No Na Keiki O Ka Moku O Keawe

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Hi hi, today was a pretty exciting day.  We actually got to go in to work late (granted it was a Saturday, so really just going into work was hard) but we didnʻt really work.  We went to eat Sushi with the High School kids, then we got to go on a school visit with them where we saw demonstrations of all kinds of sports and activities at the school.  Then, we went to have a little bit of a snack at a mall and hit the Night Market again!  These poor high schoolers are really pushing their limits, especially since thereʻs a presentation tomorrow but I feel truly blessed to be able to accompany such wonderful people from Hawaii on their excursions.  Honestly, it is an honor and I wouldnʻt trade it for anything right now!

Unfortunately, I forgot my camera today :(

(^_~)^

Kaa Lawe Ohua

Aloha pumehana kaua,

O keia ka la mua o koʻu kau ana ma ke kaa lawe ohua o nei aina.  Ua nani.

Mahalo.

HighSchool

Today was a big today for us because the High School students came from Hawaii.  I donʻt think the word pride is right, but I was completely super happy for them because they won a competition that got them a trip to Japan.  They were a public school, from an outer island, and they won.  It is an honor to welcome them to Ehime, and I really wish them nothing but happiness while here.  Thatʻs all there is to say today.

(^_^)

Pili Kapekepeke

Aloha pumehana kaua,

He mea pili kapekepeke ka ke aloha.

Oia ihola

mahalo

Ice Sculpture

Today we got to give a presentation in English.  I chose to do mine about stories of Hawai'i and how important they are to share with others.  It was a great experience. They even made an ice sculpture for the occasion!

And it finally got hot enough that we could use the air conditioner at work.  This is fantastic news.

(^_~)v

Ka Olelo Mahalo

Aloha pumehana kaua,

I keia la i ike ai keia i mau pilikia.  Me he la, aole i maikai ko'u naau no ka nui o ka la ua namu au i kekahi hoa.  Mahalo e na pepeiao lohe o ko'u ola, i ole oukou, ina ua make au.

I keia po nae i upu mai he manao mahalo, ia Kukuilani.  No ka poe i kamaaina, he mea ano e paha keia manao aka makemake au e wehewehe i kekahi mea hoihoi.  Ma ka Lapule e hiki mai ana makou e hoike ai i ko makou mau mea hoihoi no Hawaii.  Na'u ana he hoike olelo hawaii, aka ua pilikia o Kukuilani i ka hooholo ana i kahi mea kupono ana e hoike aku ai.  O kana mea i hooholo iho nei, o ia no na Kepani e noho ana ma Hawaii, a me ka moolelo e pili ana i ko makou ku ana aku ma laila.

He nani no i ko'u manao, a mahalo au i kona hoola hou ana i keia moolelo.  Luu maoli oia i ka noii, a aole paha au i hoao e noii e like me ka nui ana e kulia nei.  He moolelo kona o ko'u mau kupuna, a ua noi oia iau e hookomo iau i kona hoikeike, a no laila e ano ninauele ana oia iau e pili ana i ke ola ana o ka poe Kepani i keia mau la, oia hoi, ka nohona o ko'u ohana...

Pa maoli no ko'u naau i ke kulu o keia aumoe.  Mahalo ia Kukuilani

Mahalo a nui

Meeting

Irrelevant Photo from Last Night at this curry place.  So 'ono

Today we were allowed to sit in on a meeting about the welfare of the foreigners living in Ehime.  It was a pretty interesting experience, regardless of the fact that I could understand very little of the conversation.  The other people around me seemed pretty interested...

I think the thing I got out of this meeting that was the most valuable to me is that...it wasn't much different from any meeting in America.  I think I usually have this image in my head of a room full of attentive listeners who have almost a super-human capacity to do things well and pay attention and execute all tasks.  I'm not saying people here don't get the job, but here's what I observed.

There were a number of people just looking around, up at the ceiling, staring blankly at the hand out...twiddling their thumbs.  There was even one guy who I'm pretty sure was sleeping (don't you dare buss out the eye joke, I know the difference between looking down and sleeping, thank you) and that was great.  I felt like meetings in Hawaii were up to par with the prestigious image I had of Japanese meetings.

However, I did notice there was little to no small talk on the side...I think in Hawaii we all suffer from podagee syndrome ah?

(^_~!)

Ka Uehe, ka ami, a me ka slide

Aloha pumehana kaua e ka mea heluhelu,

Aole au he poe hula, he mea ahuwale keia i ka lehulehu.  A i koʻu nana ana i ka hula, aole au e loiloi i ke ano o ka lakou hula no ka mea aole au i aoia ma keia mahele.  Eia no nae, ua upu mai he manao hoihoi no i keia la i koʻu wa e hoonanea ana i ka hula a ka poe Kepani.

Ua ku maila keia kane, he 20 paha ona makahiki no ke kulanakauhale o Tokyo o keia aina Kepani nei. Wahi a ka lohe, e hula ana oia mai kona wa e kamalii ana, mai kona piha ana i ka makahiki 8 paha a hiki i keia manawa.  He ano loihi kela, a aole au i noonoo no keia ano mamua.  Ua puiwa loa au i ka nana ana iaia, ua hula oia me he la no Hawaii mai no.  O ke ano o kona maka, he kolohe; o ke ano o kona kikala, he kolohe; o ke ano o kona mau lima; mahu, aka ma ke ano e lea ai ka maka hahahaha.

A he nui hoi kona sass.  Me he la, aole au makemake e lilo i hoa nona.

Ua ku maoli oia i ke ano o kekahi poe hula ma Hawaii.  Hoomaikai...a minamina hoi.

Mahalo a nui

Malasadas

I donʻt know if Iʻve announced this to everyone, but at Mitsukoshi this week there is a Hawaii fair, and it is basically one room with a stage and a bunch of extremely marked up merchandise from Hawaii.  Today at lunch we decided to go to buy the malasadas that were advertised...it was a very exciting time.    I had slightly higher expectations for the taste of the malasadas, but thatʻs not the point.

