This trip marks my first return to the good 'ol US of A in a year. It feels calming to return to my native soil where the world around me just makes sense. I can freely communicate and there are no concerns about exchanging money, how to catch a bus, or if I’ve somehow managed to cause an international disaster over some sort of silly faux pas[1].
It’s been several months since I’ve touched US ground and I cherish hearing the phrase from the immigration officer, “Welcome home, sir.”
Aloha!
I have long been fascinated with Hawai’i. For me, this place is more than a tropical escape; it is a different reality. Sure, everybody wants to sit on a tropical beach and watch beautiful people doing interesting things… all while drinking cold beverages from a beach chair. But that’s not what interests me, my interest is much deeper.
I am from the mountains. The mountains make perfect sense to me. I understand their volatile weather. I appreciate their harshness. I respect the ruggedness required to live amongst these uplifted tectonic plates. I sense the unseen ravines, ridges, and false peaks behind what is “up ahead.”
I don’t have this same level of comfort in these tropical places. I don’t feel the ocean. I don’t have the same intuition of the weather. I don’t fully grasp the intricacies. I am a student, and I do learn, but it is not my own skin.
Hawai’i does offer me isolation. Though it is clearly geographically isolated, I am surprised that I feel the same mental removal from the drudgeries of life on these volcanic remnants that I can find in the mountains.
The language attracts me.[2] There seems to be more feeling behind “aloha” than a friendly “hello”. I like that ALL the vowels are pronounced ALL of the time. It seems straight-forward and genuine to me that only the important letters are used and all letters used are important. It is what I imagine of the indigenous peoples of Hawai’i.
Music here seems to be a more integral part of life. Here, everyone sings. Dancing has significance through the stories it tells. I love hearing the combinations of ukulele and and the open ringing chords of slack key guitar.[3]
The water is simply awe-inspiring. The water is better than bathtub temperature and the plethora of life it sustains is readily evident. Here, the ocean surf lasts forever and is easy to catch, even for unskilled mountain-lovers like myself. At the same moment, this is the home of giant waves and the surf is large, demanding, and destructive.
It’s nice to step back into the humid air!
Ono
The deliciousness of this trip was not the food, but the friendship that brings me here. In this case, I have traveled to Hawai’i to witness the wedding of a dear friend and spend time with his families; which makes them my families.
To me, this wedding is more than the typical ceremony. It is a commitment. I feel deep satisfaction when I see these two people willingly agree to accept each other. I don’t believe that I see this often. In fact, I believe I rarely see it.
I’m speaking of the commitment in which two people look each other in the eye and knowingly commit to difficulties, hard work, and frustration because they know that the fleeting and elusive moments of happiness and companionship are worth more than several lifetimes of meaningless struggle. They have confidence that no matter what life may bring them, they will rely on each other and find a way through it.
Thank you for reminding me that these relationships exist and are still cherished. It is an honor for me to be included and involved in this beautiful ceremony with these types of people that I am privileged call friends.
Mahalo
Once again, I must thank the gods of travel for guiding and directing my paths for incredible and unexpected stories. This trip did not disappoint!!!
Hawai’i has brought me surfing, volcano exploration, interesting food combinations, bizarre accommodations, laughter, and rekindled friendships. Mahalo!
Footnotes:
1. I know it’s terribly egotistical of me to believe that I could possibly be important enough to cause an international disaster.... but, what the hell.... -return to the story
2. The Hawai'ian language (olelo Hawaiʻi), along with English, is the official language of the state of Hawai'i. After several years of decline (from the 1830's to the 1950's), there has been a gradual increase in attention to the language. The Hawai'ian alphabet has 13 letters: five vowels (long and short) and eight consonants. One of the consonants is a glottal stop (called ʻokina in Hawai'ian).
Vowels: A, E, I, O, U
Consonants: H, K, L, M, N, P, W, '
There are four basic rules in the Hawai'ian language:
-All words end in a vowel.
-Every consonant is followed by at least one vowel.
-Every syllable ends in a vowel.
-Two consonants never appear next to each other.
A pidgin language is also spoken in Hawaiʻi but it is not the Hawai'ian language referred to here. -return to the story
3. Slack-key guitar is a style of guitar music that originated in Hawai'i. Its name refers to its characteristic open tunings (in Hawai'ian it is called "ki hoʻalu" meaning "loosen the key"). Most slack-key tunings being with the guitar in standard tuning and "slacking" one or more of the strings until all six strings form a single chord (frequently G major). -return to the story
It’s been several months since I’ve touched US ground and I cherish hearing the phrase from the immigration officer, “Welcome home, sir.”
