2009 in review

january-
return for final semester at IU Bloomington
huge snow storms in bloomington close school for several days

february-
does anything every happen in february?
Robyn and AHOP see cirque de solei in Indy
mom and AMH both have birthdays

march-
Robyn goes to Jamaica on her final college spring break with 8 good friends
CMH turns 25!

april-
IU little 500
molly turns 9 (63 in dog years)

may-
IU graduation on may 9
meet AHOP's parents for the first time

june-
finish summer school at IU
AHOP learns how to ski and wakeboard

july-
Habegger get together in Berne
AHOP attends his first Swiss Days
AHOP and Robyn nearly burn down the house while attempting to fry plantains

august-
AHOP and robyn make a quick trip to west virginia to welcome AHOP's sister to the states for university
AHOP departs for NYC, robyn departs for a 14 wk internship in Hawaii
the habeggers welcome a new exchange student from the republic of georgia- ANY!

september-
robyn celebrates 23rd birthday

october-
robyn experiences fall without falling leaves in Hawaii
robyn sends AHOP fish jerky for his birthday while he's in NYC job searching

november-
robyn goes to oahu for thanksgiving with elizabeth
gma has bday
AHOP lands a banking job in NYC!

december-
robyns internship ends and she sets off for a 20 day visit to colombia
good friend CLY announces engagement
dad has a bday

Feliz Navidad!

Greetings from Indiana. Hope your Christmas has been merry and bright!


The family received a new item for backyard fun. A Colombian Hammock.

a big lake and a little juan valdez

AHOP and I have spent the last week exploring and experiencing Colombia.

We visited Lake Calima outside of Cali yesterday with his family. The lake was located in the mountains with very picturesque views.



Last Thursday and Friday I went with AHOP and Jenny to the Coffee Region near the middle of the country. This region is the second largest tourist area in Colombia behind Cartagena. We visited the National Coffee Park- sort of like a sustainable Disney World that focuses on coffee and juan valdez, spent the night in a historic coffee farm, and visited several small villages/towns.


Salento- one of the the little villages we visited. It was like stepping back in time- people wore poncho's, rode horses, ate traditional food.


Enjoying a traditional breakfast at the coffee farm.

Colombia Q&A

After deciding to visit Colombia I had a lot of questions and thoughts running through my head- it didn't help that many people constantly said, YOU'RE GOING TO COLOMBIA!? WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO DO THAT? Before arriving and even before I knew I was going to be coming I had read several books about Colombia, about the history of the country, and the current situation. Quite a few people back in the states have only heard negative stuff about Colombia and therefore automatically assumed I was coming to an undeveloped jungle with an ongoing war.

Even though I felt I had a pretty good grasp of what to expect here from the books I had read, stories from AHOP, and reading up on recent news I was still unsure of little things, like

How much under development will there be?
- There is underdevelopment but there is segregation between developed/underdeveloped areas. People without steady jobs or income seem to have found many, many ways to make pesos without begging. Many people sell produce and odds and ends at street corners in the city to make ends meet. People are very creative in trying to make a few coins. I have only seen a few people begging for money.

Will there be a lot of hassling?
- No

Can we drive anywhere without feeling safe?
-again, there is segregation between developed and undeveloped area. It's pretty obvious if you've driven or walked into an area where things seem a little sketchy.

How secure are attractions and stores?
- Everything is well looked over by security personnel- neighborhoods, parking lots, attractions.

Do people speak conversational English?
- the main language here is Spanish. some people know a few phrases of english and a few people are conservational. AHOP has served as my translator the entire trip.

Would my family/friends enjoy a trip to Colombia?
-Colombia is full of many many great things to do from- historic cities, adventure travel, world class beaches, good food and much more. The people are friendly, welcoming, and know how to serve tourists. AND the price is right! The big downfall is the lack of English spoken in the country. A good option may be to hire an English speaking tour guide during a trip to the country.

Have any other questions? Leave me a comment and I'll try to answer it.

Colombia Part 1

I've been in Colombia for a little over a week now and can't even begin to tell all the wonderful stories and memories I have already accumulated over the short time. So in short....

Last Saturday I attended my first bull fight in Cali. Colombia was settled by the Spanish after all, hence leaving the country steep in Spanish Tradition.




Sunday I traveled with AHPO and his parents to a country house in the mountains outside of Cali, We enjoyed a day of horseback riding, traditional Colombian food, and relaxation in cooler temps away from the hot 90 degree weather in the city.





On Tuesday Alvaro and I left for the coastal city of Cartagena in the Northeast corner of the county. Cartagena is famous for it's old Spanish Castle and walled city left behind by the Spaniards in the 1500 and 1600's. The city had a very European feel inside the old walls- cobblestone, narrow streets, many flowers, balconies, cafes, and tiny shops. Beyond the walls of the city Cartagena has some of the finest beaches in the country. We took a short boat trip to the Rosary Isles- 50 miles off the coast- and enjoyed a traditional lunch of coconut rice, plantains, and fish fried in their entirety. The isle has no facilities, running water, buildings, etc..