The point is that we went and there was a singer and a hula dancer from Tokyo.  They were pretty good, considering the werenʻt from Hawaii.  I heard that the guy dancing was 20 years old and he had been dancing since he was 8.  I mean, did you even know you could have that kind of hula history without living in Hawaii? Without even living in an English speaking country?

What the best part was is that we ran into that kumu hula that I was talking about earlier.  It is such a good feeling to run into people who you know, especially at a Hawaii event because it felt a lot like home.  It felt like turning on to aisle 5 at Longs and seeing your classmate.  I think thatʻs one thing you miss the most when you leave home.

($_$)

Na Olelo Like Ole

Aloha pumehana kaua e ka mea heluhelu,

I ka hui ana me na malihini ma kekahi aina o Amelika hema, ua nui koʻu hauoli i ka hui ana me kekahi poe i haahaa ko lakou olelo Kepani ana.  Me he la, o au ka haahaa loa o ka honua mamuli o koʻu olelo liilii wale no.  O na la e like me keia, he kokua ia.

Mahalo

Foreign People

The highlight of today was jamming on a presentation that Iʻm going to be doing this Thursday in Englsh... I think next in line would be meeting new foreigners who just got in 4 days ago from Peru and Brazil.

Itʻs interesting how both times Iʻve been in Japan, halfway through, another group of foreigners come in.  Granted, this time they arenʻt doing the same job as me but itʻs always a good feeling to think youʻre not the freshest meat on the block, you know?  Thank goodness for OTHER foreigners in Japan, they are your savior.

(^_^)

Hooikaika Kino

Aloha mai kaua e ka mea heluhelu,

Oiai ua kuaiia he moena yoga i kekahi mau pule i hala ae nei, a he ua keia la, ua komo nohoi au i ka hooikaika kino ana ma luna o ua moena nei i keia la.  Aole no i loihi koʻu hooikaika kino ana, aka nae, eia au ke ike nei i kekahi...eha.

Oia ihola.

Mahalo

Laundry

This is yet another day where all plans were foiled by the rain.  I actually really like the rain but to have plans cancelled due to rain is a little sad.  I feel like in Hawaii, if it rained, we wouldnʻt cancel we would simply change the plans...but the conditions of all my activities here are a little bit different I guess.

One reason I do genuinely dislike rainy days, however, is that I canʻt hang my clothes out to dry.  Itʻs a pretty upsetting situation because it takes, on average (because thereʻs no wind) about a day for the clothes to dry.  Today, at least I was proactive enough to realize that it was going to rain so I brought them inside...they still arenʻt dry.

That is really the highlight thought of my day.

(. _ .)

Loloa ka Holoholo Kaa

Magical Moment

Today I tried to create a magical moment in my spare time.  I actually went to a smoothie store to try the gelatto but the lady somehow tricked me into buying a juice that wasnʻt that great (but it wasnʻt exactly bad either.   I then sat down to enjoy my juice and there was a notebook sitting there. I thought someone had left it there but I (for once) could actually read what the book said....it said, "write whatever you want." So i wrote a whole paragraph in English then I drew a picture of a flower and I wrote in Japanese that I was from Hawaii...

I canʻt help but think thatʻll make SOMEONES day when they read it.

 (^_^)

He aloha ko Iapana

Aloha pumehana kaua,

Ua nani keia la i ke kipa ana aku i kekahi kula o kekahi kaona ma Ehime nei.  O ka hana o keia la, aole keia he hoike wale no, aka ua hoike maoli no lakou i ke ano o ka lakou hele kula ana a ua nui ke aloha.
Ua ike au i ke ano o ka pana pua, ka Kendo, a me ka kinipopo popeku mikini.

Ua nani.

Mahalo ka heluhelu ana mai (aohe kanaka e heluhelu nei i keia mahele)

Motivation

I think one thing that keeps me motivated to do this blog is that it keeps me very observant.  There are many things you find to be insignificant in life, but here there are sometimes days where almost nothing happens and I always need material to write about in here (to some extent) so I am on the lookout for every little thing.  Just as a fun note, I wanted to mention that for those of you who donʻt like life, I recommend highly keeping a daily blog/journal as it will make you more observant.  Itʻs easier to count your blessings when you hold yourself accountable.

Today, we went to visit Imabari High School...it has a longer name but Iʻm just going to leave it at that.  We were truly blessed because not only did we do our short presentation on Hawaiʻi, they basically wowed us with all the amazing things they do.  Itʻs a technical school that specializes in many things but among them are textiles and robots.  Not only did they demonstrated Kendo, and archery for us; but we also got the chance to see how textiles are made and got to play football with robots!

Yea, it was a pretty winner day.

(^_^)~!

Tsa

Aloha pumehana kaua,

I keia la i ao au i ka hula no Waikaloa i kekahi mau keiki lapuwale.  He aha ka fa.  Aole e hana houia ana.

Mahalo a nui.

Kamon

Today was a day of many amazing experiences.  It was the kind of day where even though one big thing seemed to go wrong, I had to remind myself to count all the wonderful things that did happen.  One of those things has a lot to do with my family crest.  

Those of you who read this and know me well, probably know that my family crest is Nadeshiko, or some sort of carnation.  The other week I went to Hiroshima with some co-workers, and come to find out the co-workers wife is from Hiroshima and their family crest is the same! And my family was originally from Hiroshima!  

Anyway, I mentioned that I had wanted to see the flower before I left, and I didnʻt know when I was in Hiroshima but the wifes mom had them in the yard.

You know what they did?  They made me a little bouquet, with the Nadeshiko flower! Then, they brought it back from Hiroshima and I found it on my desk this morning! AMAZING?!

(^_^)~~~!!!

