THE BLOGGER
I don’t claim to be a writer. Because of the pidgeon I spoke growing up, you’ll probably find a ton of grammatical errors. But everyone has to start someplace right. I guess I should tell you a little about myself.
I grew up in Pukalani, on the slopes of Haleakala on the island of Maui. My mother is Japanese and my father is German, Hawaiian, Tahitian. One of these days, I’ll let you know how both their families ended up in the islands.
I grew up where majority of the world wants to vacation. The ocean was my playground and the sunshine was my best friend. I always tell people that someone had to live there so they could vacation there…I gladly sacrificed when those lots were cast.
Growing up in the islands was a dream. Unless you’ve spent significant time there, you can’t fully comprehend the richness and diversity of culture and people that are packed onto a little island.
I’m now living in Utah, finishing school and beginning a family. Life is very different here. I often reminisce with my brothers, friends, people who’ve vacationed in Hawaii about what a wonderful place it is.
I’ve now been away from the islands for about eight years. With the birth of my first son, I realized that I need to evaluate something. How do I help my son appreciate the culture of a place that he does not live in.
THE BLOG
In January of 2009, my wife and I had our first child. We’d love to raise him in the islands, but due to economic times, school, and jobs, we’re not able to be in Hawaii right now. I think that there are many other families in our same canoe. I talk often with my brothers about wanting to get home, but we are all here in the mainland.
Since we can’t be back home, we have to do all we can to “stay local” even though we are 1000s of miles away.
That’s the purpose of my blog: a documentation of how I try to teach my son (and probably future children) how to understand and appreciate the culture of the islands. It’ll include stories from home, stories from my family’s life, and hopefuly lots of input from all of you. Please feel free to “talk story” with me as I write and post about the life of this “Hawaiian Wunder”.
Mahalo and Aloha.
