Speak Like A Local?

Hawaiian is an official language of the state of Hawaii, it has only 12 letters, including 7 consonants and 5 vowels, and the 5 vowels are pronounced differently from English! With an estimation of under 10,000 people speaking the actual Hawaiian language nowadays, there is no indication that the language with melodious sounds is fading away, in fact, most of the local people and places’ names are Hawaiian. Although English is the islands’ dominant language, daily life language usage is completely infused with Hawaiian words and slangs.

So I feel like the first thing that could directly freshen my mind when I arrive in Hawaii is the local language! Hawaii is such a melting pot full of different ethnicities, it is no wonder that Hawaiian residents’ spoken language is an integration of ‘everywhere’, borrowing words from Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese and others.

We all know ‘aloha’, but do we actually understand when and how do we use it so it is not cringe or trying-too-hard? The answer might be: anytime! Aloha means ‘hello’, ‘goodbye’ and ‘love’, and add on a 🤙 shaka at people. ‘Mahalo’ means ‘thank you’… there are COUNTLESS examples I can keep listing on.

Putting myself in a new environment with unique phrases and slangs is definitely exciting (maybe just because I am already too thrilled about Hawaii itself)! Language is such a major part of culture, and being immersed in the local languages means a more genuine and rewarding stay! Yes, it probably will be confusing and challenging for me at the beginning, like not knowing what to order from the menu or not reacting properly in conversations, and perhaps it will take a while (a few months?) to get used to, remember and actually employ them in daily life, it is still beneficial in the long term. I am picking up Hawaiian words little by little now, one simple search away there are numerous websites to show you slangs ‘you should know before visiting Hawaii’, or the other days I encountered some YouTube videos about how to speak like a local, which I believe it is genuinely helpful (after confirming from the comment section) and could ease future confusion.

Mahalo for reading! 🌺

Let’s Talk About Water.

Hawai’i is famous for its beaches and spectacular oceans, however, one of the concerning environmental issues is water quality 💧. As I have slightly mentioned in a previous blog post(Honolulu Street Art: POW! WOW!), marine debris are affecting the waters surrounding the islands and it is definitely needed to be aware of.

Marine debris is the human-created waste that has deliberately or unintentionally been released in the marine environment (lake, sea, ocean, waterway)💔. It is not exclusively limited to waster from the islands but also sources washing onto shore from other locations around the world. The majority of the issue is related to the increasing human population and urban expansion (both indirectly and directly), which may includes pollution, climates change, urbanisation and tourism.

Islands strewn with debris, **NOT COOL**!!
photo credit: Dan Dennison/Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources/AP

As an anthropology student who has a high interest in cultural studies, to focus on tourism in Hawaii could make a possible contribution. Observing and analysing the set of common activities performed by people who travel and stay in Hawaii could conclude some factors that degrades the island ecosystem. The workload may be large at the moment but it is definitely practical. Starting with Hawai‘i, O‘ahu and Maui, as they are the sites of major tourism industries.

Reality may tells me that in my current stage of study, I might not be able to make visible impacts on the water situation of Hawaii instantly, but raising ocean awareness is the first step, and acknowledging everyone the unsustainable lifestyle of plastics could influence largely on local basis. For example, we could simply start from bringing soft plastics to Woolworths/Coles to recycle, eliminating plastic straws and bringing KeepCups!!!

photo credit & see more: https://www.exodustravels.com/insights/exodus-bans-the-bottle

Nobody in Australia and Hawaii wants to surf and snorkel in water that could cause skin infections, not to mention fresh drinking water. About 71% of the Earth surface is water-covered, our oceans hold about 96.5% of them, this is not just a Hawaiian issue, but simply a global one. 🌍

Thanks for reading!

Hula Girl: Inauthentic Island Icon?

Hula girl! Yes THE hula girl!

photo credit: Redbubble
photo credit: Lantern Press

Perhaps the image of hula girl is the most affiliated with the Hawai‘i perceived by tourists. You’ve seen her bobbing and playing ukulele on the dashboard of cars, you’ve seen her wearing a skirt made of grass, a bra made of coconuts, and with tropical flowers in her hair. She graces the cover of Hawaiian tourism brochures and more media! She is also found on a range of different product labels, where companies are trying to market their products as ‘Hawaiian’ as possible. Tourism and commercials employ place essentialism by generalising Hawaiian females as all-day-dancing-in-grass-skirts figures, without giving due respect to Hawai’i’s racial diversity, and the image has created a stereotypical view of Hawaiian identity.

chocolate package
photo credit: https://www.worldmarket.com/product/
bottle water
photo credit: https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos

Although many resorts in Hawaii are hoping to change those images, partly driven by economics, in the needs to compete with other 🌞 +🏄‍♀️ 🌊 🏄‍♂️ destinations. What we need is having the sense of place, to understand the past, ancestors, histories, and that now there’s more, there’s revival resurgence, the culture is an on-going construct.