Ke Ao Hula Noho Ana

Aloha pumehana kakou e na hoa heluhelu,

I keia la au i aa ai i ke ao ana i ka hula o kaʻu mele ponoi, o Kaulana ao Maunawili.  O ke kumu hoi o koʻu koho ana i ua mele nei, oia no kona ano he noa oiai naʻu no i haku.  No ka poe i maopopo ole ( a he kakaikahi wale paha ka poe e heluhelu ana i keia mahele me ka ole o ka maopopo no ke mele o Kaulana ao Maunawili) naʻu i haku i ua mele nei no Mukiki Wai i kela makahiki aku nei.  Manao ihola au ua kupono ka hula noho oiai e hui ana makou i mau keikikane, a he hilahila paha ko ka nui o lakou i ka hula ana ma ke ano auana no ka mea kuhihewa ka nui o ko Iapana he mau poe hula auana wale ko Hawaii.  Aole ka.

O kekahi mea maikai a hauoli o ka naau, ua hula no lakou a pau.  O na mea i hula ole hoi, aole o ke kumu o ko lakou hula ole ana ka makemake ole, o ke kumu nae, oia no ko lakou makemake ole e pai wikioia, a ua ku maila ka nu hou a me ka nupepa o keia wahi.  Olioli kuu naau i ka ike ana ia lakou a pau i ke komo ana i ka hana, a i koʻu manao ua hauoli ko lakou naau kekahi.

Eia kekahi manao, ua ikeia, kekahi o lakou he ilihune ko lakou ohana.  Aole paha kakou e noonoo nui no keia pilikia o ka poe Kepani no ka mea, ike kakou i ko lakou ano waiwai i na manawa apau ma Hawaii.  Aole penei ma na wahi a pau.  I noonoo hou aku ka hana, he manao ahuwale keia aka, ua komo maoli ka luuluu i ka noonoo aku, aole e ku mai ana ka nui o kekahi poe haumana ma Hawaii no ka nele o ke kala.  Ua aneane kulu koʻu waimaka!  O koʻu kipa ana ia lakou ma ko lakou kula, oia wale no ko lakou mea e ike ai o Hawaii.

Aue no ka hoi e

Mahalo a nui

The Big Day

Today was the big day.

That is, today was the day when we went to the High School...the one that once was a realm of the victims of the accident that brought me here to Japan this summer.  It was a surreal experience, one that Iʻm not likely to forget.

Although it may have seemed downplayed with cheerful presentations and salutations, it was so much more than that for me.  First, the memorial for those that were lost is right in front of the school.  We began our day by paying a visit to it and giving our respects.  We then went to give our presentation on Hawaii which I think went relatively well.  We later went to visit another school and even the Mayor of Uwajima, the city within which the school was located.

The details of all these visits are too vast to elaborate on, but there is one thing that I do want to share and that is how amazing it is to touch both sides of the situation.  I think most of us, we "donʻt want to get involved" because we donʻt have anything to do with certain things.  In my case, although I live in Hawaii, the Ehime Maru accident never seemed to affect me directly.  However, today I got to meet people involved and stand at the memorial whose sister memorial I stood at in Hawaii.  I breathed the fishy air that lays over the town and got to gaze at their mountains.  I got to see both sides.

And you know what I got from that?  I suddenly felt like a part of it.  And, it was a good thing in the sense that I have a renewed purpose and I feel a connection that I didnʻt see before.  While most often we tell ourselves its bad to "butt-in" to others peoples business...I felt, suddenly, a tremendous sense of responsibility to the partnership between Hawaii and Ehime.

I felt like it changed everything.

(o_o)

Mele

Aloha Pumehana Kaua,

Ma muli o ka eha nui o koʻu manamanalima i ka hoomaamaa nui no ka mele ana o ka la apopo, aole au e kakau nui i keia la maanei. E kala oe iau.

Mahalo a nui.

Homework

Iʻm not sure if I ever mentioned this in my blogs before, but Japanese classes are always a little bit awkward for me because they ask questions that you wouldnʻt think would typically be asked.  Well, maybe theyʻre typical for some other places; but in Hawaiʻi they definitely arenʻt.  Almost every work sheet has something to do with being/getting married or being/losing fat.  

Just saying, itʻs kind of sad. 

On the bright side, I thought Iʻd share one of the things that made me smile recently.  Above is a picture of a paper upon which a little boy wrote Aurora and my name yesterday at the hula class.  It makes me want to go back to Summer Fun.

Hoomakeaka

Aloha pumehana kaua e ka mea heluhelu,

Ua pomaikai keia i ke kipa ana i kekahi papa hula i keia la.  Makemake wale au e hoike i kekahi moolelo hoomakeaka ia oe.  I ke ku ana aku ma laila, ua hoomakaukau ia he hula ma ke ano he makana na maua o Kukuilani.  Ua puiwa hoi au, a komo iho nei ka iini e hula na lakou.  Ua ae maila ko'u pakana, a hula akula oia i ke mele o Papalina Lahilahi e like me ka mea a'u i hoike aku ai iaia.  A laila, hula au i ke mele o Waikaloa no ka mea, oia wale no ka mea i paa maikai iau aka nae ua malie loa ke ano o kona kope ma ka CD, no laila ua mele monaka wale aku au io ia nei.  Ua hu wale ko'u akaaka.

Oia ihola.

Mahalo

Hula Experience

We were very lucky and honored to be invited to visit a hula halau here in Ehime.  I think many people I know would probably disagree with the very concept; so I'm not going to get into detail about how it came to be because I'm afraid someone will read it and be offended or publish an article elsewhere about what a problem it is.  Instead, I'm going to talk about some of the wonderful people I met.

We first met the kumu who bought us dinner and showed us her house and her two dogs.  It was a very quaint lifestyle and she fully loved Hawai'i.  It's always nice to hear what joy my own home brings other people and my Japanese must be getting better because I understood most things she was saying. Plus side, definitely.

We got to actually practice with them, which I think was an interesting experience in itself.

I met a man who is 70 years old and still can dance hula, and I believe he even said he plays rugby.  How many 70 year olds do you know that can do such things?

I met a girl who is 16 and has great potential to speak english and dances like she's from Hawai'i.

I met a woman who came to Aulani this year, and enjoyed it so much she ran to me the second she could and sat and went off about how great it was.  

A child climbed into my lap, that I didn't know.  I felt so much love.

