I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! Mine was quite exciting as I got to swim in the ocean for the the first time since I've returned to Hawaii! But it wasn't just for fun, it was actually for a service project. I am taking a GE class this semester called 'Local Communities' where we learn about the culture of Hawaii. This weekend we had our first field trip. We took six buses and drove to a place called Kahana. When we arrived we greeted the people there with he chant Hiki Mai as a sign of respect. We then split into groups and started to work.
The topic we've been studying in class is ahupua'a. This is the Hawaiian word for a subdivision of land. Early Hawaiians divided each island into pie shaped ahupua'a that went from the mountains to the sea. This allowed each section to be self sufficient. One of the things the Hawaiians would do is build a rock wall in the ocean to act as a fish pond. Our project on Saturday was to rebuild the rock wall in Kahana. There were different jobs to do such as weeding, collecting rocks, passing rocks in an assembly line, and forming the wall. We all worked together as a team and got a lot done in the time we had.
My friend Kahea and I vlogged the adventure so I will add that here at the end. We had so much fun! It was a great service opportunity and I am grateful that I could be a part of it! We have been blessed to live in this beautiful world and we must do our part to take care of it. Hawaiians believe if you care for the land it will in turn care for you.
"The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s: but the earth hath he given to the children of men." (Psalms 115:16)
Aloha everyone! What a week it has been. In such a short amount of time I feel like so much has happened. We seem to be on a boat and the waves keep taking us up and down. I'm sure you have all seen in the news the awful things that have been happening all over the world. It has been easy for some people to see these events and say that they have 'lost all faith in humanity'. I disagree. Of course these attacks are terrible, but that does not mean there is no good in the world. Darkness cannot extinguish light. As I was reading about the news I came across this quote by Mr. Rogers.
“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To this day, especially in times of disaster, I remember my mother’s words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world.”
His mother's words are true. Among the articles about death and confusion there have been several posts about the people in France who opened their doors to strangers, cared for lost children, and donated blood for those that were injured. So I thought I would write this post to focus on the good. Look around yourself and find reasons to smile today.
10 Reasons to Smile
1. Family: Take some time to tell your family that you love them.
I was so grateful to my family this week. They have been there for me as I adjust to college life again. My parents are my greatest supporters and are always there to help me do 'grown up things' when I have no idea what I am doing. I have also been blessed to have wonderful family members here in Hawaii who have been kind enough to let me stay with them while I go to school. Thank you Jordan family!
2. Peanuts Movie: Go see it!
I'm sure you all know how much my family loves the Peanuts (it was our Halloween theme last year) so believe me when I say that this movie was amazing. I was so pleasantly surprised. There was no crude or inappropriate humor, which was honestly so refreshing. It was just clean fun that had me laughing out loud several times throughout the film. The story was beautiful and had a great message. I feel like I could write a whole blog post about how perfect that movie was. I'm sure if Charles Shultz was alive it would be something he would be proud of. And just to convince you how good the movie is here is one of the songs from the soundtrack. This will be sure to make you smile (and dance!)
3. Good Food: You are what you eat!
If you are feeling down, a good snack is sure to life your spirits. Usually something sweet does the trick :) I have been having a lot of good food this week. That's just one of the many perks of living in Hawaii. Teriyaki chicken is one of my favorite foods and it is served all over the island. I got some this week with my family while we were visiting the new marketplace at the Polynesian Cultural Center. We also discovered a crepe vender which may be my downfall. I will need to resist going there everyday for a Nutella crepe :)
