Bianca in Hawaii
1/23/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Bianca Svensson, a sophomore on the Alabama women's tennis team, will spend time each evening chronicling the Crimson Tide's experiences in Hawaii. The Tide kicked off its spring campaign with the program's inaugural trip to the island to compete in the University of Hawaii Spring Invitational. Competition runs Wednesday, Jan. 16 through Sunday, Jan. 20.
HAWAII: DAY 6
ALOHA! or I guess I should say hello since we are no longer on the Island. Our last day in Hawaii was wonderful! We tried to make full use of every hour and get in everything we wanted to. Early in the morning a few of us headed off to the naval base at Pearl Harbor to see the USS Arizona Memorial, while others went surfing and took a beach day. What a site the memorial was. When you first arrive you are not too sure of what to expect because all there really is to see is a memorial built in the ocean on top of a ship. It really doesn't seem like much, but let me tell you it is amazing. The first thing you do when you go is watch a video that tells us about all of the events leading up to American's involvement in World War II, beginning with the attacks at Pearl Harbor.
After the half hour video we got on a ferry and headed over to the memorial. When you step on you can immediately feel its powerful presence. When you look out the monument you are able to see the ship exactly where it was docked and where it sank, which is right below your feet. It was just mind-blowing to look out over the entire port and see where all of the ships were docked that day and exactly where they sank.
After Pearl Harbor we headed back to Waikiki to join the others on the beach and enjoy our last few hours in the sun. Many of the girls went surfing and also went to a beautiful spot where they went snorkeling. After soaking up the Hawaiian sun we got cleaned up and ready for the long plane ride home. We did our last minute shopping before heading off to the airport to head home.
We left Hawaii around eight pm Monday night and arrived home in Tuscaloosa around one pm. What a long day of travel it was.
Well, we are home from paradise and back to reality. Our Hawaiian trip was amazing and filled with memories that will last a lifetime! Off to catch up on my school work! Hope you enjoyed hearing about our Hawaiian vacation! Goodbye Hawaii!
Bianca
HAWAII: DAY 5
Well ALOHA!! Today was our final full day on the Island and it was definitely the day packed with the most attractions. We went on a guided tour of the Island of Oahu. Eduardo's friend Bill is a resident and former tour guide here in Oahu and generously offered to show us all of the must see spots on the Island. We started off on the South Shore of the Island and slowly made our way up and around to the North Shore before coming back south to Waikiki. While making our way up and around the Island we stopped at many parks and peaks to look at all of the different rock formations, mountain ranges, valleys, and of course the many different faces of the Hawaiian beach. Along the South Shore we stopped at Sandy Beach which is known for body surfing, Kualoa Beach Park where we saw many interesting islands and peaks, and finally we stopped at the main filming site for all of the films and tv shows filmed in Hawaii. Our last stop was to the North Shore which is mainly known for its amazing swells of waves.
The three main stops along the North Shore that we stopped at were Sunset Beach, Bonsai Pipeline, and Waimea. All three locations are known for its gigantic waves and all three play host to surfing competitions for the best surfers in the world. The main seasons for the surfers are November through February which puts us right in the middle. We didn't see waves that big today but that is to be expected because you can never predict what sort of swells you are going to get that day.
Tomorrow is our last official day here in Hawaii before heading back to the mainland and reality. We are planning to head to Pearl Harbor and check out the memorial and enjoy our last few hours on the beach before we have to head back to the cold and snow! Goodbye for now! I'll be back tomorrow with my last journal and to recap our amazing trip to Hawaii!
Bianca
HAWAII: DAY 4
ALOHA from Waikiki! Tonight was by far the most memorable part of our trip to Hawaii thus far and will most likely not be topped for the most exciting. We attended our first Luau!! What an evening it was. From almost getting left at the hotel, to Eduardo doing the Hula dance, tonight is a memory we are never going to forget.
Okay, let me back up and start off at the beginning of the day. Today was our "early" day of the trip. Instead of the usual match time of 3 pm, matches started at 11 am so everything was pushed up. We at breakfast early and headed off to the courts to warm up and get ready to play. Once again we had an amazing showing! We really proved that we are a strong team, no matter the circumstance or conditions. Matches of course lasted forever, but that's to be expected because we are Alabama and we always seem to be the last ones at the courts every tournament!
So we were scheduled to be picked of for the Luau at 4:30, which from the get go seemed to be enough time to get the matches in and still have time to get ready. Well, let's just say we were pretty wrong. We left the courts at 4 pm and had 30 minutes to get back to the hotel and get ready. Well by the time we got to the hotel and I looked at the clock it was already 4:28. We thought we would be okay because we were attending the Luau with Florida State and Kansas (two teams also here for the tournament) and Florida State was still at the courts. To make a long story short, we all got showers and were rushed down to the lobby because the charter service was ready to leave without us. Well, we got on the bus and our first Hawaiian Luau began.