(^_^)

Miyajima

Aloha pumehana kaua e ka mea heluhelu,

O keia la, he la nani nohoi ia i koʻu ku ana aku ma ka moku kaulana o Hiroshima i kapaia ma ka inoa o Miyajima.  He ailana nani no ia i noho ia e ke kia, a me na ano manu like ole, a me kekahi poe kanaka hoi.  Ua kaulana keia wahi i kekahi hale hoomana, a me kekahi kia hoomanao i kapa ia he "tori" ma ka olelo Kepani.  Aia kona tita ma kai aku o ke kulanui o Hawaii ma Manoa, a i kekahi manawa i ka mamalu, ua hiki no ka hele wawae a i kona lalo, a laila e pai kii.

He nui ka mana o keia ailana.  I koʻu ku ana aku ma laila ma luna o ka moku, olelo maila kekahi hoa iau he kapu keia aina no na akua Kepani.  No ia kumu, AOHE PA ILINA MA LUNA O KA AINA, he wahi no ia no na akua wale no e noho.  Aue, aohe loa kela ano ma Hawaii he hoihoi maoli no.  Eia pu kekahi, he kupaianaha ka hale hoomana o laila, penei ke kumu:  i ko makou ku ana aku ma ka hale hoomana i holoi ai au i koʻu mau lima, a komo.  I ke komo ana, aia no ma ka aoao akau, he mau laalaau paa i kekahi mau apana pepa keokeo.

No ka poe kamaaina iau, maopopo paha ia oukou ke ano o koʻu mai hopohopo, no laila au i pule iki ai a laila i hoohana au i kela mau laalaau i mea e pale aku i na uhane ino.  Aole no emo, a hemo ka haalulu o koʻu naau!  He hoihoi loa no ka mea, i keia mau la, ua ano nui ka haalulu.

He wahi maluhia he wahi hemolele, aole o kana mai koʻu hauoli i ke ku ana aku i ia wahi.  Manaolana, he hiki ia kakou a pau ke hele hou i kekahi la.

Mahalo a nui.

Hiroshima

Today, among other amazing things, I went to Hiroshima and more specifically, I went to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.  While there were a number of interesting things and thoughts of today,there are two things I would like to share with the public.

First, although this may make me sound like a little bit of a hippy, I think I had a very spiritual experience today in Hiroshima.  I really enjoy Ehime, but I never feel fully comfortable here.  However, as soon as I got out of the car in Hiroshima it had a feeling of homeliness...I felt as though I was coming back to a place Iʻd been.  It was a place I was a part of..and thatʻs not something I usually feel.  In fact, if I closed my eyes I might have just thought I was in Hawaiʻi.

You see, my fathers side of the family (as many of the Japanese-Americans of Hawaiʻi) came from Hiroshima.  I donʻt know what part, maybe one of my relatives does but it doesnʻt matter.  What matters is that I felt a sense of homecoming...knowing that my own family could have stepped exactly where I stepped, thought what I thought, and seen what I have seen today.

Which leads me into my second point: I would say at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum I went through two phases.  These occured in the order that the museum was arranged.  For those of you who donʻt know thereʻs a devastating half of the museum, and then thereʻs a heart-wrenching part of the museum.  In the devastating half of the museum, I couldnʻt help but think to myself, "You know, I donʻt think anyone could feel worse here then someone whos 3-4th generation from Hawaiʻi whose family came from Hiroshima.  Because, on one side, people from Japan bombed Hawaiʻi and made life hard for Japanese people not just in Hawaiʻi but all over America; and on the other side, America bombed Hiroshima and could have (for all we know) wiped out whatever family we had left.  Or maybe it wasnʻt direct family, maybe it was friends.  Maybe the nurse who helped give birth to my great grandfather was obliterated in the blast.  Maybe the man who made my great-great grandfathers tile roof was in the blast." and then, to get a little more specific to me I had to wonder, "I wonder if anyone from Hiroshima was involved with the bombing of Pearl Harbor? I wonder if we were connected?" and then I thought, "And my grandfather was in the US military...actually both of them were..."

Now, Iʻm not saying anything against Hawaiʻi and my country but on a personal level, the whoʻs-who of catastrophe is mindboggling isnʻt it?  I was feeling pretty bad, didnʻt want to talk to anyone...and then I entered the heart-wrenching side.

For those who donʻt know, this is where there are sculptures of melting skin and preserved skin samples; where they keep photos of lost kids and display walls that have been pierced by glass and dyed by black rain; where they show cranes that Sadako herself folded and a picture of her in her casket.  This is where roof tiles melt into bottles and where tattered school uniforms are hung next to photos of hands with fingernails torn upright from a mother scratching at a wood and stone to try to make a hole big enough to save her child but sheʻs too late. Where a black shadow from a disintegrated body stains the sidewalk...

...and then I realize, that this hurts everyone. To see this hurts absolutely everyone.

No, not everyone lost someone; but the world on the whole lost people and that IS tragedy.

I guess Iʻm just saying, that I thought I looked at the big picture enough but I guess Iʻll need to try harder.  You may want to think about it too.

No one talks in the museum, they just walk around.  I hardly hear the Japanese "sugoi" only ticks and gestures to come here or go there.

I guess you do have to be quiet to hear the answers after all.

(~_~)

Aia I Kai Hohonu

Yuck

Iʻm glad I get some good food here. 

Last night I made curry with onions, carrots, and broccoli.

I guess this is that "make it work" attitude that everyone always talks about and yesterday I went to the store, thinking I probably didnʻt need any meat because I was going to cover some fried chicken that I had bought with the curry and have it with rice.  Sounds appetizing right?

What I hadnʻt factored in is that when I got home, I wouldnʻt be able to actually read the instructions on the curry box.  I know it sounds like itʻs pretty easy but I realized Iʻve never actually made curry, usually if I ate it at all it was instant.  I also didnʻt know that potatos that I thought would be good had frozen and were thus mushy when I got home.

So I tried to cook it, but it didnʻt boil down or get any thicker and I think the broccoli might have made it stink.  I ate it anyway, it was junk, but thereʻs leftovers...Iʻm not sure if I can eat it again...but I"m currently debating it.  Thatʻs really all thats been on my mind in this rainy day here in Matsuyama.

