Experiencing Hā in Hawai'i

Hello! So I'm going to backtrack a ton and take you all the way back to April. Life has been a little crazy with Spring Term and my editing classes, and now working full time. But I'm bound and determined to begin blogging again so here we go.

 Towards the end of April, Spencer and I went to Hawaii to attend his brother's wedding. I went snorkeling for the first time in Hanauma Bay and was chased by a sea turtle. I saw all sorts of fish up close and had to crawl along coral in the shallow parts, trying as hard as I could to not touch or
damage anything. Earlier in the week, we visited Pearl Harbor, and I walked along the USS Arizona Memorial. It was quite sobering to see the ship still sunken beneath us, to hear the stories of the men who still lie under the water, and to think of the day that is still remembered or taught by those who experienced its horror. Almost 1,000 men claim the Arizona as their final resting place. And as you look out one can see buoys marking the ends of the enormous ship as well as orienting us to where we stand in the middle, near the gun turret, which shows above the water.


In the distance, the USS Missouri stands as a monument to the surrender of the Empire of Japan, ending WWII. For America, the war ended only a few hundred yards away from where it began.

Eleanor Roosevelt kept a small poem in her wallet all throughout WWII, it read:

Dear Lord

Lest I continue

My complacent way

Help me to remember

Somehow out there

A man died for me today.

As long as there be war I then must

Ask and answer

Am I worth dying for?

During the rest of our vacation, we had a blast visiting the Polynesian Cultural Center, visiting the beaches, going through the Laie, Hawaii Temple, celebrating weddings, and exploring the area. So our rental house was right off the coast giving us a beautiful view, and a beautiful sunrise every morning. Every so often I would just lie in the hammock and listen as the waves rolled in and ebbed out. The ocean in Hawaii was very different from the ocean that seemed to attack the cliffs of Tintagel, England, or even the freezing salt container that I dashed in and out of on the coast of the Isle of Wight. And I just loved listening.

The sound was steadier and less forlorn that the waves in England, Laie's waves calmed me when I was agitated, and comforted me when I was homesick. Jason, my six-year-old little brother, had called me early one morning not understanding the fact that our time zones were different. I guess he'd been looking at my pictures on facebook and just had to call and find out where I was and what I was doing. I woke up to the cutest voice-mail, and I realized that this was the first time Jason had taken the time to call me on his own, without asking anyone else for help, or the words to say.

It was near dawn. I opened the curtains, stepped out into the breaking day where perpetual waves set the rhythm of our breaths, and I just sat there listening. I often miss home and it's more poignant when people leave voice-mails. It brings into focus the reality that their lives are continuing outside of my sphere and that I am missing it, just like I missed their phone call. It is bittersweet because I'd rather receive the message, but the sad necessity for it is always on my mind. Needless to say, I called Jason back and had a lovely Sunday morning talk with him. It was the perfect way to start my day. Even if the melancholy waves of Suffolk would have been more appropriate, the happiness of Hawaii was like balm to my mind.

So this is George the Gecko. Can you see him? He scared me in the bathroom one morning, and I thought you might all like to meet our temporary pet from the past. :)

We also got to go to the Sea Life Park and play around with dolphins, sea turtles, seals, penguins, manta rays, sharks, birds, and all sorts of beautiful animals. JJ had worked at the park as an intern a few years back, so it was fun to see him visit the people he's worked with and even the dolphin he'd befriended. They were super kind to us and let us pet the dolphins, and Spencer and I actually worked with their Wolphin. This cross-breed was unintentional, but the mother dolphin and father whale won out and had baby wolphin. The coolest part though is that unlike most inter-breeding offspring (mules for example) the wolphin isn't sterile. I thought that was pretty cool. Also, I got super sunburnt, which was very painful. And I drank out of a pineapple. Just thought you should know.

JJ and Hannah got married! It was a beautiful sealing in the Laie, Hawaii Temple and it was fun to dress up in traditional dresses, and lava lavas. The reception had a string quartet and a little table set up on the beach to hold the cake. We danced and socialized, and I was amazed at how easy-going and peaceful the whole thing was. Towards the end, JJ picked up Hannah and ran into the water with her and it was all very cute and romantic. They had actually gone cliff jumping the day previous for their invitation (or rather, for-you-information-we-eloped cards). My favorite part though was the Laie Temple. It is so beautiful! We did both an endowment session and went to the sealing. The session took us through multiple rooms which had beautiful murals painted on the walls. One room was the creation, one room was the garden of Eden, and the last room was the earth. It was stunning. The view coming out of the temple is also wonderful since it is literally a straight shot down to the beach. The trees make a column on each side, as though they are watching as the eternal couple walk through an earthly paradise, as they ponder their potential for an eternal paradise.


The day we went to the Polynesian Cultural Center, we took the morning to go to the beach. We made sand art and sand castles, and we watched to see if we could spot the little crabs that scuttled around their holes and mounds. I, deciding it was okay to be cliche, drew Spencer's and my names in the sand. It was actually super hard since I had to time it just right so I could snap a picture before the waves came and swept it away. After playing a while, we decided to go spend the rest of the day at the PCC, since it was our last day and we would be flying out that night.

We tried to do everything, and being fairly successful got to take part in grass weaving, spear throwing, a Tahitian wedding ceremony (where Spencer and I renewed our vows), the water parade, Fijian tattoos, bamboo stick music, Tahitian dancing, Hawaiian hula dancing, Tongan drumming, learning about Tapa, a Aotearoa (New Zealand) greeting ceremony, and learning about Samoan ways to use the coconut. There were chickens everywhere! They would just walk around in all the parking lots, and villages. So I decided to get Jason a stuffed animal chicken. I also made a fish on a fisherman's line in the Tongan grass weaving activity, and I got a warrior princess tattoo painted on in the Fiji village. There was also a small area dedicated to the Easter Islands, which we know very little about. I was surprised to learn that explorers had found the island with few people, all of which were living in a state of squalor. Yet, the remnants of betters days such as equipment for dolphin hunting, large boats, and moai (statue heads), showed that something dreadful had happened to reduce these people from their former well-being. Leaving the island, the explorers returned some fifty years later to find everyone dead. The Easter Islands are now just the ruins of a Polynesian civilization.

Well, Hawaii was amazing! It was a fun adventure with lots of learning, new experiences, and beautiful sights. Seeing houses on slits, new species of vegetation, chickens, sea animals, and the cultural dances and clothes was eye-opening. Hearing the waves, people's everyday talk, new languages, and the Polynesian chants was entrancing. Feeling the spirit and happiness of our Campbell Clan as JJ and Hannah got sealed in the temple was perfect. I can't wait till I can go back because Hawaii truly has the Hā, the breath of life. 

~Natalie Cherie