The 27 mile bus ride to the Luau seemed to be forever because of all the anticipation building up inside us. When we reached the site we knew this was going to be so much fun! After taking pictures and looking around, we headed to the dining and stage area. The Luau kicked off with two Hawaiian men pulling the pig out of the hole in the ground where it was cooked. That was not the most pleasant sight because we could see everything from its legs to its nose. After the pig was removed dinner was served and the festivities began. Throughout the night there were many different dances all filled with excitement and energy. A few times the dancers asked members of the crowd to come and participate. For the first part they asked three men to come up and square off in a Hula dancing competition. Of course, we immediately volunteered Eduardo (our assistant coach) and he took the task head on. Unfortunately he came in 2nd place, but oh how many laughs we got out of that. For the next dances they asked for girls who wanted to learn how to Hula. Paulina, Elise, and Tiffany all went up and stage and began to dance. Much to our amusement Paulina brought down the house with her moves. We were laughing uncontrollably! The night ended with a few more dances and then back on the bus and off to the hotel.
The Luau turned out to be much more exciting than I had ever thought it would be. We had an amazing experience and created memories that would last a lifetime. Look at the pictures and you can see what an evening it was!
Tomorrow we have a tour of the Island scheduled and then are off to North Shore to watch the surfers on the pipeline (which are waves any where from 10 -25 feet high) and enjoy the sunset on the beach! I'll be back again tomorrow with some more great stories! Goodbye for now! A Hui Kaua! (the new phrase I learned today) that means until we meet again!
Bianca
HAWAII: DAY 3
ALOHA! Wow! It's crazy to think we've been here for three days now! The time has flown by. Today's schedule was very similar to yesterdays in terms of match times. We woke up and ate a team breakfast and decided what we were going to do in the morning before we headed to the courts. Just as yesterday a few of the girls headed to the beach to play in the ocean while I, on the other hand, wanted to do some more shopping with the others. Shopping here has been so much fun, from the international market to the fabulous stores, we are all definitely finding some great souvenirs to bring back.
After we explored the Island a bit we headed to the courts to get ready for our matches. Once again the matches went well! We are definitely beginning to define ourselves as a team with a great fighting spirit! That is definitely going to help us once we are thrown into conference matches.
Well, it's after midnight here and we've got an early start tomorrow with matches at 11 AM! We are all looking forward to tomorrow evening because we have a LUAU planned! I'll definitely have some great stories and pictures for you tomorrow! Goodbye again for now!
Bianca
HAWAII: DAY 2
ALOHA! Hello again from Hawaii. Today was our first full day on the Island and we made full use of it. We started off the day by heading to the beach and checking out the stores. Yes, I know, we're in Hawaii not even 24 hours and we're already shopping. What can I say... we're girls! The ocean and beach were gorgeous! The water wasn't the warmest but it didn't stop some of the girls from getting in. We're definitely starting to embrace the culture here and are trying our best to fit in but I don't think it's working. We sort of stick out like a sore thumb here, being a group of 13 walking around in Alabama apparel and saying "Aloha" to every person we pass.
After getting our share of sight-seeing and window shopping for the day it was time to get ready for our matches, after all, that is why we came.
It has been a pretty interesting trip thus far because of how relaxed everything here is. I think it's safe to say we have fully adjusted and are officially on "island time." No complaints here. We may only come once so we might as well enjoy it the best we can.
We headed to the courts and had a light hit before heading to lunch and then back to the courts for our warm-up before the first matches of the day started. The matches went well. I think it's safe to say we are going have a great season. From the fun and laughing, to our cheers and the matches itself, we're in it for the long run! Well off to bed, it's getting late! Goodbye for now.
Bianca
HAWAII: DAY 1
Day 1 Photo Gallery
Pulling my first all-nighter on a Monday night at the beginning of the semester is not the way I would have pictured how my Hawaiian trip would begun. Well, I guess that is just another reason this trip is going to be very memorable. Well, ALOHA! from Hawaii. We left Tuscaloosa this morning at 3:30 a.m. and our journey to paradise began. We flew to Houston before our incredibly long eight and a half hour flight to Hawaii. We arrived in Honolulu around 2 p.m. local time and I could already see how this trip was going to surpass any of the expectations that I had originally set. We immediately went to the University of Hawaii where we hit for around an hour and a half. Since we've been flying all day we decided to lay low and relax this evening and prepare for our matches tomorrow.
Life here is so different, from the campus to the people. It's easy to see we are now on island time. Everything is very laid back, which although very different, it is a nice change from all of the hustle and bustle of our daily lives.
Well, off to bed to get ready to play tomorrow afternoon. Hope you enjoy the pictures. Can't wait to see what tomorrow has in store for us and I can't wait to explore more of paradise. Goodbye for now.
Bianca
Players Mentioned
