Posted on Friday, February 1, 2002
"The whole experience was unbelievable and not what I expected," said Corry Yeuroukis, a senior biology major from Pittsburgh. "We saw slides and took notes in class, but this trip&well, we saw what we learned about in class. You never get to see what you learned in an English or math class like that."
"We met one evening a week with the professors to talk about how the plants and animals came to Hawaii," said Matt Lauffer, a senior biology and environmental science major from Vandergrift. "We talked about the Hawaiian culture and about the land so that when we got there, we knew what we were looking at."
"It's hard to describe what I saw in words," said Jim Shevchuk, a senior biology and molecular biology major from Codogan. "You had to be there experiencing the hiking and snorkeling. Much of the stuff we saw, well it's the only place in the world you can see it."
"I never knew how much I had learned in class, until I realized that I could identify many of the fish I saw while snorkeling," said Courtney Panik, a senior public relations major from McKees Rock. " I will never see Hawaii like the way I saw it this time. We didn't do the touristy things."
"When we arrived the first thing I noticed was the smell. Everywhere we went it smelled like flowers. Then we drove in the dark to our cabins, so we couldn't see anything along the way," continued Panik. "We awoke to see the monster green mountains that surrounded our cabins. It was an amazing sight."
"I liked learning about the coral life. We kept organism lists while we were there," said Shevchuk. "I want to go on to get a master's in microbiology and immunology, and then maybe on to med school or research."
"Hawaii was the best with its volcanoes and reefs for snorkeling," said Lauffer. "It was the first time I ever saw beaches so flat or water so clear."
"I was nervous when I left because I didn't know the people well, but the physical stuff we did brought us closer together and made us friends," said Panik. "I've never went snorkeling before, but after lugging all that equipment around with me, I decided to try it even though I'm petrified of the ocean and deep water."
"Cliff diving terrified me, but I did it," said Yeuroukis. "I did it because I didn't want to come back with any regrets. I had no idea how amazing of an experience it would be."
The volcanoes held a special awe to all who visited Hawaii.
"At Kilauea you can see the trails of lava where it came down the mountain and made interesting formations," said Lauffer. "We hiked the 12 miles across the crater."
"The hikes gave you time to see the geology of the land and the ecology of the plants and animals," said Shevchuk.
"Several of us went on a helicopter trip to Pu'o O'l Volcano, which is still active," said Yeuroukis. "You could see the lava flowing into the ocean and producing steam. At night it cast a bright orange glow that contrasted with the black night sky full of stars."
"The best on Kauai was our trip to Waimea Canyon," said Panik. "They call it the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, but it's really not like the Grand Canyon, though. It's mostly green and runs into a blue ocean. The colors are so vivid. I always wondered about the color sea foam green. Now I know where it originated."
Almost without exception, the one event each student remembers is the wonderful luau held at the home of Earl and Audrey Valeria where they are invited to eat until you're tired.'
"We went to a luau on the big island, and it was one of my favorite activities," said Panik. "We were taught how to hula, make leis, crack coconuts, and tried new foods that I never heard of before. I ate raw fish that was diced and tossed with tomatoes in a mayo dressing."
"We put together the fire pit and covered food with leaves so the meat would steam," said Yeuroukis. "Earl and his wife involved us in every step of the luau."
"I ate poi, which was mashed up stuff that looked like turnips," said Shevchuk. It added texture to the other foods, but tasted like yogurt without any flavor."
"It was an experience I'm glad I didn't pass up," said Yeuroukis. "I wish everyone could see what I saw. Unbelievable."
Dr. Kenneth Long, professor of chemistry, and Dr. Ann Throckmorton, associate professor of biology, taught classes and accompanied the students on the trip.
For more information, contact the Department of Biology at Westminster College at (724) 946-7206.
