Friday: Arrival in Hawaii

We are back in the U.S.A.!  I think everyone is a happy and relieved even though we had a great trip to so many exotic places.  It's always nice to return home.  My friend and colleague, Tammie Picklesimer, greeted us at the airport with Hawaii leis. We arrived at about 7 a.m. on Friday, the same day we left!  We had gained a whole day by crossing the international dateline.

It was another long trip starting with a 3 a.m. wake up call to get to the airport in Bangkok for a 6:30 a.m. flight to Tokyo.  Most of us slept during the 4.5 hour flight.  During our 5 hour layover in Tokyo, most of the students ate sushi and worked on their papers or began preparing for their presentations in Hawaii.  Students will present on teams and will choose a theme for a comparative analysis of the countries we visited.  For example, one team will analyze and compare how religion in the different countries impact how people with disabilities are viewed and served.  Another group is choosing to analyze the impact of poverty on disability.  The students will be presenting these topics to disability studies students and faculty a the Center for Disability Studies on Wednesday.

Students working hard in the Tokyo airport to finish papers and begin working on their final project.

We will have the weekend off to check out the beaches.  Some students mentioned looking into sky diving or snorkeling adventures.  I am staying with Tammie and her friend Jeremy.  I'm just happy to not be in a plane or hotel and to be able to take a nice shower, do laundry and relax with a cup of coffee.

Here's Tammie's house and view from the back yard.