Friday Night Fun!

Although I have been fortunate enough to meet many people from all over the world in the past, it is always a pleasure and delight to learn of cultural points of difference.

... On Friday night I was invited to a whole floor pot luck! I thought I would arrive too late for it but imagined I might be able to catch up with a few people, so headed to the kitchen at 9:15. Luckily I caught the pack up time so got to say hi to a few people and enjoy some locally inspired Pinapple cake - it was really good.

Then I convinced a few people from my program to come with me to a lesbian club I had heard about called Chemisstry. I went with a guy from India and two girls, from Nepal and Pakistan, all of whom are straight but open minded. The club was pretty aweful but we ended up playing a game of billiards against some nice locals who ended up taking us into Waikiki for a more populated clubbing scene.

Our hosts paid for our club entry so we headed straight to the bar to shout them drinks, along with their drinks the Nepalese girl decided she wanted a Tequila (because she had heard of it in the movies, no doubt) and I showed her how to drink it. The Indian guy wanted to dance so bad - so scattered to the dance floor as soon as he could. It was so wonderful to watch him dance - looking SO serious with his moves but LOVING every second of it!

The girl from Pakistan made brave faces the whole evening but I found out later that she felt like she had been in a porn... She was amazed and surprised that everyone in the clubs wore what they wore, danced touching each other, and even made out like they were having sex with their clothes on - on the dance floor!

At one stage I actually had to close the Nepalese and Pakistani girls' mouths because their jaws were hanging so low, but major kudos to them for trying new things!!

The night was a massive success and we are all looking forward to our next clubbing adventure together! It was such a fun night!

Good thing too, because the rest of the weekend I was doing an assignment and fighting a migraine.

Balanced out nicely in the end.

k

Leadership

This week was a lot of detailed introduction time, a lot of 'what's coming up quickly' time and a lot of reminders that we are here for an intensive study time that is going to be an invaluable life altering experience - if we are prepared to put in all the work that is required.

One of the most interesting things that happened this week was in my first 'Leadership' seminar. Our instructor introduced the topic by telling us that "People believe in acquiring leadership in different ways; some people believe you are born with it; some people believe in quick cures (like elixirs); some people believe in 'leadership training'; and another approach might looks like..." and he sat down in front of us and stared at us.

This was at the beginning of a two and a half hour session. It quickly became apparent that he was no longer engaging with our class which lead to some interesting group dynamics... some people wanted to disengage from a teacher that they felt was disengaging from them; some people, namely the people working in action industries like emergency medicine, wanted to take action - but the type of action to take and for what purpose couldn't be agreed upon; some people wanted to just have the whole group sit quietly and reflect; some people wanted to understand the exercise by evaluating the reading from the night before; some people wanted to discuss the meaning of and their interpretation of leadership, and the whole while, we were encountering a whole spectrum of East, West and Pacific Islander cultural differences. It was really, really interesting.

I think the most interesting thing that came out of today's exercise was how uncomfortable people seem to be in general with silence. Apparently the average American feels an uncomfortable silence at around 9 seconds of no noise, while the average Japanese feels an uncomfortable silence at around 90 seconds of no noise.
This week was a lot of detailed introduction time, a lot of 'what's coming up quickly' time and a lot of reminders that we are here for an intensive study time that is going to be an invaluable life altering experience - if we are prepared to put in all the work that is required.

One of the most interesting things that happened this week was in my first 'Leadership' seminar. Our instructor introduced the topic by telling us that "People believe in acquiring leadership in different ways; some people believe you are born with it; some people believe in quick cures (like elixirs); some people believe in 'leadership training'; and another approach might looks like..." and he sat down in front of us and stared at us.

This was at the beginning of a two and a half hour session. It quickly became apparent that he was no longer engaging with our class which lead to some interesting group dynamics... some people wanted to disengage from a teacher that they felt was disengaging from them; some people, namely the people working in action industries like emergency medicine, wanted to take action - but the type of action to take and for what purpose couldn't be agreed upon; some people wanted to just have the whole group sit quietly and reflect; some people wanted to understand the exercise by evaluating the reading from the night before; some people wanted to discuss the meaning of and their interpretation of leadership, and the whole while, we were encountering a whole spectrum of East, West and Pacific Islander cultural differences. It was really, really interesting.