During my short time here I have felt so welcomed by everyone here in Colombia, especially AHOP's family.

Internship in Summary

Tomorrow is the final day of my 14 week internship at Kilauea Military Camp and Resort. Where did the time go? Between work, weekend excursions, a little job hunting, and completing internship reports and a major portfolio for IU I have been very busy over the last 3 months.

I spent the majority of my internship working with the Group Reservations and Marketing Department. I loved the people I worked with, learned a lot about different cultures (I worked with a Filipino lady, Japanese lady, and Hawaiian lady), and grew a lot in my professional development.

I will be sad to say goodbye to everyone at KMC but I am ready to move on to the next thing in my life, hopefully a job involving some sort of travel consulting or event coordination.

a little fire action @ the luau

The Paradise Cove Luau put on a great show complete with hula, Tahitian dancers, and an awesome Samoan fire spinner. The quality of the video isn't too great but you can still see his fire poles spinning around.

Thanksgiving in Oahu

Elizabeth and I spent our Thanksgiving holiday "off island" in Oahu. We spent three days exploring Waikiki and Honolulu. Oahu is very different from the Big Island. We had an absolutely wonderful time.

We toured the memorial at Pearl Harbor.


We watched the paddlers, surfers, swimmers, and tourists at Waikiki.


We went to the Paradise Cove Luau.



And we scaled Diamond Head!

disturbing the Honu....oops!

We ran into this turtle while walking around the blue lagoon at Kiholo Bay. We stayed a good distance away from him but he still SLOWLY slid away from us once he saw us.

"The reward for work well done is the opportunity to do more."- JS

AHOP received wonderful news last week. He has been extended an offer to become a first year analyst with a major bank in NYC. Words can't even begin to express how excited he is to have this opportunity.

the blue lagoon at Kiholo Bay

A massive Pacific Storm has brought 7 straight days of rain to the Volcano. This past weekend we decided to ditch the rain and head back to the leeward side of the island once more since those lucky ducks rarely seem to receive rain. It's crazy how one side of the island can receive super-duper amounts of rainfall throughout the year and the other side, only 40 miles away, may only get about 10 inches!

During our short trip to the "hot and dry" side we stumbled upon a giant blue lagoon. The blue pond was 1/2 freshwater and 1/2 salt water. The water was freezing but still refreshing to swim in because the weather was so hot. We saw oodles of "Honu" (Sea Turtles) and even ran into a few while swimming thru the lagoon.

6 Honu sun bathing in the same place at the same time. What a rare site!


Walking on the LAVA ROCKS on the island we swam to in the middle of the lagoon- ouch!

Veteran's Day

One HUGE difference I have noticed while living in Hawaii is the large presence of military culture and military life on the island. Hawaii is full of military bases, special military hotels (goodness I work at one!), stores for the military, and special programs just for military families. It seems that nearly everyone living here is in some way related to a soldier in a close way- brother, sister, father, son.



This past Wednesday we had a special Veteran's Day Ceremony to honor the vet's and nearly 250 people showed up at our little event on top of the volcano. I was a co-Master of Ceremonies with a Sergeant from Hilo, HI.

Kealakekua Bay and Captain Cook

Yesterday we drove to Kealakekua Bay on the west side of the island. This bay was such a hidden little piece of paradise and a historic one too. The bay is where Captain Cook first discovered Hawaii in 1779. Upon reaching land Captain Cook was first thought of as a special God but was later discovered as being immoral and killed. A monument is placed in his honor at the entrance of the bay but is only accessible by swimming/kayaking because of high cliff walls- we didn't have a kayak or time to swim to the monument and back by dusk.

There was an amazing array of fish in the clear, clear water. It would've been great to have an underwater camera! At times I felt like we were swimming and fluttering around in a movie. The bay is home to a large reef and the water is relatively calm compared to other areas around the island. We saw several families of spinner dolphins around sunset, jumping, spinning, playing. And I can't forget to mention the donkey. I'm not quite sure how he fits into the story but he roamed around the beach all day, eating everyones food, walking on my towel, and trying to walk over me.

Fuerte Avocado

One of the fun things about living in Hawaii has been learning about new veggies, fruit, and food in general. Once in awhile someone in the office will bring in the harvest from their trees and plants at home. Last week I brought home an avocado. After a bit of research I think I've determined it's a Fuerte. Who knew there were other avocados besides the Haas? You would be hard pressed to find one of these green giants anywhere in IN. Unfortunately we cut it open a bit to early.

