Fruit of the Week: Santol

Fruit of the Week

Santol

I found this fruit to be entirely surprising and delightful. It has a rather odd design: Its peel is incredibly tough, and often just using fingers (or teeth) is not enough to penetrate it. We thus use a knife, as we are humans and have the capacity to use tools. Once open there are four rather large seeds surrounded by pulpy/stringy fruit. In order to consume a santol, you simply plop one of the seeds into your gape-hole and suck on the fruit. You will not be able to suck the fruit off of the seed, which to some people might be frustrating. You will have to learn to accept that things do not always go exactly as desired, and become complacent with simply sucking the juices of the fruit. You will soon discover that this is, in fact, and entirely appropriate way to consume a fruit, and you will feel silly for being so frustrated with anything in your life at all, as things usually turn out alright in the end. 

I think that the santol tastes like an orange-banana smoothie. I like it. I think that it's perfect for when I want something sweet after dinner, but I'm still very full from dinner, and so don't actually want anymore food in my stomach.

Rachel likes the flavor but thinks that it is frustrating to eat; if you try to pull the fruit off of the seed with your teeth, you end up getting bits stuck in between your teeth.

Tam says that it's good. That's all that she has to say on the matter right now. She's doing her school work, learning how to be a teacher, and I'm distracting her with these inane questions about fruit.

Go Big (Island): A Week Full of Riley

Aloha, here's what we have been up to this extremely rainy week or so:

Our Halloween costumes: Stormtrooper, Rocker Chick,
and Ariel

Halloween was a rather low-key affair. We are, by now, used to the spectacle that is Halloween in Boulder. By contrast, Halloween in Hilo kind of felt like how you would feel hanging out in school during the summer. The only things happening downtown were the Rocky Horror Picture Show at The Palace (which we attended) and live music at The Tavern. Rocky Horror was pretty great. None of us had gone to a screening of it before (Rachel had never seen it at all.) We yelled at the characters, threw toilet paper, and all of the other fun revelries that usually accompany the screenings (except throwing food, it would likely rot under the seats and attract rats.) Afterwards we just hung out with our new friend Stephanie and her friend Diana. We stayed out till 1 am, which was very very late for us sleepy bones.

The next day Rachel drove to Kona to pick up her friend Riley from the airport. His flight came in pretty late, so they spent the night over there. The western side of the island (Kona-side) isn't perpetually rainy (like Hilo, on the eastern side,) so they were able to sleep on the beach, at Hapuna Beach State Park. Hapuna is, according to Rachel, widely regarded as the best beach on the island (it has a pretty wide white sand beach, which is relatively rare for the Big Island.) The next day they snorkeled around there and saw a lot of dead coral, which made Rachel very sad.

Rachel and Riley in Volcanoes NP

Unfortunately, Riley arrived on the island coincidentally with some truly horrific weather. We had one day without heavy rain during his whole 9 day stay. Riley was able to take advantage of his vacation despite the circumstances, and got his scuba certification. He had his classes during the mornings, which would bring us all into town, and then we usually just returned to the farm in the evenings (except for that one sunny day, we went to the beach that day.) We spent our afternoons largely holed up in our little shack and read or watched movies from Redbox on Tam's computer. One night Riley took us out to dinner at a sushi restaurant called Ocean Sushi. It was quite lovely. We hadn't yet had sushi since moving here. We were all amazed at how cheap it was (while still being high quality.) There actually is something cheaper here than on the mainland (besides fruit.) Ocean Sushi was BYOB (as are a lot of the establishments in Hilo,) but we just ran to the KTA market down the street and bought some, which worked out quite well.

Lava Field on Crater Rim Road

On Friday after Riley's dive lesson we took another trip to Volcanoes National Park. We took a pleasant drive down Crater Rim Road, which leads all the way to the ocean. The drive highlights a lot of what the park has to offer, which is mostly defunct lava craters and expanses of black lava fields. We got to look at some pretty incredible petroglyphs made by Native Hawaiians in times gone by, and learned that they used to bury their babies' umbilical chords in the lava rock near the petroglyphs, to connect them to the land. At the ocean we took a little walk until we found an oasis where we played in the palm trees for a bit, and then got to see a sea arch at sunset.