(%_%)

Ke Ki O Ke Mele

Aloha pumehana kaua e ka mea heluhelu,

I keia la i hoomaka ai maua o Kukuilani e hoomaamaa i ke mele a maua e mele aku ai i ka wa o ke kipa ana i ke kia hoomanao ma Uwajima.  Oia paha ka hanana koikoi loa o keia hele ana mai i Iapana nei, oia hoi, ka hoike ana i ko makou minamina i na mea ino i hanaia he mau makahiki aku nei ma Hawaii.  O koʻu koho mua, ua makemake nohoi au e haku i mele kupono no ia wa, aka aole i lawa ka manawa. No laila e mele ana maua i na mele elua o Ka Nohona Pili Kai laua o Nada Sou Sou.  Ua ano like ke ea o na mele elua, aka he mau mele ano kaulana ma na aina a elua, a e hoohui ana maua i na mele.  Naʻu ana ka mahele Hawaii, nana ana ka mahele Kepani.

I ko maua hoomaamaa ana nae i keia la, e hoao ana au huli i ke ki kupono i koʻu waha.  Aole au he poe i aoia ma ke ki mele, a ua ano komo nui ka hilahila.  Me ka ia ala kokua nae i holo ano maikai ko maua hoomaamaa ana.  Manao ana, me ka laki a me ka pomaikai o ke Akua, e nani ana ka maua hana i mua o ke kia hoomanao.  E pule kakou no ka pono o keia mele.

Mahalo a nui.

Free Samples

When youʻre in Japan youʻll notice that people are a little bit extra enthusiastic when it comes to samples.  However, my experience tends to be that they typically have a distance to them.  They often repeat the same mantra in Japanese and hope someone bites.  Perhaps its only like that in the big "city" shops that I go to, but that tends to be my typical observation.  Maybe theyʻre scared of me? I donʻt know.  Today however, I had a first.

I went to a place called Fuji Grand where I usually go for everything...essentially because I only know how to get there.  They usually have little fairs and promotions going on, and today it was a Hokkaido fair so Soran Bushi was playing on repeat.  (If you donʻt know what Soran Bushi is, look it up itʻs cool).  Today, for the first time, a woman started going off in a nice way trying to get me to sample half of a donut.  Maybe I just felt particularly drawn to her for no reason, but I bought in to it and tried the caramel filled mini-donut.  I think she was trying to speak English, but it was really bad then I asked in Japanese what was in the donut because the caramel tasted different than usual, and her eyes blew up and she exclaimed, "Oh wow fluent Japanese!?!?!"  With literally that much enthusiasm.

I donʻt know why 4 words causes instant bewilderment in some peoples minds, but I went with it and tried to hang in there.

I ended up being so touched by what a nice demeanor she had.  I bought the donuts, and she slipped me 6-7 extra.  Once again, I was touched.

Thatʻs just me I guess, I love nothing more than to have those kind of interactions.  I recognize that not everyone can get an extra (unless of course you go to Mr. Egg Roll at Ward Center), but I wish more people in the world were like her.

Needless to say I told her I was from Hawaiʻi after all this and she almost died.

(^_^)

Mele

Ua haku au i mele i ka papa i keia la.  E mahui ana paha oe i ke kumu o keia mele.  Oia mau no ana kou noonoo, aole keia e hoike aku: 

ke ala o ka iliahi

ahiahi no e uhi nei

ke kani nei ka uaki

lauwili ae ka peahi

he nani hoi ko kulana

he honi i ka papalina

hoopilipili i ka lihilihi

o na maka hinuhinu

a paa oe i ka lima

i na manamana milimili

holunape me he pulelehua

he pelu no na eheu

puana mau kuu eha

he lili ko nei loko

i ka peahi uliuli

ua sila no i ka manao

Inference

Today in Japanese class we talked about something that I had a hard time understanding.  In fact, even now Iʻm not sure that I understand exactly what the pattern was and how to use it, and to save face Iʻm not going to show you what it is but I will say that it caused me to reflect on an interesting concept today...inference.

I donʻt think a lot of us think enough about what we are inferring, that being, what exactly is the connotation of everything that we say.  I am not trying to cast the first stone, but I think itʻs something that they are more aware of here and I think itʻs because they embrace the concept of inference.  For example, if you want to basically reject someone, you can say what is nearly the equivalent of "umm" in Japanese and itʻs understood by that and your intonation that really, youʻd rather not participate in whatever someone is asking you to do.

The power of this concept I think is immensely overlooked in English.  Guilt and shame, I think we know a little bit about but inference and euphemism are probably one of the least appreciated linguistic tools that we have.  They are not as standard to us as they are in Japan, and maybe thatʻs why Japanese people thrive so much in a system like fashion...they have mental shock absorbers and euphemism and inference are the oil that keeps them from rusting.

I think today, in more than one way, I learned the importance of inference, and the potential it has to build and to destroy.  Iʻm glad something good is coming out of these Japanese classes, because Iʻm always tired when I get home.

(*_*)

Ka honehone

Aloha pumehana e ka mea heluhelu,

He nui ka walaau i keia la e pili ana i ko maua o Kukuilani hoikeike oiai, he nui na mea a lakou i makemake ai.  O lakou hoi, oia na kula e noi mai ana i ko maua kipa ana ia lakou.

Mamuli o ka nui o ka hana, ole no nui koʻu hookani ana i keia mau la.  Aka, i keia po ua hoi maila au i ko Piccolo nani a eia au ke hookani nei i ka ukulele ma ka hale.  He mea e koʻu hauoli i ka hookani wale ana aku, iau iho, no ka mea o ka hone a ke ukulele he mea e haupu mai na ano manao like ole no ka aina.  Nui ka poe e olelo ana he mea maikai ka hookani ukulele ana ma Hawaii i mea e hoonanea ai, oia pu ka laau o ka "mai home."

