Ana's Hawai‘ian Adventures 🌺

I am blown away by the kindness and support of friends, family, and complete strangers! The Universe is generous and keeps offering signs that keep my excitement high daily! A former student who lived in Hawai'i for 10 years sent me pages and pages of recommendations: books to read, beaches to visit, hikes to trek, food to try, dos and don'ts, and island-hopping must-sees. A new addition to our pickleball crew turned out to be a 7th-generation Hawai'ian, gifting me a tourist book on O'ahu that she read and annotated. Another friend shared her travel gear and advice from her eight summers of abroad travel and teaching in China. My sister gifted me a new pair of Keens sandals to wear while trekking in and out of the water while I'm exploring. And even a car with a Hawai'i vanity plate happened to be parked along my weekly walk route. The driver offered to take my picture and wished me well! The path to my new adventure is lining up, and I am nervou-cited (a word ...

Encouraged by my sister Nanci to learn some Hawai'ian and inspired by my sister Rita to draw a little every day, I've been using Hawai'ian Public Radio 's Hawai'ian Word of the Day as a resource to learn a little Hawai'ian and as a daily drawing prompt.  Recently, I learned the word kahawai,  which means 'stream' or 'river' but actually translates to 'water that carves.'  It reminded me of a work session I attended that discussed how indigenous languages are often verb- heavy (unlike European languages, which are typically noun-heavy). The speaker shared that her Nation's word for 'circle' translates roughly as 'point that moves around (like in a circuit).'  It highlights for me how vital language is, not just for communication, but for how we exist in and interact with the world. How foreign and nonsensical it must be for someone to claim they 'own' a kahawai . How does one own a verb? Next Post →