Hawaiian Petroglyph

After Volcanoes we went to "Black & White Night" in downtown Hilo. It was what a First Friday should be. We we were all very impressed. We have never seen so many people out and about in Hilo before. There was live (loud!) music, a lot of street food vendors, and most shops and galleries were open late. It rained for only a little bit, but was clear for most of the night, which was excellent. We had some yummy street food for dinner and then got a delightful dessert crepe at a restaurant called Le Magic Pan. We also got our palms read by a guy on a street corner, which I found to be entirely exciting. I was told I should not lend money to friends anymore, so sorry everyone, no more hand outs from this girl.

On Saturday Rachel was able to go diving in the ocean with Riley. Tam and I had a rainy beach day. When they got back we had a fabulous lunch at Ken's Pancake House, this authentically-Hawaiian/authentically-American diner that's been there forever (and the general manager is supposedly related to Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.) That meal kept us unbelievably full for most of the day. We took Riley to the Farmer's Market, which is quite happening on Saturdays.

On Monday we had a wonderful late-lunch/early-dinner at Bueno Burrito, this little Mexican food place that Rachel had been eyeing for quite a while. We found it to be entirely delightful. Most restuarants in Hilo are run almost entirely and solely by the owners (and sometimes their family.) The owner of this establishment I believe was named Jorge, and he treated us like royalty. He was very friendly and funny, and shared our sentiment that there was not enough of a nightlife in Hilo, and that there needs to be a place to go out dancing.

Sunset from Mauna Kea

That night we decided to try to get to the summit of Mauna Kea (which can be driven to, with 4-wheel drive,) by sunset for some stargazing. Lil Red can't be trusted up long and steep hills, so we parked at the bottom and hitched a ride up with 2 lovely Danish girls named Ida and Teresa. They took us up to the information Center half-way up the mountain, where we learned we were too late to hitch a ride up the other half. (Cars create light pollution with their headbeams which interfere with the observatories' observations.) We were still able to see an incredible sunset from where we were on the mountain, and stuck around for some guided stargazing.

Waipio Valley

On Tuesday we needed to drive Riley to Kona for his midnight flight out, and we decided to make a day of it. We wanted to check out Waipio Valley, a place I was particularly interested in because of its history as an exceptionally spiritual place for the Hawaiian people (there are all sorts of stories about the ghosts of upset ancestors haunting the place after the island's desecration at the hands of haole.) We were hoping it was out of the rain, being that it was about an hour north of Hilo, but no such luck. We decided to postpone the steep hike into the valley a different day (although, after seeing it from on top, I'm not sure I want to hike into it. It doesn't feel righteous for me, a white girl, to go into that land. But we'll see.) We checked out the little town of Honoka'a right near Waipio, which was lovely and quaint, and for whatever reason reminded me of old and small Colorado mountain towns (like Leadville.) We then continued on to the western side of the island. We rented snorkeling gear in the town of Kawaihae and then Riley and Rachel brought us to Hapuna (where they had previously slept.) We gladly sunbathed on the beach, glad to finally be free of the rain. It's funny how going to Kona often feels like a vacation, even though our lives in Hilo are themselves essentially vacations.

Rachel by the sea in Volcanoes NP

The real exciting part of our day (and we agree one of our favorite moments from the island so far) was night snorkeling with Manta Rays. We went to the Sheraton on Keahou Bay, which was located right where the rays amalgamate. There were a lot of commercial snorkel and dive boats in the water. They shine lights into the water, which attract krill, which in turn attract the rays. We had our own underwater flashlights, but we ended up kind of mooching off of the big industrial lights from the boats. It started raining, and it was one of the most beautiful moments I've ever experienced; floating at ease in the dark, with the lights from the hotel and the boats illuminating the surface of the water--the rain drops hitting the water made the ocean look like a softly oscillating blanket of black diamonds. We were able to see a handful of rays, which had an energy not dissimilar to that of dogs. They would play in the light, swimming in big loops, then soaring behind and under all of the people who came to experience them. The whole thing was surreal and ethereal.