Puiwa hoi keia i ka nui o ka puni i ke mele Hawaii.  Me he la, kela keia Kepani e paa ana ka paiki ukulele ma ko lakou kua, manao ana au he hookani mele hawaii lakou.  Ua pai kii akula au i kekahi kane nona keia ano paiki, a ua makemake au e hahai ia ia i ka ike ana i keia paiki.  Malia paha, e hele aku ana oia i kahi wahi maikai o ke mele ono?  Koe aku ia, aole au i alualu.

Mahalo a nui.

Mahalo again

Yet another productive day with little surprises here and there.  I would say the highlight of today was after work, when we went to Mahalo salon again.  We decided that since we were treated so well, we should go back and see how everyone was doing and also do a little bit of advertising for our main event that will be happening on July 1 (you let me know if youʻre interested and Iʻll get you details).

I think it was awesome that they still seemed pretty excited to see us, and I couldnʻt have been more happy about it.  But the one thing that caught my eye is that they were using the stuff I gave them.  I gave the owner a lauhala bookmark that I got from Aunty Lorna to give out while Iʻm here, and sure enough it was in a candy bowl.  I told him I wanted to take a picture of it, and then he put it a nice setup by the window that said "MAHALO" next to it.

Mahalo, truly.

(^_^)

He aloha no

Aloha pumehana kāua,

I ike ka lehulehu, aole loa keia he kanaka hoolaha huakai.  Aole naʻu ke kuleana o ka hoike ana aku i ke ano o ka huakai ana ma Hawaii wale no, he hoopau manawa keia hana.  Aohe manao waiwai o laila.  I keia la ia ano papaolelo hou maua o Kukuilani e pili ana i ka haawi ana i mau pepa me na manao e pili ana i ka haawi kipi, ke kau kaa ohua ana, a me ke ano o ke kala Amelika.  Ina ua ike au o ke ano o kaʻu hana ana ka hoikeike nohona haole, ua hoole au i koʻu kipa ana mai maanei.

I kona hapai ana i ka manao, makemake oia e hana i pepa no ka haawi ana aku ia lakou, ua hoole au no ka mea aole pela ke ano o ko maua hoike.  He hoike wale no mai ka waha a ko Hawaii.  O ka mea apiki nae, maopopo iau, e mahalo nui ana ke Kepani i keia hana no ka mea aole lakou hele wale i kekahi wahi.  Oia mau no nae koʻu nuha!  Aole au makemake e haawi wale i keia mau mea kokua huakai!

Oia ka pilikia.  Ina lakou hele wale i Hawaii me ka ole o ke kumu e hapai i mau ninau i ko laila, aole lakou i IKE MAOLI ia Hawaii. Pela ka moolelo o ka moi wahine ma Waiau, ea?  Aole oia i ike ia Waiau a hiki i kona au ana ma laila.  Peia pu me Hawaii, ina aole lakou luu i ke ano o ko Hawaii, aole lakou i ike ia Hawaii. 

Kena wahi waha nui. 

Mahalo a nui

First Aid Kit

Today was another riveting day at work of preparation.  I will say this though, we sat down and discussed the schedule for the rest of the summer and it's looking like it isn't going to be a very easy time for the next  couple of weeks...but I'm actually excited for it.  So much so, that I find myself in my spare time (riding my bike, taking a shower) going through what I want to say in my head.  Today, just now actually, the thought clicked in my head that what we're doing here is really such an incredible opportunity and I'm glad I didn't pass it up.

That being said, it rained today again and I still don't have a poncho.  I know you loyal readers out there are thinking I'm an idiot for it, but I just haven't had the time or the urge to go and get one.  However, I will be sure to get one soon because today I had wet pants for pretty much the entire day all the way down into the evening Japanese class (which was with a very funny, new teacher).  Today I learned a really interesting fact from one of my German classmates; in Germany, they are in fact required to hold a first aid kit in their car in case of emergencies and when you get you are license to drive you must be kind of first aide certified.

I told her that in America if we touch someone hurt that's a huge liability issue.

I don't know which is a better policy of keeping people alive, but I thought this was very interesting.

Also, after class I ate at a great Ramen place that I think is a chain.  No group picture, but there's enough pictures of me so I'm going to post a picture of the people who we ate with across the table.  Hope that's alright if any of you read this, I doubt you will.

(^_~)

Kalipa

Aloha pumehana kakou,

O koʻu kumuhana e namu ai o keia la, oia ka nele o kahi kalipa.  No ka poe i maopopo ole, ua kuai nohoi au i kekahi mau kamaa ku i ke kaila ma ka hale o Ross mai ma mua iho o koʻu haalele ana aku ia Hawaii no Iapana nei.  Ua nani no na kamaa, ua pono.

Eia nae i koʻu ku ana mai maanei, aole au i nana hou i ua mau kamaa nei.  Ma ka la o koʻu hui ana me ke kiaaina i hoao au e komo i na kamaa, eia ka aole i hiki ke komo koʻu wawae hema.  Me he la, ua oi aku ka nui o kekahi kamaa ma mua o kekahi.  Aue no ka hoi e, ua hoopau au i ke kala, a aohe oʻu kamaa ma Iapana no ka mea, aohe wahi e kuai aku nei i ka nui i pono ai na waa kaulua umi ihu.

O keia la nae ka makamua o ka pilikia me ke ano o koʻu mau kamaa no ka mea, i ko makou kipa ana aku i ka poo o kekahi hale kiwi maanei, ua nana ihola oia i koʻu mau wawae me he mea la ua nuha oia i koʻu mau kamaa.

Aloha no..


Mahalo a nui.

1000 Views

According to my blog monitor, the blog has totally been viewed 1000 times.  I thought that was an interesting landmark for the summer, so thank you to you for reading whenever you are able to.

Today, we went to go meet the President of a TV station.  I think I actually downplay exactly how important all these people are immensely which is a habit I should probably get out of but, it keeps me from getting extremely nervous and thatʻs one good point that I donʻt really want to let go.

Today was also filled with lots of great food!  For lunch, one of our coworkers made Korean Pancakes, and Aurora made a banana bread in her rice cooker (which was amazing).  Goal for this summer: Learn how to make banana bread in a rice cooker.