Aloha!
 |
| Island of Moloka'i. -Hawai'i [USA] |
I am from the mountains. The mountains make perfect sense to me. I understand their volatile weather. I appreciate their harshness. I respect the ruggedness required to live amongst these uplifted tectonic plates. I sense the unseen ravines, ridges, and false peaks behind what is “up ahead.”
I don’t have this same level of comfort in these tropical places. I don’t feel the ocean. I don’t have the same intuition of the weather. I don’t fully grasp the intricacies. I am a student, and I do learn, but it is not my own skin.
Hawai’i does offer me isolation. Though it is clearly geographically isolated, I am surprised that I feel the same mental removal from the drudgeries of life on these volcanic remnants that I can find in the mountains.
The language attracts me.[2] There seems to be more feeling behind “aloha” than a friendly “hello”. I like that ALL the vowels are pronounced ALL of the time. It seems straight-forward and genuine to me that only the important letters are used and all letters used are important. It is what I imagine of the indigenous peoples of Hawai’i.
Music here seems to be a more integral part of life. Here, everyone sings. Dancing has significance through the stories it tells. I love hearing the combinations of ukulele and and the open ringing chords of slack key guitar.[3]
The water is simply awe-inspiring. The water is better than bathtub temperature and the plethora of life it sustains is readily evident. Here, the ocean surf lasts forever and is easy to catch, even for unskilled mountain-lovers like myself. At the same moment, this is the home of giant waves and the surf is large, demanding, and destructive.
It’s nice to step back into the humid air!
 |
| Papakolea (Green Sand beach). -Island of Hawai'i, Hawai'i [USA] |
The deliciousness of this trip was not the food, but the friendship that brings me here. In this case, I have traveled to Hawai’i to witness the wedding of a dear friend and spend time with his families; which makes them my families.
To me, this wedding is more than the typical ceremony. It is a commitment. I feel deep satisfaction when I see these two people willingly agree to accept each other. I don’t believe that I see this often. In fact, I believe I rarely see it.
I’m speaking of the commitment in which two people look each other in the eye and knowingly commit to difficulties, hard work, and frustration because they know that the fleeting and elusive moments of happiness and companionship are worth more than several lifetimes of meaningless struggle. They have confidence that no matter what life may bring them, they will rely on each other and find a way through it.
Thank you for reminding me that these relationships exist and are still cherished. It is an honor for me to be included and involved in this beautiful ceremony with these types of people that I am privileged call friends.
Mahalo
Once again, I must thank the gods of travel for guiding and directing my paths for incredible and unexpected stories. This trip did not disappoint!!!
Hawai’i has brought me surfing, volcano exploration, interesting food combinations, bizarre accommodations, laughter, and rekindled friendships. Mahalo!
 |
| "Turtle Restin' Beach". -Island of Hawai'i, Hawai'i [USA] |
Footnotes:
1. I know it’s terribly egotistical of me to believe that I could possibly be important enough to cause an international disaster.... but, what the hell.... -return to the story
2. The Hawai'ian language (olelo Hawaiʻi), along with English, is the official language of the state of Hawai'i. After several years of decline (from the 1830's to the 1950's), there has been a gradual increase in attention to the language. The Hawai'ian alphabet has 13 letters: five vowels (long and short) and eight consonants. One of the consonants is a glottal stop (called ʻokina in Hawai'ian).
Vowels: A, E, I, O, U
Consonants: H, K, L, M, N, P, W, '
There are four basic rules in the Hawai'ian language:
-All words end in a vowel.
-Every consonant is followed by at least one vowel.
-Every syllable ends in a vowel.
-Two consonants never appear next to each other.
A pidgin language is also spoken in Hawaiʻi but it is not the Hawai'ian language referred to here. -return to the story
3. Slack-key guitar is a style of guitar music that originated in Hawai'i. Its name refers to its characteristic open tunings (in Hawai'ian it is called "ki hoʻalu" meaning "loosen the key"). Most slack-key tunings being with the guitar in standard tuning and "slacking" one or more of the strings until all six strings form a single chord (frequently G major). -return to the story
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