Thanksgiving travel food and friends

Travel, food & friends

Thanksgiving celebrations include YSA ward dinners, friends gathering together and a trip to an outer islands

BY MADISON NADER

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and BYU-Hawaii students said they are planning to spend the holiday by joining together for friendsgiving, island hopping, and gathering with their wards for a Thanksgiving meal.

According to the BYU–Hawaii website, the majority of students do not have family on the island, leaving the young adults with creative options to celebrate the holiday of gratitude. The university and Young Single Adult wards supply a Thanksgiving meal to everyone who signs up so no one will be left hungry on the fall harvest holiday. Students said they are grateful for the school’s service and inclusivity on Thanksgiving Day because students are left with no family on the island to go home to and celebrate with on the holiday.

Jackson Reeves, a freshman at BYUH, said he is planning to get together with his friends for a potluck-style dinner commonly known as friendsgiving. Reeves added he is curious to see what his friends will bring to share because most of them, including himself, live in the hales on campus where kitchens are not available. Reeves said he is planning on bringing a store-bought pumpkin pie and a pot of macaroni he will make on his electric stove. “Thanksgiving will definitely be unique for me this year. I think it will remind me of the true meaning of the holiday. It’s not about the food you’re eating. It’s about being surrounded by the people you love and showing gratitude to God for what you do have,” said Reeves.

Katelyn Strickland, a BYUH freshman studying psychology, said she plans to visit the island of Maui with her friends for Thanksgiving. Strickland said she wanted to take the opportunity of the time off from school to appreciate and learn more about the islands. She added one of the friends she is traveling with, has family in Maui, and they are planning to stay with them over Thanksgiving. “This is my first Thanksgiving away from home, and I’m excited to spend it with my friends on an island I have never been to,” said Strickland. She said she feels lucky she will be staying in a family home where a Thanksgiving meal will be prepared. Strickland added Thanksgiving is her favorite holiday because it is a time she ponders and counts her blessings while being surrounded by the people and food she loves.

For those with no plans this Thanksgiving, or who usually don’t celebrate the holiday, the BYUH YSA wards are offering a Thanksgiving meal to anyone who signs up. The university has been spreading the word for the meal sign ups via the school bulletin and a link to sign up can be found there. A sign-up sheet can also be found on the university website. According to the website, the meals are offered to everyone in the YSA wards on Thanksgiving Day, although times and locations do vary.

To access the sign-up sheet, log onto the BYUH website and use the search tool to type “Thanksgiving Meal Sign Up,” and click on the link that pops up. Enter your personal information and select the YSA ward you attend to get a notification on the details of the dinner. The sign-up sheet also offers specifications for individual dietary needs, so the dinner is inclusive for everyone. •

BYU-Hawaii teams up with Young Single Adult wards to provide Thanksgiving dinners for students. Some students say they also plan to get together with friends for 'friendsgivng' while others say they plan to go to a friend's home on Maui, Photo from Unsplash by Pro Church Media.

Lava from the Kilauea Volcano on the Big Island flows into the Pacific Ocean. There are earthquakes often on the Big Island because of increased seismic activity. Photo from Unsplash by Cedric Letsch.

Big Island 6.2 quake felt on Oahu

Students said they were rocked by the tremor at church and home BY BETHANY HORNER

A6.2 earthquake hit the Big Island on Sunday, Oct. 10, but students said they felt it on the BYU–Hawaii campus. The earthquake happened just before noon. The earthquake on the Big island was big enough to “cause items to fall off the shelves,” according to USA Today online, but there were no accidents or injuries reported.

Kaleb Christensen, a freshman studying hospitality and tourism management, said he only felt a little shaking but nothing significant.

But Maya Johnson, an online student living near campus, said, “I didn't even notice the earthquake.”

Kinoa Kester, a junior at University of Hawaii at Manoa, said, “I could barely even tell that there was an earthquake, but I definitely felt shaking.”

Kester said he has lived here for most of his life, and he explained earthquakes aren’t very common on Oahu as much as the on the Big Island. If there is an earthquake, he added, they are usually really small ones.

“I only remember one earthquake that actually had an effect and that was in 2006. It knocked out the power for a whole day,” he said.

Kim Christensen, a resident on Oahu for many years, said she has never felt an earthquake on Oahu. She said she lived here growing but moved back to Oahu within the last six years.

Both Kester and Kaleb Christensen said they were in their beds during the earthquake. The earthquake was so minor on Oahu, it was reported most people only felt the earthquake while being on a bed or some type of surface that could absorb the shake.

Ben Jordan who teaches oceanography at BYUH in the Faculty of Sciences, said, “I have not felt any earthquakes myself here on Oahu, but I have twice felt them on the Big Island.” He said the earthquakes he felt on the Big Island were from magma moving underneath the Kilauea volcano and breaking the rocks that surrounded it, which he said is different from what caused the earthquake on Sunday. He said Sunday’s earthquake was most likely caused by “the weight of the rocks that form the island of Hawaii.”

While there were reports of people who were concerned about a possible tsunami, one did not follow the earthquake, according to USA Today. Jordan said, “There wasn't any major movement of the seafloor itself. Tsunamis require the displacement of water to be generated. If the seafloor didn't move in a way to push or displace the water, there won't be a tsunami.” The earthquake was so deep beneath the earth’s surface, he said, it didn’t impact the earth's surface significantly.

Jordan also noted what to do during an earthquake. He said earthquakes are common in Hawaii but are more common on the Big Island. “Everyone should know what to do in an emergency. In the case of an earthquake, if you are indoors get outside as soon as possible until the shaking stops,” said Jordan. •