Kamailio Me Na Hoa

Aloha pumehana kaua e ke hoa heluhelu,

Maopopo iau, he nui na kanaka i olelo e kahea ana lakou iau a e walaau Hawaii pu ana makou.  Aka, a hiki i keia la he elua wale no kanaka i kahea io iau.  O Kalaokananikiekie laua o Luka wale no na kanaka i hooko i ka makemake.

Aole o kana mai koʻu mahalo ia laua, oiai aohe pani hakahaka o ka hoa kamailio ma ka olelo.

Mahalo mahalo mahalo!

Mahalo a nui.

Television

Today has been pretty much a day that has been outlined by television. This morning, I woke up and turned on the TV. I was surprised to see that it was an episode of Pokemon. Yes, I knew Pokemon was from Japan but all the same it was kind of a trip to actually see Pokemon while in Japan on my own TV in the morning. I was feeling a little nostalgic. Then, this evening I turned on the TV after a long day of watching movies on YouTube, and the first thing I see is a volleyball game (live, apparently) between Japan and Iran. Itʻs crazy because at home Iʻm used to seeing like, UH games pop up on TV but this is an international game between two countries being broadcasted on standard cable! Itʻs pretty exciting, naturally, Iʻm fully rooting for Japan. These may seem like small things at first, but itʻs little things like this that really affirm that Iʻm living in Japan, you know? Yes, itʻs for a short time but if youʻre on vacation you wouldnʻt have the time to experience these feelings. And although I may not know how theyʻll affect me later on, right now, TV is a highlight. (^_^)

Ka Hale Kuke o Ke Kaaahi

Ka hale kuke nani o ke kaaahi

I noho ia hoi e na kanaka

Ua hui makou ae kuke hoi

I na meaai o ka honua

Aole emo a pau ka ai

He ono lua ole na kuu waha

Haina ia mai ana ka puana

Ka hale kuke nani o ke kaaahi

It's a Man's World

Today we had an interesting experience where we were picked up early in the morning and driven to a place (or near a place perhaps) called Saijo.  There, we participated in a cooking class where Japanese people sign up and learn how to cook foreign dishes from foreigners.  We were not actually teaching anything, but we were there to assist which meant we did some prep, and then we actually joined the cooking teams.  They had like this amazing kitchen stadium rec center that this all went down in, and I really liked the experience!  The one on one interaction with real Japanese people however was the most interesting.  I made some observations.

First, and the most blatant is that they really can't get over calling Aulani a Disneyland hotel.  What are they are they advertising here in Japan?! I am yet to see.  It is not Disneyland, there are no rides...it's a hotel.  I mean seriously they need to pull it together and I explain that.  I even explained that Mickey and Minnie and friends occasionally come for vacations only, they don't live there.  And I explained how important Hawai'i is to the resort...I am always such a Cast Member.

Second, Japanese men must not do anything in their homes because I kept saying I'd wash the dishes or dry them, or do something and they're like, "OH no no no!" but I just did it anyway because I wasn't about to just stand there and try to look pretty or pretend like I knew the first thing about cooking any of these dishes.

Third, some of these Japanese aunties are like ridiculously good in the kitchen.  I'm not saying my family is bad at cooking, but the housewives of however many years are SO fast and do SO MANY amazing things with knives....I'm amazed.

This concludes todays observations!

(^_^)*

Haukalima

Aloha pumehana kaua,

I keia la i kaanalike ia he haukalima e hoomakaukauia e kekahi hoa hana oʻu.  Ua oleloia aia ke kalima, ka wanila, a me ka huamoa i loko o ua haukalima a aole o kana mai kona ano lua ole!  Kiute maoli no ke ano o keia hoa hana, no ka mea, nana no i hoomakaukau i ka haukalima na kakou a pau me ka maia i nani kona nana ana.

Mahalo a nui.

Ame Ame Fure Fure

I think my luck was all out from yesterday.  Yesterday was a pretty good day where lots of people came to meet us, and everything seemed happy and the office was filled with life.  Today, was a completely different story:

I woke up earlier than my alarm which is nothing unusual, however this is actually a little bit daunting because it was raining outside and usually when itʻs raining outside I can sleep better because its darker.  But I got up, made my coffee and just dealt with it you know? What I didnʻt realize is that as I was enjoying my cup of coffee, the rain was getting harder and I, being the absent minded type that I am in Japan, havenʻt bought a poncho yet.  I canʻt use an umbrella because the last time I tried that I nearly toppled over like a million times while riding my bike.

But, I left the house anyway thinking Iʻll just buy a poncho along the way.

Oh, but how wrong I was!  I couldnʻt buy a poncho because the two convenient stores I went to didnʻt have them, they just had umbrellas which I have already established as dangerous for me to ride a bicycle with.  So, I ended up going home, switching bags and grabbing a change of clothes for when I go to work since my work clothes that I had originally put on were now completely drenched in the rain.

And of course, when I left the house the second time, it lightly drizzled and I hardly got wet at all.

Of course.

(~_~)

Aohe Poe E Heluhelu nei i keia mahele.

Aloha pumehana kaua,

I keia la ua launa pu au me kahi kumu hula Kepani o keia wahi...
I koʻu manawa, lawa kela lono nou e ka hoa olelo hawaii.

Mahalo a nui.

Crazy Surprise

I came home today to a surprise.  After a very long day at work (which was also extremely productive) I found a big on my door with this stuff inside.  I checked with everyone I know who lives in the building, and I donʻt know who gave it to me.  

The other intern didnʻt get anything.

I think thatʻs more than enough craziness for one day.  

(0_0)!

Hoike Kula Haahaa

Aloha pumehana kaua e ka mea heluhelu,

Aole o kana mai koʻu hauoli i ke kipa ana aku i kahi kula haahaa o Iapana nei!  Aue, ua okoa maoli no ke ano o ko lakou kula a ua nani no!  Hoomaemae lakou i ko lakou kula ponoi!  I koʻu wa o ka haalele ana i ke kaa, ma mua o koʻu ku ana ma ka holoe, ua pono e waiho koʻu mau kamaa ma ke alaloa a komo i ke kalipa maemae no ka holoholo ana ma laila!  Aole au i ike i keia ano ma mua, he hoihoi no hoi.

