...Hau`oli Makahiki Hou
unusual, but lovely is this holiday season.
first, alone in an island desert...
now, with two new friends in a studio apartment off waikiki beach. cozy, and although maybe there are a lot of roaches... at least they are small.
when i arrived in honolulu 2 days ago, my friend said, 'hey... you're on your own. have fun." I was certainly more than a little intimidated... not being the 'city girl' type... but yesterday I wandered down streets and aveunes towards the sound of the ocean. as soon as i caught sight of the water -- nothing short of elation washed over me.
the ocean always has this effect.
but the reason i actually started writing this morning... was to share the unexpected blessings of today. i awoke at 7 and decided to go swimming off waikiki beach. the morning air was cool and fresh, and as most of the tourists had yet to collect themselves on the sidewalks... it was a pleasant walk. i even saw a family (or so i imagined) of house finches.. looking quite out of place in this, the largest city of the pacific. i chatted with mom briefly. i love you parents. i love that they love me enough to let me follow my dreams and passions even though it means being thousands of miles away.
i dug my toes into the cool soft sand. unable to decide the colour of the sand.... i likened it to the colour of a light-coloured cocker spaniel.. an odd analogy, i know.
mom told me she and dad tranferred some money to my account for christmas. they didn't have to.
________________________________________________________
something about me seems to strike honoluluan people as 'local.'
perhaps it is aesethic... the long untamed hair, brown skin, shells around my neck... and ankles, rubbah slippers on my feet.
but perhaps it is also that i see through the interest in shiny things... and would much rather get to know the person behind the counter than purchase a bejeweled "hawaii" t-shirt.
#1) i am searching for an authentic, carved ancient whale tooth fish-hook necklace, preferably with samoan tatoo designs. the fact that i know this makes vendors think hmmn... so she realizes the difference between the $10 tourist hook, and the $89 real thing. yes, she does
#2) mumus. at home on the big islands, all the ladies wear mumus to church. they are light, colourful, cool, and just kinds fit the rhythm of life. fijians and many other pacific cultures have something similar. yesterday while wandering the international marketplace, i found a cute dress shop with lots of mumus, from the very traditional ruffles and froof, to the spagetti strap short sun dress "aloha print" tourist equivalent. yesterday i tried on a bunch. but couldn't decide whether or not to make the investment. so today when i wandered in, the same young korean girl was working.... i asked her which of the two green .. we both gravitated towards the more ruffles, traditional one .. than the slit up the side hotel waitress one.
#3) buying christmas leis, i bought a few and then retuned for one more... when i came back, the lady wouldn't take my money. she pressed it back in my hand and said, merry Christmas.
#4) next i got some maile garlands for hula wonder... the chinese fellow said.. 'ah very nice choice' (that i hadn't chosen the rainbow flowers... then i asked him if the kuhiko hula chants they were playing were from the merry monarch festival.. he said yes.. we chatted briefly.. and then gave me some free postcards saying they reminded him of me "big island girl" he called me. we said thanks in earnest. the tourist behind me couldn't understand why i got star treatment. he even offered me a cup of tea. crazy. crazy blessings.
#5) i saw an older woman down the lane picking leaves... i know she was either going to eat them or make garlands from them. that made me smile. i liked her. i greeted her with s smile and a true from the heart merry chirstmas... she looked and me, and with a twinkle in her eye returned the sentiment.
and for the first time this year, it feels like Christmas.
Heavenly father, thank you so much for loving us enough to give us a guide, a mentor, a friend, and one who would die that we wouldn't get what we deserve.
