Twenty-four days and counting... ⏰

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 created by my niece that sums up my feelings 100%).

Comments

  1. Sarah O'HaraJune 25, 2026 at 5:06 AM

    I have read both books. Great background and very interesting.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnaJune 27, 2026 at 9:16 PM

      I only had time to finish Molokaʻina. It was wonderful.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I have some news... 🌺

Image
You may already know that my sabbatical proposal was accepted for Fall 2026, and I will use that time to begin work on an 11-month  Ethnomathematics   certificate program at the University of Hawai'i, Mānoa. This is my first sabbatical in my thirty years of teaching math at Pima, and I am ecstatic!!  The program consists of five virtual courses with two required in-person events: a one-week orientation in June 2026 and a weekend culmination event in May 2027. In addition to this amazing news, the Universe has granted me the good fortune to live in a friend's Mānoa home for six months (June - December). That's right: I will be living in Hawai'i from the last week of June through mid-December! I am beyond excited to experience this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Update : I'll be returning in October - things changed! Daryl will join me for a visit, probably during his birthday month. But other than that, I plan to ride sola: soaking up all the amazing lessons Hawai...
Read more

Week 7: Pilina (Relationship, connection)

Image
Building new relationships, strengthening friendships, having difficult conversations -- these are reminders that I cannot do anything alone. I am interconnected with others and rely on people and the land for everything from basic survival to elevated joy. I started my week checking out a hula festival at Kapiolani Park and cried a little. I couldn't help it. When I saw the beautiful movements of the hula and even small children doing hula routines, remembering how hula was banned under the influence of missionaries who thought the dance was immoral, it gave me so much hope to see it survive and thrive. Monday I decided to tackle a (relatively easy) swim test that will allow me to sign up for a snorkeling outing once the fall semester starts. I got to explore the UH campus and revel at the beauty. It's mostly empty for summer, so the birds are out in full force: singing and just chillin'.  Pics from my walk around the UH Mānoa campus On my walk back, I passed by the Hawai‘...
Read more