The sea arch at sunset

After we climbed out of the ocean we snuck into the Sheraton's pool to clean the ocean off of us, and then soaked in their hot tub. I hadn't personally done anything like that since highschool, and it was quite fun (exhillirating! How often I forget how young I am and how I should commit shenanigans while it is still apt. That's what the kids say, right? "Shenanigans"?)

After we dropped Riley off at the airport we returned to Hapuna to sleep in Lil Red for the night (only THREE cockroaches crawled on me during the night!) We woke up with the sun and ate our left over Chinese food from the night before (that had been sitting in our trunk overnight) along with some applesauce that Rachel found near security at the airport for breakfast. We drove just a few minutes down the road from Hapuna to Waialea Bay, which I am sure is my favorite beach that we have been to yet on the Big Island. It was lined with trees and still-rooted driftwood, the water was calm and perfectly crystal clear, and there was excellent snorkeling.

The beach at Waialea Bay

We discovered upon leaving the beach that one of the two dive lights that we had rented for our Manta experience was missing. We realized that we likey left it by the Sheraton pool when we jumped in. I was again reminded why I no longer commit shenanigans; every action has a consequence...in this instance illegally using the Sheraton pool resulted in us having to replace a $400 piece of equipment. To drown our sorrows at losing the light (and thus us losing $400) we went to The Seafood Bar in Kawaihae, where we spent too much on food and cocktails (but had a great time doing so.)

Now it's just the three of us again in our leaky shack, in rainy Hilo.

Rachel just got a call, and someone found the divelight by the pool. I guess my karma might be just balanced enough for the time being.

Tamarah at Waialea Bay

A Nip of Poetry

Hello,
I just finished reading Ray Bradbury's novella "Somewhere a Band is Playing," and it featured a rather lovely poem. The more mystical elements of the poem are specifically referencing the town in which the story took place (which is a mystical town indeed,) but while I was reading it I couldn't help but feel it applied to Hilo quite nicely as well. I feel as though this poem captures the Hilo that I have been experiencing, with its slowed-down pace, it's feel of timelessness and loneliness and community and frustration and rain and ocean and compassion. Anyways, without further ado:

Somewhere a band is playing,
Playing the strangest tunes,
Of sunflower seeds and sailors
Who tide with the strangest moons.

Somewhere a drummer simmers
And trembles with times forlorn,
Remembering days of summer
In futures yet unborn.

Futures so far they are ancient
And filled with Egyptian dust,
That smell of the tomb and lilac,
And seed that is spent from lust,

And peach that is hung on a tree branch
Far out in the sky from one’s reach
There mummies as lovely as lobsters
Remember old futures and teach

And children sit by on the stone floor
And draw their lives out in the sands,
Remembering deaths that won’t happen
In futures unseen in far lands.

Somewhere a band is playing
Where the moon never sets in the sky
And nobody sleeps in the summer
And nobody puts down to die;

And Time then just goes on forever
And hearts then continue to beat
To the sound of the old moon-drum humming
And the glide of Eternity’s feet;

Somewhere the old people wander
And linger themselves into noon
And sleep in the wheat fields yonder
To rise as fresh children with moon.

Somewhere the children, old, maunder
And know what it is to be dead
And turn in their weeping to ponder
Oblivious field ‘neath their bed.

And sit at the long dining table
Where Life makes a banquet of flesh,
Where dis-able makes itself able
And spoiled puts on new masks of fresh.

Somewhere a band is playing
Oh listen, oh listen, that tune!
If you learn it you’ll dance on forever
In June…
And yet June…
And more…June…
And Death will be dumb and not clever
And Death will lie silent forever
In June and June and more June.

One kiss and all time’s your dominion
One touch and no death can be cold.
One night puts off graveyard opinion
One hour and you’ll never grow old.