Check out the size of the seed!

Yanks Win

I watched the Yankees win the World Series tonight from Volcano, HI. AHOP watched from NY, NY. I'm assuming there was a little more hype in the city than we had here on top of the Volcano.

a storm rolling in

Kayla and I walked to the Summit of Kilauea yesterday just in time to see a storm rolling in from the north.

Halloween in Hawaii!

We had a work Halloween Party/Parade at the end of the day on Friday. There was a competition between each department but ours didn't win. We were beat by the Giant Sushi Roll from the Food and Beverage Department and the Zoombies from Administration.




Groups Department


Giant Sushi Roll

waikoloa

I went to the resort side of the island this weekend with the marketing director and two other interns for a marketing event. The event was at the Hilton Waikoloa Village. The place was absolutely huge. Imagine Disney World but just a Hawaiian beachy version. The resort has a monorail, boats, rivers, multiple pools, lazy rivers, waterfalls,dolphins, and about 5 hotel towers. I'm confident the entire population of Adams County would be able to stay at the resort +/- a few amish.

The interns with our trusty leader, Arlene





Dolphins!


View from our room!

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE

AHOP has been in NYC for a little over 8 weeks now. He is still trying to secure a job offer. During the last few weeks he has made great progress in networking and has had several really big interviews. Now he is playing the waiting game and still doing a few more interviews. He has also started an internship with a private equity firm and is taking a few night classes at NYU in finance. He seems to be keeping himself very busy and is in great spirits.



Thank goodness for gchat! What would I do without my computer. Isn't it amazing that we can still see each other and talk even though we're 4,000 miles apart?

Where are you Fall?

As the end of October nears it's hard for me to believe it's almost Halloween! For the first time in my 23 years I am missing a fall season. Growing up in Indiana we have always associated holidays and seasons together. Halloween for me doesn't just mean dressing up in a costume and asking for candy but it also means changing leaves, cooler weather, and harvest season. I wonder if people here in Hawaii think of any of those things when thinking of Halloween- colorful leaves, cool weather- or do they just automatically associate sun, surf, and sand with every holiday?

my view

I went with two of the interns to Hilo today. We went to the mall, Taco Bell, and watched Where the Wild Things Are in the movie theater. The movie was such a disappointment! For those of you who have been thinking about going because you loved the book, don't do it! The book is so much better.

view from the mall parking lot- just a bit different from IN! Mauna Kea is the backdrop.


Doing simple things like going to the mall or movies is just a small reminder to me of how even though people may be different colors, shorter, talk differently, or even live in hotter weather we are all still human and all need/want the same general things....and nothing is right or wrong...things may be different in places and that's just fine.

Do you recycle?

Since arriving in Hawaii in August one huge difference that I have noticed is the amount of stuff that is Recycled. Hawaii is a small state located 2,500 miles from the US mainland and 2,500 miles from Asia. Due to its remote location and small size Hawaiians have to be cautious in the way they treat their land if they wish for it to remain in the same condition as it is now. There are only so many places to drag trash and build huge landfills.

Nearly every bottle, can, you name it, can be redeemed for 5 cents in Hawaii. Besides the monetary bribe of returning your recyclables, people take more pride in keeping their islands clean then we do on the mainland. It's not uncommon to hear locals say, "keep the island clean," "respect the island." Wouldn't it be nice if we all treated our homes with such respect?

Iron Athletes

I'm back from Kona after a long, hot, inspiring weekend. Words can't even begin to tell how much passion the Iron Athletes poured into the Ironman World Championship race on Saturday. With heat souring over 100 degrees nearly all day it was difficult to stand outside and cheer on the athletes and not complain about the scorching heat and high humidity.

The race began at 6:45 AM. The first finisher crossed the line about 9 hours later and the final finisher nearly 17 hours later. The race consisted of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, and 26.2 mile run. Whew! Talk about guts.


I volunteered during the afternoon hours while the top athletes were transitioning from bike to run so I had a great view of athletes coming in from the long ride, jumping off their bikes, and wobbling to the transition area(they ran like they had been sitting on a horse for too long) to put their running gear on.



After volunteering I sat and watched finishers come in and celebrate their major accomplishment! There was just so much excitement and passion throughout the entire day. The announcer shared stories about many of the athletes and how they got to the race (you have to be a top athlete to race in Kona). There were a few physically challenged athletes, heart transplant racers, and nearly 40 people over age 70 racing.

Feliz Cumpleanos Alvaro

Dear Alvaro,

Tomorrow is you 23rd birthday and the day I met you one year ago. You told me you were from Fiji. I told you that you were from Spain. Your friends told me you were from Colombia. I didn't believe them. Colombia was a land of peasants and well, the C word. No one came to Indiana from Colombia, especially not to attend University. You gave me your phone number that night, I didn't quite understand what your name was so I put your name in my phone as, "Columbia."

