Aloha State of Mind

I have never really wanted to come to the United States of America….as a child,  I loved watching " Full House", and the only place I was attracted to visit due to this TV show,  was the city of San Francisco. My connection to Hawaii  was almost non-existing,  probably my Hawaiian Barbie doll,  the love of Hawaiian pizza, and pretty much that was it. I have never had a big desire of coming to the Islands either…little did I know that one day Hawaii become my second home, that I would be blessed to meet my second Ohana (family) here. Now, I remember that I had an American flag on my vision board (the board that consisted of my dreams in pictures collage). I got this flag from my friend who visited the USA one summer, and I really didn't know what to do with it , so I placed it on the top of that board…and they say that you should be careful what you wish for. Well, it wasn't my conscious wish, but it ended up quite well.

I have this idea of celebrating my birthday each year in another country…I started celebrating my 22nd in London, 23rd in Barcelona, I have spent my birthdays in Portugal, Canada, Norway, Italy, etc. For my 29th birthdays, I chose the beautiful Island of O'ahu. As I was travelling on my own, I booked a bed in a hostel…which over a year after my first visit became my home here. My first thought of Hawaii- beautiful, amazing, full of positive energy place. I was so amazed that people can be so lucky to be able to live here…in a paradise, surrounded by  amazing nature, with an endless summer. I could have just wished to move to the place like this…I met some wonderful people through my stay in Honolulu, and this is why I decided to visit this place again. The welcoming feeling of the "Aloha" spirit that I have received from all people around me, has motivated me to come back. It took me 11 months to return to this Island, and the second visit has awaken my desire to live here, as well as unexpectedly, opened my eyes for moving possibilities. 

When I arrived to Honolulu the second time, I was on my four months travels. I quit my flight attending job few months before and I went to make my dream come true, to travel anywhere I have always wanted to. I was scared when i left my job and England, which was my home for over seven years. I didn't really know what to do with my life at that point. I just had a faith, that when the one door is closing, the other doors are opening…this is a circle of life. My doors for moving to Hawaii were not fully opened, but I was determined to find a way, so I found a window and went through it. I wouldn't be able to live here if it was not for people who opened their hearts and offered me a big support to start my education at Kapi'olani Community College. These people are the biggest blessing in my life, they are my second family,  and no matter what is happening in my life, they are always standby me.

I have decided to start the hospitality management degree at KCC, because hospitality in Hawaii is very unique. This feeling of  "Aloha" (a little bit commercialised in Waikiki) is still the best feature of the Islands. I wanted to be a part of it, I wanted to learn Hawaiian values and the  way of  Hawaiian life. So far, I had the ultimately time of my life here.

The Hawaiian Islands offer many fantastic adventures, amazing views, beautiful beaches, the best weather through the whole year, delicious food and meeting amazing people who live here. I have been living on the O'ahu Island for almost three years, and visited also Maui. I am planning to visit Kauai and  Big Island soon.

In my next weeks' posts, I will share some information on what it is worth doing and visiting on the  O'ahu Island, I will write about  my Hawaiian adventures here.

So far, thank you, mahalo and  dziekuje for reading , Aloha,  and have an amazing week everyone :) 

"A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving".

Since I was a little girl, I was always watching Sydney's New Year's Eve fireworks on Polish television…The New Year arrives to this part of Australia, exactly twelve hours ahead comparing to Poland. This image of Sydney's Opera House, and this amazing fire works' show was strongly implicated in my mind. I could just dream to travel to Australia and feel the real emotions of being there that day...

There was this one day in June 2009 when I decided to make my dream to come true…I just bought a ticket, pack my backpack and read chapter from the Lonely Planet regarding dangerous spiders…so I was completely ready to travel among this beautiful country for the next three months… not !!!! :)
Honestly, that was my first solo trip outside Europe…it was scary, but when I returned, I was already a newborn person…happy, confident and unstoppable when it comes to achieving my goals.

"A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving"-Lao Tzu. I had definitely no plans what to do in Australia, apart from watching the fireworks on the 31st December in Sydney, checking out kangaroos and koalas. That's it…no plans, just lots of time and open mind for some adventures.
When I landed in Sydney's International Airport, I was so excited that it took me around two hours to finally get to my hostel. Yes, I booked a hostel, first time in my life I decided to share a room with completely strangers…now I know that was the best place to start my journey, as during my first evening I met some Germans that became my travel buddies for the next two months.
I made it for the fireworks, I did not only just see kangaroos, but I managed to see hundreds of the wild ones and come close to them. I spend a day in Kangaroos rescue hospital, visited Frazer and Whitsunday Islands. The best what I get from my three months' travel, was to meet people from all over the world, listen to their inspirational stories and  make friends for life.

Travel tips:
For those who has never heard, or been in a hostel, it is the best place to meet new people and get valuable information about your travel destination. Always check the hostel ratings and guests' reviews to book a nice place to stay. You can easily book all activities, tickets for the bus/plane in one of the tour agencies, as they are specialised in helping backpackers (the most famous is Peterpans).

While in Australia, you should definitely visit:

Opera House, Bondi Beach, Sydney Harbour and Manley in Sydney
Blue Mountains ( around an hour from Sydney up North)
Koala Hospital in Port Macquarie in New South Wales
Byron Bay (recommended to stay in Arts Factory Backpackers, and go out to Cheeky Monkey's on Monday night)
Surfer's Paradise in Queensland
Frazer Island ( you drive a highway on the beach- super cool, and you can see Dingoes)
Whitsunday Island on the Great Barrier Reef (best for diving, you can see the whitest sand in the world!)
Australian Zoo of Steve Irwin  in Queensland, around two hours north from Brisbane, with the famous crocodiles shows.
For those crazy about Australian Open ( I am :)), you should visits the courts in Melbourne…generally it is a great city with a great vibe!

Australia can be expensive comparing to Europe, but the experience from traveling there you can get, and the memories are worth any money!

Mahalo for reading :)

"If you can dream it, you can do it".

Aloha everyone :) My name is Kasia and I would like to share my travel and living in Hawaii experience on this blog...each week I will post about different destinations that I have had a pleasure to visit, as well as I would love to give you some tips on traveling to these destinations, and Hawaii itself...now let me start with sharing a story on how I ended up traveling around the world by myself, against my fears ....


"Wanderlust is a strong desire for or impulse to wander or travel and explore the world."  (source: Wikipedia). I am not sure when exactly the idea of visiting the world was created in my mind...but I remember watching a movie once, tilted " Around a World in 80 Days". Right after the movie had ended, I got up, grabbed a small suitcase that my Godmother brought me from Berlin, and started packing. That moment made me realize what I want to do in my life...and what it was, was to travel around the world. I was just ten years old when I made this decision, and even though I had to wait another twelve years to start fulfilling my promise about traveling, every travel was so special, taught me new things about the destinations, and got me some great friends for life. So far, I have traveled to 41 countries, including Spain, Portugal, Italy, Australia, Canada, the United States, Indonesia, South Korea and many more. And I lived in two foreign countries by myself too, including the United Kingdom and the United States.

Walt Disney announced once this powerful statement : " If you can dream it, you can do it". I want to share my dreams that came true with you. Cause we dream with a purpose to make these dreams happen.

I hope that you are going to enjoy my posts.... big Mahalo for reading :)