having air conditioning and sweating my butt off while trying to cook dinner in a scorching 1x1 foot oven. I miss not having a car and not being able to buy everything I needed at the grocery store for fear of it throwing off the balance of my bicycle. I miss taking 2-hour bus rides to the mall on the winding roads of Kamehameha just to get to the mall and not be able to find anything modest enough to buy. I miss the laughter of the people, their smiles, their sweet spirits.
It's been almost two years and I feel the aloha spirit slipping away from me. I no longer feel the urge to begin my emails at work with "Aloha" or shout out a roaring reply to someone's greeting when they stand to give a speech.