Drink deep of the wine of forever
Drink long of eternity’s stuff
Where everyman’s learned and clever,
And two billion loves not enough.

Somewhere a band is playing,
Playing the strangest tunes,
Of  sunflower seeds and sailors,
Who tide with the strangest moons.

Somewhere a band is playing
Listen, O, listen, that tune?
In June and yet June and more…June.
--Ray Bradbury

Now that that poem got you all nice and warmed up, I thought I would be horrifically self-indulgent and share one of mine. It is from a while ago, which I think makes it less arrogant to share (yes? no?) I have been writing a lot in my journal lately, which I have had since I was about 8. It contains so many thoughts from throughout my life, most especially from my teenage years. Those parts of the journal are, of course, rife with my own tormented adolescent personal dramas, as well as some surprisingly poignant poems (but everyone is a fan of their own poetry, no?) I was rifling through my old words and came across one poem in particular that struck me as rather beautifully apt for my time in Hawaii. It's as though my younger self knew I would be here one day, and needed me to be here. Anyways, here it is:

Waves upon waves

Of mahogany tide

Floating suspended

Shifting inside

My thoughts scatter

The fish that hide

Gazing outward,

Along for the ride.

Limitless moon

Match sighing stars

Dripping with salt

That stings my scars

Messages elapse

Stuffed inside drawers 

Memories survive

Travelling afar.

Afraid to begin 

Afraid of fear

Boats soar by,

Unaware I’m near

Contemplating life

Laying with tears

The water reflects

My heart as a mirror.

Complete in myself,

A hole without you,

The ocean carries me

Right on cue

Towards a harmony 

Way over due

A land full of sand

With nothing to do.

--16 year old Catherine

Go Big (Island): Is This a Vacation?

Hello everybody,

This post might be a contemplative one, as that is the mood I am in. Please excuse this, it may be a bit rambling.

Rachel on a cool bridge near the Kamehameha statue

Recently, the three of us have had discussions concerning our time here on Hawaii. We've lived here now for over a month, with two more months to go. None of us have jobs (Tamarah quit hers, story will follow.) None of us do anything all that productive with our time (as far as contributing to our larger society.) We work on the farm, sure, but that definitely does not take up the majority of our time. We explore the island a little bit, and that's always fun (there really is no end to what you can explore while you're here.) But largely we spend our days just spending time with each other (and sometimes Sanji.)

Sunset in Kona

Our mornings are now mostly the matter of a slow and steady routine. We wake up early (now we are all usually awake at 6:30 or 7,) which is good. Rachel will go on a run or a bike ride (Tam's starting to run now too, on occasion.) Then the two of them usually do some sort of workout (as Tam addressed in her post...I prefer to work out in a solely incidental manner) While they're busy refining their bods, I usually wake up slowly and leisurely. I stretch, write, and sometimes meditate; sometimes I play music off of my device or play the ukulele, to provide some sort of inspiration for them. Then we walk down to the kitchen and eat our breakfast. Then we usually garden for a bit. Then we do WHATEVER WE WANT FOR THE REST OF THE DAY. That often means just talking to each other. A lot, about everything. Boys, our health, our futures, our dreams (both the sleep kind and the ambition kind,) our bowel movements (nope that's not a joke,) our insecurities, our families, our interests. The 3 of us spend just so much time together. All of our time. If we are apart for ANY amount of time, we require an update on anything that happened while we were separated.

So that is what we do. We are learning about ourselves and eachother. Personally, I love it. Having had anxiety for the past 6 years of my life, I'm relishing this time where I am so completely fortunate to not have to work, to spend my time freely with 2 of my best friends in one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. I'm sorry if this seems like I'm bragging. I am a little bit. But mostly I just want to express my gratitude for my situation.

Rachel with King Kamehameha the Great

Sometimes the 3 of us talk about how much we miss home, and how excited we are to go back. We miss our friends (they're simply the best friends,) our families, our dogs, the mountains, the change of season, the things we've grown to be comfortable with (and not being subjected to ants ALL OF THE TIME.) We need to remind eachother of where we are. Of what we're doing. Of how just unbelievably fortunate we are.

