HAWAII

So, what did you do today?  This is what Chance did today:  He flew to Hawaii,  and after landing on that paradisiacal island, he was whisked off to meet the people he will be spending the next 3 weeks of his life with.  So far, he loves his roommate.  This should prove to be helpful. When we talked to Chance this evening, he said that he loved Hawaii and wanted to move there.  Apparently the island is already working it's magical charm on him.

This trip will be fun, and it will create memories for a lifetime. It will not all be fun and games though.  Although, when we talked to Chance, it was fun and games as all the kids were meeting to play card games. 

Chance will be working hard and learning for the next 3 weeks.  He received a bright yellow t-shirt that says in Chinese: "I speak Chinese."  The person who handed out the shirts told the kids that they would be wearing them everyday.  Chance was not amused at this.  He has spent lots of time packing his suitcase just right.  His suitcase full of clothes.  It turns out that the t-shirt passer outer was confused, and that they will only be wearing that shirt on certain days.  

This language program is going to be exciting, hard work and all day long on most days.  But Chance is ready! If you are going to learn a language, you can't beat the location.  In fact, someone should do a study to see if sending people to Hawaii to learn a foreign language helps them learn it better.  

I myself would be willing to sacrifice and go to Hawaii as part of a long term study. I am sure there are at least a few others that would be willing to live in Hawaii for a year or two to see such a study through.

We arrived at the airport early this morning to see Chance off.  We were able to accompany him to the gate at the airport due to his age and as we walked, we told him what to expect.  Despite all of our weeks of talking to Chance about what was going to happen, he still told his brother that he didn't realize that airplanes could go that fast down the runway.  He also said that the landing was really bumpy.  But he is in Hawaii, so he can live with the bumpy landing.
When we were walking through the airport, I asked Chance if he could hear the overhead announcements in the airport.  He shook his head at me and said that he could tell that there were announcements, but he had no idea what was being said.  This is just one reason why it is good that he is traveling with his cousin.  She was the ears for both of them when it came to any important overhead announcements.
It was a little funny explaining to the airline workers that Chance was deaf with implants when we did things like go through security, and then turn around and talk about how he was learning Mandarin.  Deaf kid learning Mandarin.  It doesn't get much better than that.
I should have many updates as to how Chance's trip is going.  He will want to share his excitement and I have threatened him that he will never be able to get his driver's permit if he doesn't contact home.  Between those two things, he should have sufficient motivation to keep in contact:)
Chance is on his own in a way he has never been before.  He arrived to stay with strangers, he will be responsible for working in doing loads of laundry in between all of his activities, he will be experiencing new foods and new people all while learning a foreign language.
I think he is going to love it and we are so excited for him.