Several students shared although they had an enjoyable time back home during the two-week Christmas break, they missed some aspects of their home here in Hawaii.
For students who went home to snow, they said the warm weather was what they missed the most. According to Kathryn Wells, a sophomore business management major Colorado, the temperature ranged from 6 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit, and she “missed not having to take much effort to get ready in the morning and being able to walk outside without having to put three layers on.”
She continued, “Because of the weather, I stayed indoors a lot except for snow activities or grocery shopping. I really missed the weather here.”
Lindsey Holton, an elementary education freshman from Sandy, Utah, also missed the warm weather the most because it had been freezing back at her home. “Cold is good but getting off the plane and coming back here was pretty great because it was nice and warm.”
She explained the weather in Hawaii is perfect for athletics. “I went running at home, and I could not breath because of the altitude. Running here is awesome because you can breathe so much better.”
Similarly, students who visited their families in tropical parts of the world also missed the weather, as shared by Gail Hillary Enriquez, a junior biomedical major from the Philippines. She said when she was home, it was really hot and she missed the cool breeze of the island. “At first I thought that the weather in Hawaii and the Philippines was the same, but actually no. Hawaii's more humid, which is better.”
She also missed saying “Aloha” during sacrament meeting and the people in her ward, classes and work who she saw everywhere on campus.
However, what she missed the most was the food. “I really missed the burgers from Seven Brothers, their home fries and shakes. I like the food here and also the garlic shrimp from random food trucks anywhere in the island,” Enriquez said.
For Marina Dorff, a junior majoring in elementary education from Japan, the nature and scenery of Hawaii was something she missed while being home. “Because Japan is a city, we can’t really see the stars at night. So I missed seeing the blue sky and the many stars at night. Also, the city doesn't have the beautiful beach and mountains.”
Dorff added that she missed having the temple close by and said, “I didn’t have a chance to go to the temple while I was home and I didn’t realize just how much I had taken the temple for granted and just being able to walk to the temple. Actually, I missed the whole campus in general because here, everywhere you go is an uplifting place with people smiling and people you know left and right. I didn’t realize till I left how separated the world is from here.”