Log 69: Freedom to Flounder
July fourth is a big day. And not for the reason you're thinking. This year, July fourth was the date Lucas was set to move from Tiki Beach hostel to a private room in Hakuna Matata, and I couldn’t be happier for him. For the past month, Lucas has essentially been living how I was on the farm - he sleeps in a tent (that doesn’t close properly and is teetering on the edge of a wooden platform), he’s forced to use a dirty bathroom, and his kitchen is barely functional. At least he has cell service.
Anyways, it was time for Lucas to pack up and move into Hakuna Matata. It was actually time for me to pack up too - I would be moving from the work-stay room to the private room with Lucas. I felt a little bit nostalgic, leaving that tiny, partially outdoor room behind.
I will say, Lucas and I didn’t do a great job planning out the logistics of our moving day. For one, we were both working on the 4th, from 11AM to 6:30PM. Check-out at the hostel is 11AM, and check-in isn’t until 2PM, so we would have to do a late check-in once we were back from our shift. However, when we arrived home, instead of unpacking, we unanimously voted to drive our mopeds up the coast to “Dragon’s Teeth,” which is a portion of the Maui coastline with jagged, tooth-like rocks protruding from the shore. A half hour later, we were there. And it must have been the moment we finished the steep trek down to the shore, that it started pouring rain. As groups of tourists around us grabbed their things and hurried back up the hill, Lucas and I made our way to the center of the teeth. There, a massive walking labyrinth sits. Usually, there would be people walking through and stomping all over it, but thanks to the rain, it was completely abandoned. By the time we arrived at the labyrinth’s start, the ground beneath us had turned to slippery mud. I surveyed the terrain in front of us.
“I think I might go barefoot!” I called over to Lucas through the wind and rain.
“I’m gonna take my shoes off!” He yelled back at the same time. Great minds think alike.
We made our way slowly through the labyrinth, feet progressively getting more and more covered in mud as we went. After 10 minutes of pensive silence, we both arrived at its center. There, we proceeded to play a best two out of three game of “ninja” - a game where the objective is to smack each of your opponent’s hands to get them out. And all the while, the rain poured on.
By the time we got back to the hostel, it was dark out. I walked lazily to my room and put in the code, pushing my weight into the door as I did so. I was surprised to find that it didn’t open. I looked down, and noted the lock was flashing red. I tried my code again. 2749. Nothing. Then it dawned upon me. Someone new definitely moved into my room. Maybe if I’d been home for check-out, I would have known this. Tentatively, I knocked on the locked door. After a moment, someone opened it.
“Hi,” I started, glancing inside the room and noting my clothes strewn across it. “Sorry about all my clothes strewn across your new room.”
“Oh, this is the girl!!” A woman standing in the doorway said.
“I am indeed, the girl!” I replied. With Lucas’s help, I collected my things as quickly as possible and shuttled them into my new quarters. Happy fourth!
Highlight: Sales at the Hyatt have been relatively slow recently, leaving me a good amount of free time during most of my shifts. Rather than sit on my phone, I've started using this time to doodle little shaved ice people on the room charge envelopes that we fill with receipts and bring to the front desk at the end of every day.
When I delivered the first decorated envelope to the front desk people, they all got a kick out of the silly drawings on it. Since then, I've felt obligated to draw something new on the envelopes every day. Even when we are busy, you can find me hunched over one of the freezers in the corner, frantically scribbling personified shaved ices.
