Aloha from Rein Project Hawaii ~The first week of the program was incredible. Here’s a recap of what we’ve been up to…It all began when we arrived in Hilo and we were welcomed with these beautiful flower leis:

After getting a good night of sleep, we awoke the next morning and did lots of team building and orientation programming.

Our teenagers have made incredible contributions at their service projects.Here’s a glimpse of the work we’ve done so far at our volunteer sites:Summer Fun:

Rainbow Friends Animal Sanctuary:

Camp Aloha:

We’ve been on some really amazing field trips in the afternoons. Our first field trip was to Akaka Falls:

We also took a really cool field trip to Volcanoes National Park, where we saw Halemaumau Crater at Kilauea Volcano ….http://www.nps.gov/havo/index.htm

… and we walked through the Thurston Lava Tube…http://www.nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/craterrimtour_tube.htm

In the evenings, we have the unique opportunity to take part in Cultural Immersion Activities. Our cultural kumus (teachers) have been so warm and welcoming.

At Cultural Nights, we’ve learned to dance hula:

…. how to play konane (hawaiian checkers)

… and  how to husk a coconut

After working hard at our projects all week, we flew to Maui for our first weekend resort getaway. The Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa was our home for the weekend:http://maui.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels-maui/index.jsp?null

During the weekend, we played in the pool and the ocean…

And we went banana boating!!!!

What an incredible time it’s been so far on Project Hawaii! Aloha…..