Hawaii: Kapalkas and Madlers Visit

In February 2018, the Kapalka came to visit us in Hawaii, then the Madlers came in May. 

 

Additionally, family friends Danyon visited in August 2017, and Anna in March 2019.

I started making a list of all the locations I wanted our guests to see on the island of 'Oahu, so here's the list with some extra notes and photos.

If you visit me, I'll talk to you hours on end about the history of Hawai'i and current issues here. Most tourists come to the islands without getting to learn much, so please make a point to educate yourself if you're a visitor! I'll be sharing some links. Here's one quick summary about the US illegal overthrow of Hawaii in the 1890s.

Historical Visits

Iolani Palace

My must-see recommendation. Gives some history of the monarchy and the overthrow. Adults $20, kids $6. Bring change for metered parking. Bring a picnic lunch to eat on the lawn before or after your tour. 

Ginger and Danyon

More info on the Palace- see my InterVarsity blog post. 

Mandy & Nick

Queen Liliuokalani was the last Queen of Hawaii. Her statue here has her holding the Hawaiian Creation Chant and a constitution she wrote to alter the unjust "Bayonet Constitution" instituted by white landowners in a coup to seize power for themselves. Eventually, Liliuokalani chose to peacefully step down to avoid bloodshed, but she used her writing and music to protest the overthrow of her kingdom. I love showing visitors a movie about the overthrow and Liluokalani's niece, Princess Kaiulani. (The movie has a number of inaccuracies, but is a good conversation starter.)

Ginger, Nancy & Ron

Dole Planation

You've heard of Dole. He was one of the big land-owners in Hawaii and was part of the overthrow of the monarchy. During the Plantation era, many Asians immigrated to Hawaii, which had a huge impact on today's demographics. Hawaii was a welcoming and diverse place- long before it was acceptable on the US continent, Hawaii commonly had bi-racial marriages and other cross-cultural interactions.

The Plantation shares some history, focusing on pineapples. Every single person on Facebook says: Eat Dole Whip ice cream! (I prefer it with caramel.)

We recommend the train ride (Adults $11, Kids $9). Short history tour about Dole start the plantation in 1900, the history of pineapples, and the many plants growing outside your window. 

There's also a maze (probably most fun for kids) and garden walk which both cost extra. You can see a lot for free just walking around as well. Dole also has an enormous gift shop.

Pearl Harbor

Arrive early morning to get free tickets to the USS Arizona Memorial. They'll give you a time, like 1:00 for your tour. There's a lot to see just walking around for free. Parking is also free. The Arizona sunk during the Pearl Harbor attack, with the greatest loss of life that day. The memorial is a white building hovering over the sunken ship.

There are several other tours if you want- USS Missouri tour (Battleship), USS Bowfin (submarine), a flight museum. Prices vary, $15 - $25 per adult for those tours. No bags or purses allowed. (Lock them hidden in your car.) Cameras are fine. I did bring a subway sandwich in once and they didn't care. You can also buy hot dogs or other overpriced snacks there. 

While Nick and Mandy were visiting, the Arizona memorial was closed for repairs. There was still an opportunity to watch an excellent video in the theater and ride a boat to see the memorial from a short distance. 

Ron and Nancy by the USS Bowfin, an excellent submarine tour. Not recommended if you have claustrophobia. If you are my dad's height, you'll need to duck sometimes.

Ginger and Anna

I found the the Missouri Battleship tour to be the best. On this ship, representatives from the US and Japan signed the documents to end the war. They also shared a story about sharing kindness and respect to the other side which brought us to tears. There was a young kamikaze pilot who died after a failed attempt to effectively crash into the ship. After initial anger from the seaman, the chaplain decided that the body would be treated with respect. The crew joined for a small service, making a hasty Japanese flag to cover the body, prayed for the young man, and buried him at sea. 

Hikes

Lanikai Pillbox Hike

A short walk from our house. Steep (especially at the beginning) but not too long. If you do this hike at sunrise you get a beautiful view. The pillboxes are old WWII military outlook posts, like small concrete bunkers. Wear good shoe and bring water!

Viewing Northwest, you can see Kailua, Kaneohe, and the Marine Corps Base.

Diamond Head

Hike on rim of old volcano. Medium difficulty, very crowded, but the view at the end is wonderful.

Makapu'u Lighthouse

East side of island, a paved trail you could even take a stroller on. Easy hike. Nice ocean view. Might see whales in winter. (We saw spouting, but no whales up close.)

