Greetings from the field! The Hawaii group is having an absolute blast and learning so much! Here is the blog post the group hand-wrote (see the typed version after the photos).
“Hey family and friends! It’s the blog squad reporting from Hawaii! Apologies for making you all wait so long to hear from us. We have been busy during this first week on the Big Island of Hawaii! We had a restful four nights of sleep at the Mountain View House (thanks to Tony!). Our main focus was connecting as a group and getting to know everyone. We also explored the area with many morning walks where we saw pigs, kittens, chickens and rainbows. In Hawaiian culture, rainbows are a sign that you are meant to be there. The first four days here, we saw at least one a day.
“One of the most memorable experiences so far would be going to the “new” beach where we met up with Lei and her amazing family. After being invited into the sacred area, we were paired up with children and cleaned up dead palm leaves, opened coconuts, and went swimming in a hot pond! On a different note, we are eating tons of great food! Pasta, tacos, curry chicken, Vietnamese food, stir fry, and so many more yummy meals. We definitely have some chefs in the group!
“We are only on day 8 but we have already been impacted so much. We have only just started to understand the importance of the ‘Aina (land). It demands respect as it gives us all life. The ‘Aina isn’t something you take from. It is something you nurture. When an eruption occurs and a home is destroyed, the land has been reclaimed by Pele, the goddess of volcanoes. Pele is worshipped by the Native Hawaiians often. We were lucky to witness one of those ceremonies. It was an incredible opportunity that most are not able to take part in.
“We hope you enjoy this short blog. We will have another up within the next few days. Sending you all hugs and lots of love!”
