Aloha!

Friday, April 3, 2009

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Sunday (29th) was our last Sunday in our ward. It has been a BYUH tradition to sing Aloha 'Oe to all those who are leaving. They called us up to the front and everyone in the ward sang while the bishopric handed out shell necklaces to us. It was a touching moment which made me realize that I am really going to miss this place.

Later that afternoon Christina and I went over to Britnee's house to make dinner. While we were waiting for some friends to come we played outside on the lawn with some neighborhood kids. I don’t know how this always happens to me but before I knew it I had little Polynesian kids sitting on my feet, which made me fall over. Christina, along with all the kids, dog piled on my back and made my pants slid off ha. I think they liked it so much that when I tried to get up they retaliated by chasing me mercilessly all over the lawn. When the activities were over, and our friend Eric showed up, we had Hawaiian burgers (teriyaki patties with pineapple) and salad. Pie and whip cream were for dessert and when there's whip cream there's a whip cream fight. Christina first sprayed a mustache on my face which started the whole fight. I got Britnee in the face while Crystal ran for cover. Soon we were all "creamed" and sticky. After the fight we went out on the lawn and sang songs to the ukulele and guitar. It was a good Sunday

Sunday, March 29, 2009

PCC Day

yummy steak

only in hawaii would you see a motorcycle with a surfboard passenger

the coconut

christina, kosh, and me

stephanie, christina, and me at new zealand

this is destiny

new zealand

samoa

tonga

canoe show

IOSEPA hawaiian boat

new zealand village

A Day at the PCC

Saturday (28th) after my test we went to the PCC (Polynesian Cultural Center). we used Christina's employee pass and just walked into the park. we were both really excited to be there! the first village we went to was Aotearoa (New Zealand). we got there just as they were welcoming the chief. they sang traditional songs, danced with poi balls, and did the haka. we got some sweet Maori tattoos on our face. and were on our way to the island of Fiji. a Fijian woman was talking to us about their buildings and how the grandparents are the most important people on the island. they see it as if you didn't have grandparents, then you wouldn't exist. they also performed traditional dance with spears and fans. we walked to the Hawaiian islands and saw our friend Kristen. she told us about taro roots and how they grind them up to make the purple paste they called poi. we were able to sample the poi but because its made fresh everyday it doesn't taste like the real fermented poi at luaus that apparently tastes like wall paper cement. the island of Tahiti was vacant except for the ladies handing out Tahitian Noni soft chew candies which were really good. next was the canoe show. big platform canoes come out with performers from each island on them. Samoa made me laugh when they rocked the boat so hard that the driver guy fell off into the water, oh Samoa. Tonga was probably my favorite island performance. they did a drum show and pick 3 men from the audience to hit the drums and yell out Tongan words. this guy from japan that went up there was hilarious, and had no idea what was going on. Christians friend Leah also gave us a free pineapple delight ha. when we were walking to Samoa a huge black bee made a B-line for my face, both of us screamed and twisted out of its way. we were like our own tourist attraction, the people behind us were laughing. Samoa was really entertaining too. the Samoan man husked and cracked open a coconut, lit a fire in with a dry coconut husk, shaved the coconut and squeezed it to make coconut milk (i couldn't believe how much milk came out), he also explained to us that in Samoa the men cook the meals. the most amazing thing was when 3 guys climbed up a coconut tree like it was nothing. we saw our friend/neighbor Kosh working and she gave us a free coconut. my attempt to open it was in vain ha. i had to have the guy help me pretty much the whole time but i did husk and crack it open, don't worry i got an explosion of coconut and juice all over me!

after Samoa we headed to the bus stop. we were at the bus stop when Britnee and her friend Eric drove up and offered us a ride in his rental mustang. 6 people squished into the 4 seated convertible. i was on Britnee's lap with my legs hanging out the window as we drove to the steak truck next to ted's bakery. the last time i went to this steak truck was with my mom in January and i remembered how good it was, and cheap! we both got steak and devoured it! i love moments like this. when we were finished we hoped back on the bus and headed home. today was an awesome day!

Tahiti

Night Show

Friday the 27th, Christina and i went to the PCC Night Show called Horizons. we were super excited to go and once the show started i got the chills! the opening ceremony looked a little like the lion king but i hear the show every night from my Hale so it was awesome to finally put a picture to the music. Hawaii was first followed by Tonga. the lively dress and intense atmosphere was felt by all the audience members especially when Aotearoa (New Zealand) came out. with the flared eyes, stuck out tongues, and sharp movements you could tell New Zealand meant business. after New Zealand there was a brief intermission where one of Christians friends, Seth who worked at the night show, came and gave us a 2 free pineapple delight- i love friends with hook ups! when the show resumed Fiji was first, the men did a sweet spear dance. Tahiti is known for the shaking of the hips. i was so jealous, i wish i had Tahitian skills but i really loved watching the dancers. Samoa is always a crowd favorite. they had a fire dancer and he was amazing! i couldn't believe how fast he spun his stick and at one time the flames were just chilling on his feet, ouch! then there were 3 guys with hug skirts on walking across big mats that were on fire and sometimes they would sit on them it was a funny part of the show.