Anyways, here's what we've been up to for the past week or so (in a more focused manner):

Rachel and I have been going on little dates while Tamarah was at work. We had to do something while she was there, so we would go and do little touristy things, such as visit Coconut Island (mentioned in a previous post.) We also went to the King Kamehameha statue, commemorating the first king to ever unite all of the Hawaiian islands as one kingdom. We took walks around ponds, climbed banyans, took photos on cool bridges.

Rachel (in the blue shirt) starting the 10k

Last weekend we made yet another trip to Kona. Rachel, who is a beast, decided to try her hand at a 10k. The 10k was held at Pu'u Wa'awa as a fundraiser to help save the Dry Forest. On Friday Rachel and I waited until Tam was done with her shift at Cronies, then the 3 of us drove to Kona. We spent the night sleeping in Lil Red again (more comfortable with 3 instead of 4 people,) then woke up at 6 to drive to the race. The 10k consisted of running up and down a steep hill; roughly the first 5k was a pretty gnar incline, with the second 5k being a steady decline followed by a sharp decline. She did awesome, 2nd in her age division. We nabbed some free food (croissants, bananas, coffee and the like,) then headed out to explore around Kona a bit more.

Rachel's race results. We're so proud of her!

We had breakfast at a cafe (Kona is well known for it's coffee, supposedly some of the best in the world, naturally not as bitter as other coffee beans,) stopped by Creative Costumes to find stuff for our Halloween costumes, then went across the street to Original Donkey Balls Factory and Store to try some donkey balls. Donkey balls are a favorite dessert in Hawaii; they consist of a macadamia nut covered in chocolate. We personally really liked the "Chocolate Peeper-mint" chicken balls, which had a minty center and chocolatey exterior and were smaller than donkey balls.

Yummy Chicken Balls!

We decided to check out Kealakekua Bay, where Captain Cook landed on the Hawaiian Islands (the second time,) and where he was killed. The Captain Cook/Hawaii story is completely fascinating to me, and I'll probably tell it in full in a later post for people unfamiliar with the story. There is a monument for Cook in the bay, at a site that can't be reached except for by a two mile trail. We were going to try to hike to it, but ran out of time (there's supposedly astounding snorkeling in the ocean by the monument.) A weird fact about the monument: the patch of land that the monument is on is owned by Great Britain. Anyways, we were going to go swimming in the bay but the tide was really rough, so we went swimming at a public beach park right down the road. We went shopping at Costco (which was very exciting,) then went out to dinner at Kona Brewing Company. Kona Brewing is definitely the most popular micro-brewed beer in Hawaii. I personally LOVE it (neither Rachel or Tam really like beer.) I'm a big fan of wheat beers and they have an excellent selection. Their most popular beer is their Longboard Lager, which is delightful. I also really enjoy Big Wave Golden Ale and Wailua Wheat (which has passionfruit in it and is unfortunately only available in Hawaii.)

Kealakekua Bay (Captain Cook monument is white obelisk on left)

On Monday Tamarah and Rachel decided to do the lemon juice cleanse. Rachel did this cleanse when she first got here, so by now it was old-hat to her. For Tamarah, on the other hand, it was a new experience. Tamalam is usually a sweet little bumble bee of a person, but on the cleanse she became a bit of an adorable grumpy puss. She was so tired and hungry from the cleanse that she quit her job on the first day, then promptly gave up the cleanse the next morning. It was quite funny and endearing. So now Rachel and I have Tam all to ourselves again, which we quite enjoy.

