Looking Past the Pyrotechnics

New Year's Eve! This is an event I look forward to all year because is a time for my family to get together and catch up on what's been happening in each other's lives. More importantly, I look forward to lighting a fuse, then scampering behind the wall to watch the half blinding red, blue, and green bursts of light that come from the tiny upright cylinder. The little rushes I get from being able to play with fire excite me the most. Fireworks. They end the old year with a 'BANG', while- according to Chinese traditions- scare away the evil spirits for the New Year.

At about five o'clock, we drive to Kaimuki, to begin the celebration with my mom's side of the family. At five o'clock this New Year's Eve I was nowhere near the car ride to my aunty's house. Instead, I had been sitting on this cushy motor coach seat, complete with an emergency bathroom, for four hours (and counting). I wouldn't be getting off for another three hours, when it was planned for us to arrive in Phoenix. Yes that's right, you heard me, Phoenix, Arizona.

Moanalua High School's marching band was chosen to prestigiously represent the State of Hawaii in the 2010 Fiesta Bowl Parade. We left Hawaii on Christmas Day- a pretty epic start to our trip- with plans to go sightseeing on the days leading up to the Fiesta Bowl Parade. Its purpose was more for fun, but also to get our bodies adapted to the colder environment we were going to marching in. The bus ride started from Anaheim, California, where we had marched in Disneyland.

Looking out of the bus window, I see the long stretch of road in front and behind us, with the occasional green mile marker signs on the side. Back in the bus almost everyone was knocked out in sleep, as no one had ever ridden a vehicle for nearly that long. Looking back outside of the window I didn’t really notice the lack of natural scenery anymore. My mind shifted as I though of flashbacks of the past year.

The day at Magic Island Beach Park when they called my intermediate school’s name for first place in the research category was exciting. Two of my friends and I had worked on the poster board until three A.M. the night before the actual competition due to our lack of time management. I remember the first day at summer school. I didn’t know any one there, but eventually I was able to make a couple new friends to make my transition into high school easier. When school started I enrolled in a program called ‘Mene Mac’, which suited to my interests in technology. I joined marching band and, through all the sweat and hard work, made it through the long instructions of learning the basics during rookie week.

It was incredible. I hadn't really had the chance to look back on all the great experiences I went through in the past year. It just seemed to have left me as quickly as it came. Even though this year I would be over 2,000 miles away from home, I knew that I would be able to still celebrate the ending of the new year, and coming of the new. New Year's isn't just about the displays of neon colored fireworks- it's about reminiscing and learning from all the events that have happened, making your life special.