Day 2 by Malika

Concluding such an inspiring day at Volcano National Park, I was convinced that my surroundings couldn't possibly be more breathtaking or mind-boggling. I was soon proven wrong. Following a series of activities ranging from laughter-inducing bonding games to self discovery/reflection opportunities, I was reminded --yes, I had almost forgotten-- that we were to go and revisit visit the Halema'uma'u crater. The site is not only a natural gem, but is also home to the Hawaiian goddess of fire, Pele. This time though, we would visit her home in the dark to witness it in its full glory. 

We excitedly set off, hoping to see the volcano's vibrant red glow. The vans pulled up and we disembarked. Getting out of the vehicle, my eyes chanced upon a rare treat. The sky was layered with stars from the infinite number of distant galaxies, which I learned today, outnumber the number of grains of sand on Earth. It is seldom that we encounter a view of the night sky that isn't compromised by ever-increasing light pollution. I realized, in the midst of being wowed, that we often fail to appreciate such beautiful, natural phenomenons. What if everybody felt this sense of awe every day about the treasures our universe possesses? If we did, would we, as a population, care for it more? 

Reminded of the respect the Hawaiian people have for the Earth (which are seemingly embedded in their spiritual meaning system), we proceeded to visit Pele's home, a vast smoking crater. Unlike our prior viewing, during the daylight, vivid red and orange smoke drifted its way out.   We all tried to capture what we could on camera, though the lighting made our efforts futile. It was when I hopelessly put my camera away and  tried to soak it all in when it hit me. We spent a day in the presence of Earth's most active volcano! All of the history it has seen and the future it continues to shape make everything, everyone, else so small in the greater scheme of things. 

This leaves me perplexed: I'm feeling so inspired, but simultaneously so unimportant. If change is going to happen, where should one begin? Hopefully, in the next week, we might have one small idea of where to initiate change in our constantly changing, yet consistently giving Earth, to which we owe so much.