Likeke Falls

super short and easy. Don't get lost! Arrows are carved into a tree. 

Beaches

Lanikai Beach 

is by our house, so you can park in our yard (otherwise parking is hard to find) (also the beach has no bathrooms or showers, so helpful to have house nearby) Really beautiful clean and peaceful beach. Snorkeling is also an option here. 

Waikiki Beaches

Extremely crowded, most tourists are here. Lots of expensive and cheap places to shop (ABC stores on every corner have cheap souvenirs). You can buy surfing lessons or boogie board cheaper. (I think it's too wavy for snorkeling). Just don't spend your whole trip here. 

Snorkeling

Hanauma Bay

Beautiful! Beach with shallow water, coral and lots of fish. Nice info center too. $7.50 entrance fee. East side of island

Shark's Cove

no entrance fee, less crowded, really beautiful rocks- is on the North Shore, so you can spend a whole day in that area. Drive around, eat food truck shrimp. 

Other Oahu Sites

Waikiki Aquarium 

adults $12, kids $5, tots $0. Small, but enjoyable. 

There's also a Luau here. Anna took us in 2019- Luau was #1 on her Hawaii list. 

LuCoral Museum

A free family museum with an incredible selection of coral artwork and jewelry. 

Just walking around Waikiki, there are many free cultural events- hula dancing especially. The International Marketplace shopping center has dancing and a show at sunset. The beach bar at the Ala Moana Surfrider hotel often has live music and dancing. 

The sunset is nice in Waikiki. Friday and Saturday night might have fireworks too.

Good architecture in Waikiki: only two historic hotels on the beach, Ala Moana Surfrider 1900s and the Royal Hawaiian 1930s (the pink one.) (Downtown Honolulu is more architecturally interesting.) 

Nuuanu Lookout

on the Pali Highway over the Koolau Mountains. $3 parking. Beautiful view of the Windward side facing Kaneohe and Kailua. A historical location where King Kamehameha the Great fought the final battle to unite the Hawaiian islands as one kingdom. Pali means cliff- the winning side backed the others against the edge of the cliff to their demise. 

Underwater Scooters

A Kapalka favorite- we leave on a boat from Hawaii Kai out into the bay. You only spend 20 minutes on scooters (trading with other groups on the boat) - great opportunity to see many fish and sea turtles. Your head is in an air bubble, and there's no need for glasses! It's hard to tell how fast you are going, but using the scooter is intuitive. Several crew in scuba gear keep and eye on you and take photos. (My underwater camera can't handle lower that 10 feet, so we were glad.) Nancy recommends Groupon for a better price. 

Food

Local food you should try in Hawaii:

Poke with Danyon

• Poke (raw fish on rice), 
• Laulau (pork in ti leaves), 
• Poi (taro paste), 
• Kalua pork (pulled pork)

L&L Hawaiian BBQ is a fast food place with some options. The other popular local fast food is Zippy's. You can find either all over the island. Poke is available at grocery stores, and you can ask to sample the flavors. 

We like acai bowls at Island Brew Coffee in Hawaii Kai

In Waikiki, we like to eat at Hula Grill, overlooking the water. Not cheap, but better than some options in the area. 
In Kaneohe (our side of the island) we like Haleiwa Joe's. No reservations, just show up at five and wait a while. Beautiful setting, overlooking a beautiful jungle garden. 

Nancy shopping for rare fruit at King's Marketplace in Waikiki

Shave Ice

Our favorite is Vintage Shave Ice in Waikiki. $8 for two person bowl, natural flavoring and extra fun toppings. But there is cheaper shave ice all over the island.

We had extra special occasions with my parents, celebrating Nancy's birthday with a Hawaiian quilt inspired cake, and visiting with her old friend Kris Anderson, who is a librarian for the medical school at the University of Hawaii.

Big Island

The Madlers first flew to the Big Island (Hawai'i Island) because Mandy loves (and has a degree in!) geology. At the Volcano Park, you can see lava flowing year round. However, this year the volcano was more active than expected.

Smoke from the Kilauea eruption

Kilauea started erupting on May 3, 2018, just a week before the Madler's planned trip. It was yet another reason for everyone we knew to start messaging us to make sure we were alright! (Yes, we live on a different island. No, no one has been hurt! Just property...) The volcano park was closed to tourists, so we worried we may not get to see much. Our third day, driving North on the highway to Hilo, we saw the smoke. 

But, there were lots of rocks to look at in the meantime. 

Mandy taught us about the two types of lava. (I was excited when I looked up these words and found out they were Hawaiian! