The main portion of the flight over the Atlantic and the U.S. was calm and relatively uneventful, with little turbulence. Once the pilot announced they were landing at LAX, Maja woke up from her nap and was pleasantly surprised to see how mountainous California was looking out her window. Her time in LA was short, but she was impressed by the sprawling suburbs of the city and the towering brown mountains in the distance. She saw smoke in the distance and realized it was an active wildfire, which unnerved her.

The plane landed, and the passengers and crew disembarked. Maja hurried to her next gate, not bothering to look around the airport. Once she found it, she waited for her phone to connect to service and wifi so she could text everyone that she landed safely, receiving a heart from Kalani and her mother, respectively.

She went to a nearby shop to get some food, as the food on the plane was not nearly enough, and she could feel a headache coming on.

With the alert that her flight was boarding, she got in line, finally paying attention to the people around her, absorbing the cacophony of various languages and accents, and noticing the Americans. She knew that American Midwesterners and Southerners had the most noticeable accents, but she also noticed who she assumed to be locals, but was sure not to stare, as she knew Americans didn't like being stared at, which she understood.

Boarding the flight was a bit more challenging than the first round due to more people yelling at each other for God knows what, so she put in her headphones to drown out the noise. She mustered through the safety instructions once again and was sure to send another text that she was leaving LA soon.

The flight took off without a hitch, and soon the Pacific Ocean came into view, and Maja already noted how different it seemed from the Atlantic. She knew it was deeper and colder compared to the Atlantic, and a chill ran through her as she recalled what her interviewer, Mr. Andersen, had remarked about the ancient Polynesians conquering the Pacific.

The flight to Samoa was more turbulent and cloudier this time. But once the clouds cleared, she saw tiny islands popping up, bright dots of green and white sand in contrast to the deep blue, with rings of bright blue surrounding the islands. She even swore she saw a singular whale down below, breaching above the water. But perhaps she was seeing things…

Finally, after another 13-ish hours, she landed in Pago Pago. The rush of warm tropical air was welcoming after being stuck in two planes for over 13 hours. Shielding her eyes from the glaring sun, she felt her body warm, taking in the warmth of the island. It was truly gorgeous here, and she already wished she had more time in Samoa. But now she had a ferry to catch. But at least the first half of her trip was complete. She was now in the same timezone as Kalani, and another update was sent.

K: You're almost here!

With the help of airport staff and a few locals, she found her way to the pier, where the ferry would depart. Luckily, she had some time to get food in her again and refill her water bottle. She could feel the exhaustion beginning to creep in, her legs feeling weak as she walked around. Her eyes were dry, and her chest ached, but the warm air was oddly refreshing, and once her stomach was full and she had some water, she began to feel better. She got a brochure to read about Samoa, just to read a little about it, and tucked it away into her backpack, and she loaded herself and her luggage onto the ferry for the next stretch of the trip.

The ferry from Samoa to Niue would be just over a day, so she would be able to get some sleep and enjoy the weather, as it was supposed to be clear and pleasant for the next five days.

The water was warm and welcoming as the ferry departed, southbound for Niue. Having more room and freedom to walk around, Maja leaned on the railing, allowing the water to spray on her skin and soothe her inflamed cheeks. Halfway to Niue, a large pod of dolphins swam by the boat, breaching the surface, squeaking, and calling out to the passengers on board.

She had never seen Pacific dolphins before and remarked on how beautiful they were to a fellow passenger, who grinned widely and began snapping photos. The captain of the ferry spoke over the speaker that they were the common short-beaked dolphin, noting the black and yellow streaked about the body. She, too, couldn't help but take a few pictures of them as well, beginning a new album in her photos app for her trip.

The ferry docked in Niue the following evening, and Maja boarded her last boat of the trip. This would take less than a day, and she would arrive on Motunui at dawn the next morning.

"Last leg of the trip, Maja, you've got this." She assured herself as she settled in. Glancing out the window of her room, she turned her gaze towards the night sky, smiling at the sight of the stars, feeling comforted and assured by their twinkling.

They seemed to whisper-

You're almost there.