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island in the sun- weezer
The airport was not air-conditioned. That was the first thing you noticed as you left the terminal and headed for baggage claim. The second thing you noticed was that all the pictures you had seen of Hawaii didn't do the island's beauty justice. And upon making it outside in search of the taxi that was supposed to pick you up, your eyes almost couldn't comprehend the vibrancy of the life that was around you. The grass was incredibly green, the palm trees lush and large, and even the sidewalks were littered with pink and white plumeria flowers.
"The drive from Lihue to Poipu is about 45 minutes, okay?" The driver said with a smile and a slight accent as he loaded your luggage into the trunk of the car.
"Sounds good," you nodded, sliding into the backseat. You had 45 minutes of peace and island observation ahead, and you were greatly looking forward to it.
The beach house in which you were staying for the summer resided in Poipu, Kauai. It was a small town, one that was only 2.8 square miles wide, with a basic population of a 1,000 people; a close-knit community. A major in Intercultural Peace Building with a minor in Hawaiian Studies had left you lucky enough to spend an entire summer here, your purpose being to integrate with the locals and provide research as well as essays to your home college.
You were excited, yet slightly skeptical as you stepped out of the taxi cab on that sunny afternoon, the warm and humid air quickly filling up your lungs. You thanked the driver, paid the fare, and clenched the handles on the two suitcases you were now dragging behind you, up the short walk to the house.
The house appeared to be a decent size for 4 people; you'd be sharing it for the summer with three other students from various other universities. It was painted blue that had faded from the constant intensity of the sunlight and was settled in between two other houses of similar style. Directly down the street was the ocean, and the first section of Poipu beach, which was seemingly popular for body boarding and surfing. You'd caught a glimpse of some people catching waves when you had passed by in the car, immediately making you curious and inspired. You figured you'd be spending a rather large chunk of your time over the next few months at that beach park, and as soon as you were done settling in, you decided it was the first place that you wanted to check out.
You took a deep breath then, hesitating for another slight moment, and then finally, stepped over the threshold.
"Hello?" You called out, looking around for any sign of your mysterious housemates. You knew nothing about them; not their names, or where they were from, anything at all. You had failed to connect with them before making the trip over because the roommates weren't finalized until a few days prior, and you were far too busy getting ready to leave to try to figure out a way to reach out.
You left your luggage by the entrance so you could walk around the house freely. The lights were off, but the large windows were all open, allowing the outside air and light to seep in. You quickly scanned the nearby walls for a thermostat but were disappointed when you realized that there wasn't one. It was going to be a long, hot summer; air conditions were a rarity in Hawaii.