Tamarah and Rachel with a lava tree

On Wednesday we decided to check out the South-Eastern side of the island a bit more. Our first stop was Lava Tree State Park. This is a state park created to showcase lava trees, which are literally trees that were caught up in lava. It was a nice little park with a quick loop that took us about 10 minutes to walk. We really wanted to check out Champagne Cove near Pahoa, which is a calm inlet pool that has some hot springs pouring into it, to make it an entirely pleasant swimming temperature. It's not really a hot springs, more tepid, but still very nice. Champagne Cove is sort of inside this private sub-division, however; but we got around that by driving a mile or so North of the cove to this light beacon on the coast, and then walking along the coast until we got to the cove. While we were there we noticed a helicopter consistenly hovering over the beach, and men on skidoos searching the waves. We later learned that a local girl had gone missing while snorkeling there a few days before, which is pretty scary. Sanji knew the girl, she was his friend's girlfriend.

Tamarah at Champagne Cove

That night we went to Kalapana Night Market, a hidden farmer's market that occurs on the now lava-covered town of Kalapana on Wednesday nights. It was a truly wonderful experience. There was live music, craft and food booths, and a collection of wonderfully eclectic Hawaiian locals. We all got really yummy food (Rachel broke her faste at the market,) I got some beer, and we just sat and absorbed the pleasant atmosphere. The road to the night market was single lane for most of it, and wound through these really beautiful forests right along the ocean.

Yesterday we went to Kolekole Beach Park, right down the road from Honomu. It was pretty neat. It is located at a junction of a river joining the ocean, and has a lovely waterfall. We enjoyed a nice picnic there of this sort of kasava salad we made, to which we added artichoke hearts, and artichoke heart/mustard salad dressing that Rachel made, tomatoes, hot sauce, avocado, and hummus.

Rachel and Tamarah at the waterfall at Kolekole

Rachel's friend Riley is coming to visit for 9 days tomorrow. Today is Halloween, and we're going to watch Rocky Horror Picture Show at the legendary Palace Theater. Tamarah is Ariel (The Little Mermaid,) Rachel is an 80s rocker chick, and I'm a stormtrooper. My costume was made for an 8 year old boy, and so doesn't fit me super well, but I wanted it SO BAD.

Some Notes from the Past Week:

• There is an invasive frog species on the island called "coquis," and they sing throughout the night every night. When Tam and I first got here we thought they were birds, only to be corrected by Sanji. Frogs makes more sense.
• The cop cars here look like normal cars, with a blue siren light on top. We've been told that this is because the police department pays for half of the car and the cop pays for the other half. This is supposed to encourage the cops to take better care of their cars.

  

  The Dry Forest at Pu'u Wa'awa'a

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Fruit of the Week: Abiu

Fruit of the Week

Abiu

The abiu is an interesting fruit. It enticed me at the Locavore store in downtown Hilo--it's round, yellow exterior seemed promising to me as a fruit full of adventure. As it turns out, I was not the biggest fan (Rachel really liked it though.) It is very, very sweet. Too sweet for my taste, but that is just me. It has a sort of caramel-y flavor, and to me tastes somewhat milky. The skin, for whatever reason, makes our mouths go all tingly. The fruit itself is somewhat like a slimy peach, with less texture. Rachel and Tamarah think they taste a little bit like a rambutan (a notion I don't agree with.) They both also think they're very sweet. Tamarah thinks that it is a little interesting; kind of like pudding, really mushy. She says it looks like it could be cut like a lemon. Rachel enjoys how the peel make your lips numb, she thinks it's a fun feeling. It's not something she would want to eat all the time, but she would like it as a treat for every once in a while, for a little variety in the ole fruit repertoire. She likes that the texture is a little slimy and weird.

Hawaiian Language

The Big Island is still very much authetically Hawaiian, esecially the Eastern side (where Hilo is.) Some quick facts about the Big Island:

• The island of Hawaii is considered to be its own county. According to a 2010 census cited on Wikipedia: "The racial makeup of the county was 34.5% White, 0.7% African American, 22.6% Asian, 12.4% Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, and 29.2% from two or more races; 11.8% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race."
• The population of the three largest cities on the island are: Hilo, at just over 40,000; Kona, at almost 12,000 people; and Waimea, at just over 9,000.
• According to Newsmax, Hilo is the third largest city in Hawaii, and the only of the big Hawaiian cities not found on Oahu: "Of all cities on this (5 Biggest Cities of Hawaii) list, Hilo has the largest concentration of people of only 'native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander' heritage."

