What a great feeling!!!
Aloha mai kakou!It's "Aloha Monday" today here in Hilo, the Big Island.How was your weekend?I have been sick these days and I was just so tired and stressed out!So, on such a day, I need to go somewhere far by car!Of course, it should be "my" driving.Last Saturday, I was planning to go to Waimea.It was a very biiiiiig dream for me as I am soooooo scared of the three hairpin curves that I have to drive through from Hilo to Waimea and from Waimea back to Hilo!So, even though I had been dreaming of driving around the Big Island, I could not do so for a long time (x_x;)/I went all the way to Captain Cook through the south route, but it was the farthest place that I have been by my driving.What a coward GIRL I was!!!So, it was my first time to try, but it was not that difficult despite of so many terrible stories that I had heard of.In fact, my classmate who lives in Waimea and used to commute to the university from there everyday had a traffic accident on one of the hairpin curves!How scary, isn't it?However, I made it!YEAH!!! I MADE it!!!Moreover, I went all the way up to the North Kohala!!!What a great feeling of achievement!!!Last night, I went to see "I Land" at the university theater.It is a play written and acted by a local actor/ dancer, Keo Woolford.I do not know why, but I always have a great luck for good seating in theaters.For all of the Kealii Reichel concerts that I went both in Japan and in Hawaii, I got all the center seats in the first or second row.For this play, even thought I bought the ticket at the very last moment, I got the center seat in the 6th row.The ticket clerk said, "You're so lucky. Someone just canceled the seat and this seat is one of the best seats in the theater!!!"Yes, I am always lucky, but one of my friends told me before, "Pili, you have been using up all your good luck for tickets...."Yes, she is also right!Anyway, the play was very good as it was fun and it was full of inspiration.His dancing, both Hula Kahiko (ancient hula) and Hip Hop, was so good!At the end, I was thinking "What does it mean being Hawaiian?" even though I am not Hawaiian.This play gave me a lot of energy and encouragement to move forward to my dream!Mahalo ia Keo!-> I think that this photo is his, but not really sure!Today, there were groups of different tribes of Native Americans visiting the Hawaiian immersion school where I have been teaching.Since there is going to be a convention sponsored by National Indian Education Association (NIEA) in Honolulu starting this Wednesday, there are many Native Americans visiting Hawaii.I am going to make a speech at the convention with my classmates in the indegenous education program.The leader of the groups has heard about me and about my "Kanji" class and she talked with me about it.She was very happy to hear about my class as she can speak Japanese.It was a great opportunity to talk with a person like her!If I were not teaching at my school, I would have never had such an opportunity.So, I always feel so grateful to the school where I am teaching, and at the same time, I feel so proud of myself being a teacher there!!!Mahalo & Aloha!Pilialoha