You called me later in the week and called me by my last name, it sounded something like Hamburger. I thought it was cute. It took you awhile to learn how to say Habegger and Robyn, too. The rest is history.

From the time I met you, you have dazzled me with you unrelenting spirit to succeed and your passion for life. I hope your 22nd year was just as wonderful as mine. May your 23rd year be filled with even more happiness and success, too.

un abrazo,

R

IRONMAN

Tomorrow I am going to Kona to volunteer for the World Championship Ironman Competition that takes place on Saturday. The race is a mega triathlon consisting of a 2 mile swim, a 120 mile bike ride, and a marathon run (26 miles) all in one day! Sounds like fun, huh?

I will be working at a transition point somewhere along the course. I haven't been given my exact assignment yet. I'm assuming it will be helping the athletes change from swim gear to bike gear. The race is going to be taped by ABC but won't be televised until December 19.

The forecast for Kona is 85 degrees and sunny all weekend. All of the interns from KMC are going to the big event. We are staying for three nights so we'll have plenty of time to explore the warm and touristy side of the Big Island.

Live Lava flow in Puna

This is a quick video clip of the steam cloud rising from the ocean at the base of Kilauea. We were able to see lava spilling into the ocean, causing the big steam cloud. Kilauea has been erupting for nearly 40 years- thus continually creating new earth.

Crazy Duck

This duck really liked us or maybe it was the crackers we kept feeding him? He just kept on coming back for more.

Exploring Puna with the new Automobile

Another Intern Alex bought a set of wheels for $700. Though the car isn't much it is able to get us from point A to B to C to home.

Yesterday we tested the new ride out for the first time, venturing to the district of Puna. The island of Hawaii is divided up into several, maybe 6 or 7, districts, Puna is the one directly to our north.

First we stopped at the Ahanalui Hot Ponds. The ponds are heated by thermal energy from the earth. It was pouring rain when we got to the pond and it felt really good to jump in and swim around- the pond was 90 degrees!



After the thermal pond we drove up the coast to Kehena Beach. To get to the beach we had to walk down the side of a cliff. Don't worry a path had been marked and carved out with stones. The beach was a black sand beach. Kehena is a hot spot for hippies and they were out in the masses during out visit.



Our last stop of the day was the live lava flow at the Halema'uma'u Crater. The flow was guarded by police and we couldn't get too close- we were nearly a 1/2 mile away. We were lucky to once in a while see orange and red flickers hit the ocean. The steam cloud was the impressive site that billowed up from the ocean.

Tsunami

Yesterday we had a brief scare here in Hawaii. A huge earthquake shook the Island Nation of Samoa triggering Tsunami warnings in New Zealand, Japan, Hawaii, and other Pacific Islands.


This was a small reminder of the risk of living in paradise. Just off the tip of my head I can think of the following natural disasters that could occur here in Hawaii- things that wouldn't happen in the midwest, or never have.

1. Volcanic Explosions
2. Earthquakes
3. Tsunami's
4. Landslides

Ohh Paradise, I guess it will be okay for a while though :)

Colombia

It's official- I'm going to Colombia. I purchased a ticket yesterday to visit Cali in December. After I complete my internship here in Hawaii I will be going directly to CO for 15 days. Don't worry mom, I will be back in Indiana by December 23 to celebrate Christmas with the Family.

Vamos!

Just another day in paradise

We made a trek to the beach again this weekend. This time we went to a beach with some real surf and sand- there were surfers, snorkelers, and tourists swarming the beach and waters. One of the guys I was with had brought a mask so I was able to swim around in the deeper waters and see an impressive array of tropical fish.

Tip 1- NEVER EVER watch Shark Week on the Discovery Channel before embarking on a 3 month trip to Hawaii.

I was paranoid the entire time while swimming in the water, not to mention the fact that Tiger Sharks are regularly spotted swimming in the area. I mean, should they even allow people in the water here?

Tip 2- If deciding to swim in the water in Hawaii after watching Shark Week always swim with a companion who has on a brightly colored swim suit. Hopefully the shark will eat companion first.



After surviving the deep waters at Richardson's Beach Park we headed over to a street festival in downtown Hilo. There were a couple stages set up with live Hawaiian music being played and a lot of food vendors all over the place. No elephant ears and apple dumplings though. A lot of booths had ethnic food like- rice, pork, things on sticks, sushi, and lots of other funny things with funny names. I bet they were tasty!

Loco Moco

The Loco Moco is a popular Hawaiian Dish. A scoop of white rice is topped with a hamburger patty, fried egg, and then a large serving of gravy is poured over the entire concoction to make for a tasty but heavy entree.



Mmm doesn't this look great?