With all of that knowledge now available at your fingertips, you might better understand why I felt this post might be apt; the Big Island in general, and Hilo in particular, has a real sort of tangible attitude of it being first and foremost Hawaii...The fact that it is a state in the United States of America is a distant second in determining its identity. Hawaiian is spoken frequently, often in the form of some sort of pidgin, and the language is a notable part of Hilo's character. 

Now to the real meat of this post: the words that we hear often around us in our daily lives on the island. This will be a list of true Hawaiian words in combination with some pidgin. I'll start off with the most common ones:

• Aloha--This one will be familiar to most; it works as a greeting, as a form of thanks, as a goodbye, and just in general an expression of friendliness. There is a real emphasis on the "aloha spirit" here on the island, which essentially means being laid back, going with the flow, being friendly and giving and kind. The "aloha spirit" in many ways is what shapes the culture of the island.
• Mahalo--Thank you. This is used often as well, even in chain businesses that exist elsewhere besides the island (for example, it said "Mahalo" on the trash bins at Burger King instead of "Thank You.")
• Keiki--Child. This is also fairly common. Pretty much any instance when the term "your child" would be used, it is instead "your keiki" (pronounced "cakey".) The "baby on board" signs that hang in the back windshields of peoples' cars will often instead say "keiki on board."
• Wahine--Woman. Bathroom signs will oftentimes say "wahine" instead of "women." (Pronounced "wa-hee-nay".)
• Kane--Man. The male wild cat who lives up near our house is named Kane. (Pronounced "kah-nay.")
• Pau--Done/finished. Waiters and waitresses will sometimes ask if you're "pau" with that instead of finished. This is often incorporated in pidgin expressions as well; a common one is "pau hana," which means "done with work" (for the day.) (Pronounced "pow.")
• Mana--The energy of the island and its people. Mana had huge importance in the traditional Hawaiian religion. Sanji's oldest daughter is named Mana. (Pronounced "ma-na".)
• Haole--white people/foreigners. This I suppose is somewhat derogatory, if you take offense to it, which I think would be a silly thing to do, as that is what we are. (Pronounced "hay-oh-lay.")
• Da Kine--A pidgin phrase that means "the kind/that kind." It gets dropped by locals a lot in their conversations (at least by the locals I've been around.) Sometimes I don't understand the context in which the phrase is used. 
• Paniolo--a cowboy/rancher. Surprisingly common, but most often associated with steaks/burgers on restaurant menus. We learned from Sanji that a fair amount of Mexican cowboys immigrated to the island to work as cowboys here. Sometimes local music has a definite Mexican flavor to it (such as heavy tuba.)
• Tutu--grandparent. Sanji's daughters call his mother, Mala, tutu.
• Aina--The land (Hawaiian land in particular;) Technically means "That which feeds us" (isn't that sort of lovely?) There is a pretty prominent environmentalist culture on the island, and this word is often associated with their movement. A common phrase around here (on bumper stickers and such) is "Aloha Aina," which I believe means "Love the Land." (Pronounced *I think* "ay-ee-nah," although it might possibly be "ah-ee-nah.")
• Pono--Righteousness. Associated, I believe, with the movement for Hawaiian sovereignty. It is also used in the Hawaiian state motto: "Ua Mau ke Ea o Ka Aina i ka Pono" or "The life of the land is perpetuated by righteousness."
• Mauna--Mountain. The two largest volcanoes on the Big Island are Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. I thought it was interesting that the Hawaiian word for "mountain" is so close to our own.
• One--Sand. I don't really have an anecdote for this one.
• Kai--The sea/tide/ocean, etc. 

There are obviously many many more Hawaiian words not mentioned here; these are just the ones that I noticed with any sort of consistency. 