Father, in full sincerity and with all my heart.... mahalo.
first, alone in an island desert...
now, with two new friends in a studio apartment off waikiki beach. cozy, and although maybe there are a lot of roaches... at least they are small.
when i arrived in honolulu 2 days ago, my friend said, 'hey... you're on your own. have fun." I was certainly more than a little intimidated... not being the 'city girl' type... but yesterday I wandered down streets and aveunes towards the sound of the ocean. as soon as i caught sight of the water -- nothing short of elation washed over me.
the ocean always has this effect.
but the reason i actually started writing this morning... was to share the unexpected blessings of today. i awoke at 7 and decided to go swimming off waikiki beach. the morning air was cool and fresh, and as most of the tourists had yet to collect themselves on the sidewalks... it was a pleasant walk. i even saw a family (or so i imagined) of house finches.. looking quite out of place in this, the largest city of the pacific. i chatted with mom briefly. i love you parents. i love that they love me enough to let me follow my dreams and passions even though it means being thousands of miles away.
i dug my toes into the cool soft sand. unable to decide the colour of the sand.... i likened it to the colour of a light-coloured cocker spaniel.. an odd analogy, i know.
mom told me she and dad tranferred some money to my account for christmas. they didn't have to.
________________________________________________________
something about me seems to strike honoluluan people as 'local.'
perhaps it is aesethic... the long untamed hair, brown skin, shells around my neck... and ankles, rubbah slippers on my feet.
but perhaps it is also that i see through the interest in shiny things... and would much rather get to know the person behind the counter than purchase a bejeweled "hawaii" t-shirt.
#1) i am searching for an authentic, carved ancient whale tooth fish-hook necklace, preferably with samoan tatoo designs. the fact that i know this makes vendors think hmmn... so she realizes the difference between the $10 tourist hook, and the $89 real thing. yes, she does
#2) mumus. at home on the big islands, all the ladies wear mumus to church. they are light, colourful, cool, and just kinds fit the rhythm of life. fijians and many other pacific cultures have something similar. yesterday while wandering the international marketplace, i found a cute dress shop with lots of mumus, from the very traditional ruffles and froof, to the spagetti strap short sun dress "aloha print" tourist equivalent. yesterday i tried on a bunch. but couldn't decide whether or not to make the investment. so today when i wandered in, the same young korean girl was working.... i asked her which of the two green .. we both gravitated towards the more ruffles, traditional one .. than the slit up the side hotel waitress one.
#3) buying christmas leis, i bought a few and then retuned for one more... when i came back, the lady wouldn't take my money. she pressed it back in my hand and said, merry Christmas.
#4) next i got some maile garlands for hula wonder... the chinese fellow said.. 'ah very nice choice' (that i hadn't chosen the rainbow flowers... then i asked him if the kuhiko hula chants they were playing were from the merry monarch festival.. he said yes.. we chatted briefly.. and then gave me some free postcards saying they reminded him of me "big island girl" he called me. we said thanks in earnest. the tourist behind me couldn't understand why i got star treatment. he even offered me a cup of tea. crazy. crazy blessings.
#5) i saw an older woman down the lane picking leaves... i know she was either going to eat them or make garlands from them. that made me smile. i liked her. i greeted her with s smile and a true from the heart merry chirstmas... she looked and me, and with a twinkle in her eye returned the sentiment.
and for the first time this year, it feels like Christmas.
Heavenly father, thank you so much for loving us enough to give us a guide, a mentor, a friend, and one who would die that we wouldn't get what we deserve.
Father, in full sincerity and with all my heart.... mahalo.
posted by sweetmiss at 11:45
1 Comments:
deanna... your descriptions of island life and your interactions with the locals paint a picture for me of sounds and sights and smells, and i can almost picture myself standing next to you, curling my own toes into the spaniel-coloured sand... (in fact, would very much like to be there with you. grins)... i can picture you wandering from shop to shop, in and out of people's lives... and leaving a trail behind you leading to Christ. you have a way with people, deanna. you have a way of warming them and openning their eyes to the beauty surrounding them. you have a way of turning up the corners of their hearts as well as the corners of their mouths. :) i hope they realize just what a joy it is (and how blessed they are) to have you there with them.
i love you so much!
Rachel
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