I think the most interesting thing that came out of today's exercise was how uncomfortable people seem to be in general with silence. Apparently the average American feels an uncomfortable silence at around 9 seconds of no noise, while the average Japanese feels an uncomfortable silence at around 90 seconds of no noise.

Anyway, it has been a long week of many new bites of information and I look forward to releasing it all tonight!

k

Last Weekend to Play

Yesterday was the East West Center's Alumni Picnic at Kapi'olani Park. It was such a nice event under an ENORMOUS old fig tree, sharing food and stories with Alumni who had been at the Center from the 60's til recently.

In the afternoon we headed down to Waikiki for a swim. I wore some goggles into the water and was able to explore some of the shallow reef area in search of turtles. Although unsuccessful in this venture, I did get to see many fish and even a few sea cucumbers!

In the evening a few of the Fellows headed to a Bon Dancing event being held locally. Apparently Bon Dancing is a Japanese celebration that happens in August involving dancing and traditional music. It was a really sweet affair to be a part of and I think we all enjoyed ourselves.

Today we went hiking along the Makapu'u Lighthouse Trail. It was a fairly gentle trek and from the top we watched a female outrigger canoe competition that was happening on the island. As others ventured down to some fish pools, I perched on the side of Makapu'u and watched the canoes. The endurance of the competitors was very impressive and I enjoyed watching the teams in action. After about an hour or so, I lost site of the race.

In the afternoon I headed to Ala Moana Beach with some new friends. The beach was really calm, as most of the beaches seem to be. Although I miss the Aussie waves, it is really nice to be able to just float and wander, and not be concerned about getting caught in RIPs.


Tomorrow is the first day of classes.
Woot.
k

Another Week of Orientation

This week I participated in the usual orientation activities and signed up for a little extra...

On Wednesday was a 'Simple Cooking Class' with Azeema, one of the East-West Center fellows from Pakistan. It was great! I learnt about Turmeric - the powder which I only knew as the yellow colouring that often characterises Asian rice, but apparently is remarkably good for you. I also learnt how to make Dahl from scratch and a really tasty potato/vegetable curry. It was a good experience, shared with Vijoy, from Hawaii and Livia, from Indonesia.

Thursday I checked out Pali Lookout, just past downtown Honolulu. The lookout was SO WINDY but so glorious. It never ceases to amaze me just how quickly the clouds seem to move here... I think the only other place I've seen clouds move so quickly is San Francisco...

Friday we visited the Arizona Memorial and the North Shore. The Arizona Memorial was an interesting experience that was incredibly nationalistic. I was amazed at the blatant propaganda throughout the entire exhibit and disappointed that it did not seem to be more supportive of more peaceful international relations. Then again, America is at war... Following the Arizona Memorial we headed up to North Shore.

We didn't get to go to Turtle Bay on this trip to see the Turtle's feeding but we did have a nice lunch on Haleiwa Beach Park followed by a little exploration of Haleiwa 'Historic' Town. It was cute.

And that brings us to the conclusion of the final week of orientation activities. I am now well and truly ready for classes. It has been a nice introduction to the university, Hawaiian culture, and different opportunities about town, but I am needing some serious distractions to stop me from missing home...

k

What a Weekend!

Saturday morning I outvoted sleep and got up early to have a Malama 'Aina experience in Kahana Valley. We were given permission to visit an indigenous site and were taught a little about how the native Hawaiians lived and the significance of the land. We got to see a 'fish pond' in the ocean which is basically a traditional fish farm, and we got to see how the taro patches (often representative of Hawaiian ancestors) are grown and cared for. While at the beach we had the opportunity to do a bit of a clean up on a section that looked generally very clean, but upon closer inspection was absolutely littered with tiny plastic fragments which were very tedious and consuming to collect. Although unable to leave the beach clean, we made a little impact that hopefully will have wider ramifications.

Inland, 'toward the mountain', we had lunch with the locals. There was a taro kind of gravy called Poi, taro leaves with coconut sauce and chicken or onion, roasted taro, rice, pineapple and bananas. There was also shredded roast chicken and pork for the omnivores. Everything except the fresh fruit had been cooked overnight in the ground ovens which I can't remember the name of...