Hawaiian is a language that places an emphasis on the vowels to express meaning. It is common for every vowel in the word to have its own prominent pronunciation, which actually makes pronouncing never-before-seen (to me) Hawaiian words rather easy to pronounce, once you get the hang of it.

Life After College

Alright my dear family (and friends), that want me to add to this blog, this is where I'm at: Life after college. First of all it's amazing, especially when you go gallivanting off to Hawaii with two amazing friends, (so close I’d call them family). Not only do I get to wake up to their lovely faces and enthusiasm, but I get to see the ocean and eat tropical fruit right outside my window. My favorite so far would have to be the bananas, especially when they’re fried. They're lovely things that Rachel has grown quite accustomed to making in the mornings. A tablespoon or two of coconut oil and some diced bananas in a pan, and out come delicious nuggets of goodness. Definitely a great way to start out the morning, especially when Rachel continuously wakes me up with her enthusiastic energy for working out. We've got three different types of workout days, tossed in with some running on the side. We’ve got arm day, (can't lose that climbing muscle), butt day, (because of course), and you can't forget leg day, (because you just can't).

I've grown quite fond of living on an island, especially this magical thing we call island time. Meaning we rarely know what time it is--or the date-- as we often leave our phones elsewhere. The biggest thing I've realized about living in a place without easy access to internet or really even electricity is that we don't resort to our computers or phones in our downtime. We often sit together and hang out, talk, stretch, or read. We're all in the moment together. With computers it's so easy to be everywhere at once, but now we just enjoy our time in the now, with the people we're with.

Between swimming In the ocean, discovering waterfalls that exist in our backyard, cooking with weird exotic vegetables, fixing our car, and getting my butt handed to me waitressing (I got a part time job at a local restaurant), I've learned a lot being here. Unfortunately, one of the things I haven't learned (yet), is surfing. I was able to go with my sister in Oahu, but it's been a bit harder to find a board than I thought, especially one that will fit on top of our 92 Nissan. It is  still on my list though. Hopefully my next post will be full of surfing tips and pictures of me flailing around in some waves.

However, as this amazing adventure continues, big life decisions loom in the distance; and this is where I reach part two of my post. What happens next when we leave this beautiful tropical island? Being 22 and done with college is not only a beautiful thing, it's terrifying. The world is my oyster. After growing up and going to school for the last 18 years of my life, the sudden realization that that's over is overwhelming. I'm lucky to have a plethora of options my life can take, but it's stressful to say that I literally have no boundaries. I find myself flying through life altering options like a fine dessert menu. Something sounds amazing and I think I've decided what I want to do, until I read the next option and find it equally as tantalizing. Why is it we feel like we need to know what it is we want to do with the rest of our lives right outside college? This is a question I keep asking as I find myself putting so much pressure on all my decisions. Is it because we have become accustomed to too much structure? Since the age of five we’ve been put into school, and year after year we’re taught that summer is the time for freedom, as the other nine month are planned out for us. Now, out of school for the first time in 18 years, and being exposed to so many options, im finding it hard to latch onto one.

I've been thinking about this a lot lately because I was recently offered a job teaching first graders in Tanzania. An amazing opportunity where I would get to immerse myself into a new culture for an entire year. But here's where the panic sets in...I would start in January. Two more short months and I could be living in Africa and I have to make the decision soon. But then there’s South America. Ever heard of Pucón? It’s in Chile and apparently it’s the “mecca for adventure sports” (surfing, climbing, skiing, rafting…).  Living somewhere where I could teach english and learn Spanish would be amazing. Which lead me to Colombia, where I know a lovely woman who’s been helping me get connected with some schools, and has even offered me a place to crash for a bit. I feel like a dog chasing squirrels if squirrels where my career options. Lets just say i’m going through a bit of a quarter life crises here.  Anyways, there’s my spiel, as they say keep it classy, hang ten, mahalo and aloha, until next time, yours truly,

-Tam

The school sent me a picture of the kids
I would be teaching. You know, just to make it
that much harder. 

My possible classroom.