The Belo USA trip to Hawaii has truly been and educational /travel experience that I will never forget and I feel privileged to have been a part of it. One aspect of this trip that deserves comment is how well organized it was and how smoothly it ran. We were a group of 62 individuals- with 62 different personalities with a broad range of opinions interests and tastes. Collectively we represented 23 different countries and more than a dozen states in the USA. Despite that, we operated as one tight unit- like a family- and never missed a beat. Raphael- you are remarkable!
It is hard to believe that we are only here a week. It seems as if we have been in Hawaii for so much longer than that. We have covered so much territory and experienced so many different aspects of Hawaiian life and culture in such a short amount of time. Each and every day has been so action packed incorporating cultural, historical and leisure activities- like surfing, snorkeling, kayaking, and hiking atop a volcano not to mention learning a whole new Hawaiian vocabulary.
It would be difficult for me to identify one activity, event or day as my favorite as they were all so unique but I can honestly say that I will never forget the visit to Pearl Harbor this morning. The memorial itself was fascinating, moving and extremely emotional for me. That I expected. What touched me so tremendously was the dignity and respect shown by each and every student in our group. I watched with pride as our exchanged students removed their caps in a show of respect, watched the film so intently, read the plaques and conducted themselves with the respect befitting this national memorial.
This trip was as close to perfect as it gets. We all learned so much, experienced so many “once in a lifetime’ thing’s, laughed all day long and made lifetime friends and memories. Thank you Belo USA for organizing this wonderful trip and for being such a valuable part of international educational exchange.
Michael Shanley
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