4. Great Customer Service: It does happen!
This was actually one of the things that inspired me to write this post. So yesterday I received an email from Spotify that my 3 month free trial had expired and that there was a problem with renewing my premium account. I wasn't surprised because I got a new card with a chip so this wasn't the first time I encountered this. I went to update my account but then I remembered that Spotify does a discount for students. I tried to sign up for that twice but it wouldn't recognize me as a student. Suddenly I got a text saying that both tries had taken money from my account even though it hadn't gone through. I sent an email to the Spotify help center about my situation. Within the hour I received the kindest email explaining what happened and an assurance that no money was taken from my account. I'm used to customer service letters being blunt and robot generated, but this was a sincere letter. It was a simple thing but it made me smile. Oh, and I did get my account update in the end if you were wondering :)
5. Friends: Catch up with someone!
It has been a bit surreal to come back to Hawaii and see all my friends again. It has been so nice to catch up with them and hear what has been happening in their lives. A lot can change in a year and a half! This week I had the pleasant surprise of discovering that one of the sisters from my mission is now studying here at BYU-Hawaii! When we first saw each other we couldn't help but call each other sister :) We went to dinner together later and had so much fun talking. So if you have a friend you've been meaning to call or you haven't seen in a while, take some time to catch up with them!
6. Adventure: Travel somewhere near or far!
For me, traveling always brings back good memories. It was fun being able to travel back to Hawaii this week. But you don't always need a plane to travel, driving in a car can be just as fun! I love sitting in the car and looking out the window and just having time to think. Take a drive into the city or explore a part of your town that you never had before. I'm sure you'll discover something exciting!
7. Celebrations: Yay!
Our family had a lot of celebrate this past week. First of all, it was mom's birthday on the 5th! We went into town and had a fun day at the zoo. We also stopped at a bakery and sang to her in the car as we ate our cupcakes. We ended the day with Uncle Ben, Aunt Michelle, and our cousins by eating some delicious Ted's Bakery pie. There was also a celebration this week here in Laie to celebrate 150 years of the church being in Hawaii. They had a parade near campus and the community gathered to watch. Kevin, Kenny, and Natalie had fun collecting the candy that was thrown from the floats. There was also a performance put on by the youth at night that we were able to watch. Our cousins Colin and Stephanie were in it. Everyone did a great job! If you don't have something to celebrate soon, make something up! Our family has dinosaur day that we celebrate randomly in November. A few years ago Kevin said there is a break between Halloween and Thanksgiving so we needed a holiday. I don't know if it was an excuse to have cake or not but we've been celebrating ever since. So have fun and celebrate something you are passionate about!
8. Try New Things: It's good for you!
This past week our family went to the Dole Plantation here on Oahu. We had never been before and it was a great experience! It didn't convince me to like pineapple though, not yet. Living in Hawaii got me to like coconut, but pineapple still needs to grow on me :) Kevin and Kenny love it though so they were in heaven. Dole whips galore! Speaking of trying different foods, while I am here I have been trying to expand my tastes. Yesterday while I was at FoodLand I saw this drink that was strawberry flavored so I decided to get it. It tasted nice but I should have read the small print. It had aloe vera pulp in it! That was quite a shock when I started drinking. So this week trying something new, because you never know how it will surprise you!
9. Act of Kindness: There are no small acts
I have been shown so much kindness this week. They may seem like small acts to those who helped me but I won't forget them. One happened as I was leaving the devotional on Tuesday. I was walking with my friend Suifan and she asked if I was going to get lunch. I told her I didn't have a meal plan to eat on campus. She then walked me to the cafe, used her guest pass to let me in, and ate lunch with me even though she was on her way to class. She is such a sweetheart. Another instance happened on Thursday. I was having a rough day because for some insane reason I scheduled to have four classes that day and my head was not happy about it. I had a terrible migraine and I didn't even feel like going to my last class. I just wanted to lie down. Thankfully my last class was near my friends Annie and Adit's apartment. I stopped by and they were kind enough to give me some pain medicine. They also gave me some edamame and it was just what I needed to get through the day :) This week pray to find someone who needs your help, I promise it will make them smile.
10. Read the Scriptures: They will bring peace
I think this is an important scripture to remember with everything that has been happening recently.
"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." (John 14:27)
