Aloha Class,
I’m having a good time in Hawaii. Let me tell you about three of my highlights.
1. A visit to the zoo was awesome. The lion exhibit woke everyone up with its huge roar but we didn’t get any good pictures of the lion because it was far away.
But the tiger was up close and awesome. The tiger was about 2cm away. The fence separated us. Our challenge was to figure out which of the three tigers it was.
2. Snorkeling was fun. I snorkel almost every day but one day we went on an awesome catamaran to Turtle Bay and there were 9 sea turtles just hanging out. It’s cool when they come up to get air. Then you get a really close look at them.
The best part of the trip was holding a live octopus under water. It felt sticky!
3. Diamond Head is an inactive volcano that you can climb. It says in guide books that the climb should take 30 to 40 minutes but it took me 18 minutes and 31 seconds. That was my third time climbing Diamond Head. Here’s a view from the top.
I wrote about different parts of my trip in the postcards to each of you. It took a while to finish them because I wrote a few a day. The problem has been mailing them. We will try again today with the US Postal Service express post. They said regular post would take two to six weeks. Then we went to UPS and they told us it would cost $80 to send!! Hopefully you will get them by Monday.
Goodbye,
Massimo
Percolating Thoughts 
Dear Massimo,
Thank you for your wonderful description of the highlights from your trip!! We can tell that you are having so much fun. Here are a few comments and questions from Division 8:
“I like the view from the volcano!”
“How big was that octopus??” … “Did it feel disgusting?”
“Was the octopus tame?”
“Did you see anything else under the water?”
“So far, what is your favorite part of the trip?”
“Have you gone to Pearl Harbor and if so have you seen the Missouri?”
“Did you go in a submarine?”
“How hot is it there? What is the temperature?”
“How was your birthday?”
We just celebrated the 100th day of school. It was so fun. Maybe you could collect 100 shells from the beach? But Mrs. Hutchings says it is bad luck to bring back rocks or sand from Hawaii.
We all miss you!!! See you soon and we have a Valentine’s Day bag waiting for you.
Love, Division 8
Dear Ms. Hutchings and Div. 8:
Winter in Hawaii is warm like our summers. The highs have been about 27 and the lows 21 (so that’s an average of 24 degrees).
The octopus was as big as my hand to my elbow. The guy that caught the octopus can hold his breath under water for 3 whole minutes!! The guide book says not to pick up octopus but the guy from the snorkeling company has done it hundreds of times. It wasn’t disgusting, it felt cool! I’ve snorkeled over ten times so I’ve seen a lot of fish and sea turtles. My favourite part of the trip is snorkeling. I did it on my birthday so my birthday was awesome!
I didn’t go on the submarine this trip. I went on it last trip. We haven’t gone to Pearl Harbor.
Today we went to the Aquarium and saw a black tip shark and zebra shark.
We will be sure to collect 100 rocks and sand from the beach (just kidding). We’ll collect the shells for the class.
Bye,
Massimo
Dear Massimo,
We all wish that we were in Hawaii with you. It sounds so fun – what you have experienced, some of us have only seen/read in books. We were laughing today as someone said that we will have to save a whole day for your “News and Sharing” when you get back!!
Division 8 has a few final comments/questions for you:
“What is a Zebra Shark?” – Josh
“Have you tried surfing?” – Cade
“What have you been eating?” -Rachel W.
“Have you gone to an outdoor Anthropology museum and tried an old Hawaiian game?” – Logan
“I MISS YOU!!” – Peter
“We love getting your messages.” – Ashley
“We hope you are having a great time!” – Jessica
“Did you see a bat? Remember how we learned that they are the only land mammal in Hawaii?” – Elizabeth
“What hotel are you staying in?” – Matthew
“Have you seen a house made from bamboo and leaves?” – Marcus
We can’t wait to hear about all of your adventures and see you again. Please bring us some of that Hawaiian sun with you!
Love,
Division 8
Hi Class,
I answered some questions (Josh, Cade and Elizabeth) in the new post but here are the rest of the answers.
Rachel, I’ve been eating the same stuff I eat at home which is pasta, meat, veggies and lots of fruit. I am eating more pineapple and a lot more mango sorbet!!
Matthew, I’m in a three bedroom condo one block away from the beach. We have an awesome view and I get to watch fireworks from the deck every Friday.
Logan, you gave me the idea and I might go.
Ashley, I’d rather be playing outside but I’m still happy to write the messages.
Jessica, I hope you are having a good time at school.
Marcus, no I have not seen a house made of bamboo and leaves but I wish I did.
I miss you too Peter. See you on Monday.
– Massimo
We can’t wait to have our #1 Canucks fan back and we look forward to seeing you on Monday. We have had so much fun communicating with you through your blog and we loved your pictures and interesting responses to our questions. Now we all want to go to Hawaii and see the neat things that you have seen.
Thank you so much for the individual post cards to Division 8. It is still so special recieving a real letter in the mail, and worth the wait! We are lucky to have a friend like you! Enjoy your last few days in Hawaii.
Aloha!
Division 8