Eia pu kekahi, ua hookipa lakou ia maua ma ka olelo haole!  He mau keiki liilii keia!  Komo maua o Kukuilani i ka lumi hookipa (he nani pu oia) a na keia mau keiki i kau i mua oʻu na ano mea ono o keia kulanakauhale a me ke ki wela, a laila ua noho pu maila lakou a pau a e komo no i ke kamailio.  Aole paha i hiki ia lakou ke hoomaopopo i na mea apau, aka ua ku wiwoole mai lakou ma ka ninau ana mai ia maua i na ano ninau like ole.

A laila, i ka wa a maua i hoikeike aku ai i na ano mea e pili ana ia Hawaii, ua ano hoihoi lakou! A, ma muli o ka maua haawi ana i kanake no na kanake e pane ana i na ninau me ka maikai, ua eleu lakou a pau i ka walaau ana ia maua.  Me he mea la, o ka nui o lakou aole o lakou ike i na kanaka no waho o Iapana.  I kela keia wahi a maua i hele ai, ua ku lakou ma ka aoao i ole ma ka puka aniani paha a nana wale mai me ke kahaha i ia mea he malihini, he kupaianaha no hoi!

Nui no nae koʻu aloha ia lakou, a mamuli o ka lakou hookipa maikai ana, he kakali wale no koʻu no na la eae a maua e kipa ana i na kula.

Mahalo a nui loa.

Presentation Day

Today we had our first presentation day which actually was a double whammy, and we ended up having our first two presentations in the same day.  The first was to a bunch of adults who looked like they were important people.  The second was to a bunch of Elementary School children (which, by the way, was on the local news).  Letʻs talk a little bit about the adult presentation though, shall we?

Let me tell you, we had no idea what to expect but Iʻll tell you what I got:

NO one smiles in these meetings.  Maybe they were nervous, maybe I was nervous and didnʻt really realize; but in the past whenever Iʻve done presentations on anything to anyone thereʻs always been at least someone that was a little happy, you know?  And, we were there saying we were from Hawaiʻi and a I thought for sure automatically Iʻd get nodding heads and excitement...but no, nothing.

They eventually warmed up and started to look more relaxed which really helped me to relax...but I am just too Hawaiʻi for those kind of unhappy scenes.

AND THEN, we asked for volunteers to help us with our last portion of the presentation in which everyone would dance hula.  Tell me not, in most situations in life, thereʻs always at least one person who volunteers right?  NO ONE VOLUNTEERED! I mean, that was really shame and a mind blowing experience.

However, in the end, everyone danced and I think we really touched them today.  Only time will tell.

(#_#)

Ka Ia Gula

Aloha pumehana kaua e ka mea heluhelu,

I keia la i ike ai au i ka waiwai o ka Papa Mele ma Kawaihuelani.  He nui hou ae paha ka na kumu o ka waiwai, aka ke mahalo nui aku nei au i koʻu komo ana i ia papa no ka mea nana no i ao mai iau i ka waiho wale ana aku i ka hilahila ma ka hale.  He kupono ia haawina no koʻu hana ma Iapana nei no ka mea, makemake lakou e pai wikio oe e pai kii oe e hoikeike makou ia lakou hoi...i na mea a pau o Hawaii!  Aole o kana mai koʻu haalulu aka, he wiwoole au a na ka haawina o ka Papa Mele e pahu mau ana iau i mua.

Lawa paha kela no keia la.

Mahalo a nui

Itʻs only just begun...

Old Picture, but since weʻre talking about international food...

Tomorrow is the first presentation that we formally need to make, and Iʻm a little bit anxious about it.  For those of you who know me, that anxiety of any sorts isnʻt really a good thing for me, but Iʻm proud to say that Iʻve been making it through the day slowly but surely.  I am always blessed with little distractions.

Todays little distraction was a guy who came in to return a bicycle.  You may be wondering why this is so funny.  Well, basically yesterday the office was all up in arms because they were looking for this guy as he needed to return a bicycle.  The name flew back and forth til one of our Korean co-workers said that he is her facebook friend, so then they decided they were going to Facebook him and ask him to bring the bike back.  Well, she looked him up on Facebook on her iPhone which was in Korean and then she gave the phone to my boss who cannot read Korean to write in English, but things kept popping up in Korean!

And after all that, he ended up coming all the way down to our office to drop off the bike today.  It turns out he works near us (kind of) and he will be participating in this cooking activity on Saturday.  However, during his visit we looked at the advertisement for the event (which is supposed to display cooking of different nations) but, his nations name wasnʻt actually mentioned in the ad.

I donʻt know, I thought it was pretty funny.  He was from Ireland, by the way.

(-_-)ʻ

Ka Hoomau Ana i ka Olelo

Aloha pumehana kaua,

Makemake au e mahalo ia oukou pakahi a pau (he hookahi wale no paha) i ka heluhelu ana mai i keia mau manao aʻu e kau aku nei ma keia wahi.  I ole ka mea heluhelu, aohe kumu oʻu e kakau aku ai.  I keia la, ua kamailio au me Kukuilani e pili ana i ka paakiki o ka hoomau ana i ka olelo maanei oiai aohe hoa kamailio hawaii.  O keia wale no paha kahi no ia ano olelo.

Mahalo hou

Advertising

Today I spent the larger part of the day creating an advertisement for a seminar that we will be hosting at the center that I work at.  It wonʻt be til the end of June, but for some reason it is like devouring my brain because Iʻm so excited about it.  I donʻt want to tell you exactly what itʻs about, but Iʻll let you know how it goes when it happens.

So, basically this is one of those days when you thought a project would take all of maybe an hour but somehow it escalated into this three hour project where I couldnʻt get things to move right, and then the computer stopped working, and then the printer wouldnʻt work.

But I realized today, not for the first time in my life, that I really like to make things.  I didnʻt mind how long it took because I was really enjoying myself.  Maybe I should change my major to graphic design!

Just a fun, PASSING, thought LOL

(^_^)