Certainly, hula is an actual traditional Hawaiian dance form, but when the hula dance image is popularised to the point it is deviated far from the origin, and affecting perceptions of Hawai’i, it is important to showcase the real-life Hawaiian traditions, and make the islands truly special for travellers.

However, I do understand it is not my place to criticise how one region chooses to project its own image to the outsiders. But, lets get clear about 3 symbols (that aren’t Hawaiian but thought to be!!) today: tiki bars (Californian), grass skirt (introduced by Gilbert islands), coconut bras (pacific islanders didn’t wear tops at all).

Thanks for reading 😊

I captured this picture in a churro shop in Korea

Honolulu Street Art: POW! WOW!

Honolulu is the capital of Hawai’i and the largest city in the middle of Pacific Ocean. Not only known for its insanely beautiful beaches, waterfalls, waves and volcanoes, Honolulu’s industrial district, Kakaako, has become a public outdoor art gallery thanks to POW! WOW! festival:)

2019 is the ninth year of POW!WOW! Hawai‘i, a street mural festival loved for its expert curation and killer vibes, promoting culture, music and art, this annual festival invites over 100 artists from all over the world to come together to create murals and installations in Kakaako. (click here to see the map of 2019 art for a digital treasure hunt 🐾🐾)

This is one collaboration between RumTum(@rumtum_creations) and Brandon LaPlante(@brandon.laplante) this year. Like many art in Hawai’i, it represents an unique local style, mixing the elaborate urban graffiti seen in place like Tokyo, Los Angeles with Hawaiian cultural influences. This vivid psychedelic mural was painted to raise awareness about coral reef bleaching and global warming! Coral reefs in Hawai’i are vital to commercial, recreational and subsistence fishing, also creating famous surfing and diving locations! To understand and manage impacts for reef ecosystems from climate change and marine disease is critical. Besides its important message, it’s also a fantastic spot for photographing. Artist RumTum has shown us some detail photos.

from Rumtum facebook page

This mural, or generally POW!WOW!, has brought cafes, breweries, markets and crowds to the area, both locals and tourists, people know where to go in Oahu when they crave for a bit of grit, the neighbourhood’s edgy vibe and urban art offer an appealing alternative to sunny days at the beach 😉

Thanks for reading!

watch this amazing aftermovie of POW!WOW! 2018 and engage in their sense of community!

Something About Lei

I’m sure we all have seen Lei somehow – either from the television, or when you were greeted by some tropical hotel? I want to write about Lei because flowers are often delightful 💐🌼🌷And while lei is regularly seen, its far-reaching history and significance are not commonly known by foreigners.

Lei is one of the ancient Hawaiian customs which subsist and flourish 🌺 It was first introduced by Polynesian explorers from Tahiti, besides flowers, leaves, shell, seeds, feather or even bone of animals could be incorporated in these garlands. They represented beauty, rank and distinctiveness. It is said that in early times, commoners giving lei to royalty must present through an intermediary with a bow, complying with a taboo against raising their non-royal hands above the head of an ali’i (a hereditary noble). With western influences and development of tourism, this tradition has been tempered.

Maile lei
(used to be worn for the worship of gods of hula and symbol of peace offering)

Trace back to the more recent times, In 1927, poet Don Blanding initiated an annual holiday in an effort to preserve the rich lei-making custom, since 1929, May Day (1st May) is Lei Day!! Each Island is represented by one type of lei. There are many many styles of lei today, from plumeria or ti leaf lei we familiar with, to the less traditional candy or money lei, but in all, they all symbolise the spirit behind aloha – love, friendship, celebration, greeting and honour. In any occasion, such as birthday, graduation(where you receive so many lei from families and friends that your face could be covered!), wedding, funeral or simply enjoy the flowers, lei can be worn, received and given! **One offence to notice is that it is considered rude to remove a lei right after it has been received. As travellers we should pay more attention to the dos and don’ts, click here to see more:)

Lei has intertwined with life in the islands, any occasion is one that can be made more special by lei 🌈 It is such a beautiful culture and i cant wait to make some leis myself!!

Thank you for reading! 😊