Taking a class in Hawaii

Since Sunday, I have been in Hawaii.  I came here to take a course to prepare me for Security + certification.  I will take the cert test on Monday.  So, I will be here for the remainder of this week and through the weekend and head back to Hanoi on Tuesday, the day after the test.

I haven't been out much, though I have decided I will try to run every morning before class.  It is easy to run here because the weather is ideal and the roads are very easy to run on.  I do walk to class, which is about a mile from the hotel I am staying in, which gives me a little extra exercise as well.

In the little time I spend outside of the classroom or in the hotel room, I have noticed two things that disturb me.  The first thing is the number of homeless people on the outskirts of Waikiki.  I attribute the large number in this particular area to the close proximity of Wal Mart.  Wal Mart tends to attract the lowest common denominator in society and Hawaii seems to be no exception.  For the most part, these people leave me and everyone else alone.  One asked me for a dollar and another asked me for a quarter (I can only imagine the one who asked for a quarter was in flashback mode, because you can't buy buggars for a quarter here).  I bet the cops aren't too gentle with them if a tourist complains, so they tend to stay clear and quiet.

The other thing that disturbs me is the number of people who smoke here. I think anyone that smokes in Hawaii shold be shipped out... they don't deserve the fresh air here!  I have been living in Hanoi so long that the clean air in Hawaii burns my lungs.  It is so nice to be able to breathe what might be the freshest air in the world, but some just aren't happy with it and have to fill their lungs with smoke.  Go figure!

The hardest thing for me so far is keeping away from the high calorie food.  Take a look at a few of the locals and it gets easier to believe the food is just a tad rich here.  I busted out on Sunday and Monday, but I think I am reigning my control back in now.

The classes are going well, if not a little boring. I can't afford to fail this certification test.  I don't think I could take the derision that would meet me back home in the office.