It was a great experience and one that not many foreigners get to experience.

Saturday night was a local exploration with some of the fellows of downtown Honolulu and Kapi'olani Park - where Ziggy Marley was playing at the Fish Bowl. It was so nice to be down at the beach for sunset and then cruise on back to the park with thousands of other locals, laying on the soccer fields, to listen to some quality reggae. We also got to know each other a little better and share our stories a little more, which I was grateful for - we are such a large and interesting group so these opportunities are a wonderful experience.

Sunday morning was a Diamond Head climb. This crater was formed by an eruption about 150,000 years ago and is just about circular. It was a really enjoyable climb and from the top lookout spot we could look out on O'ahu island with 360 degree views. It was really incredible.

Post Diamond Head and lunch a few of us headed down to the beach. We went to a quieter beach near Waikiki where a lot of the locals go. It was a bit cleaner and intimate, and the perfect cleansing opportunity after such a big week. Towards the evening we tried to hang out with the other fellows at Duke's bar over live music but we were so exhausted proved difficult to maintain conversation so I was amongst a few people that headed back home destined for an incredible sleep and slight sleep in.
k

One week, today.

I've survived my first week in paradise!!!

It has been a LONG week full of welcomings and information, alumni meetings, shopping trips, making new friends and getting oriented... learning about tax, doing health insurance, cooking, unpacking and creating a temporary home.

This program really does sound exciting - mostly because the other people in it are so friendly and interesting! AND, we're in Hawaii!!!
There are two sections to the upcoming adventure, in two stages:
i) learning about the issues affecting the Asia Pacific region
ii) developing our skills and capabilities as individuals, to tackle those issues of regional concern.
The first four and a half months are based here in Honolulu (with field trips to Washington DC, New York, Beijing and Hong Kong) and the next five months are for practical application during an internship opportunity anywhere in the Asia Pacific region...

I am really keen to get into it now, and look forward to the end of next week when orientation ends and the program officially begins.

P.s. To all my friends and former co-workers who have been asking if I am in a US intelligence recruitment program, I don't think so. Turns out that the CIA did used to be based out of the University of Hawaii during World War 1, but that they ceased operations out here a long while ago. Sorry to disappoint.
;)

k

Honolulu - day 1

I woke at lunch time and thought with a smile, 'I'm in Hawaii!!!'.

Met up with Caitlin (the other Aussie in the program) and Daniel (a kiwi) and headed off to the beach just after midday. We headed down to Waikiki beach and shared our stories...

Taking our time on what is probably more like a 40 minute walk, we got to the beach in two hours and were stoked with what we saw. Despite the thousands of people on the beach, it was clean, happy and impressive.

Although Waikiki beach is like Vegas on the sea (with all the huge hotels) it still manages to retain an endearing amount of charm! It's also kind of exciting to look up a strip of hotels and be overwhelmed by a giant lush green mountain at the end of the street!

In the evening we headed into Chinatown (which we later learnt was not the safest thing to do at that time) and I saw a rainbow in the Rainbow State.

It was such a great introduction to this lovely state.

Mahalo Honolulu.
k

Flying to Hawaii

First and foremost, I am SO impressed with Air New Zealand. Friendly staff happy to help, good food and service, clean and well equipped planes with the best on demand entertainment. Two thumbs up!

Even though I didn't have window seats for either flight I did get some window shots. And watching the clouds below I could help feeling like I was soaring... like a God or something... it was pretty spectacular.


New Zealand was lovely too, thanks to Renee and her husband Jamie.

Right now I am all unpacked and tired and missing home a little... hopefully I will awake in a few hours and feel a bit better... after all... I am in 'paradise'...

k

Can someone please mend the leak?!

My eyes are leaking... They've been leaking for a few days now and I seem to have lost all control of the flow... Thinking of leaving good people tends to do that but never to this length... I guess there have been a lot of extra good people around me lately.

I am definitely going to miss the Treehouse team and a few other key people at work. I am going to miss my home family (including doggie) and friend family.

But, this is the year of no fear for me. So off I'll go into a new adventure and trust that I'm doing the right thing and everything will work out exactly as it is supposed to.

LOVE YOU ALL!!!
k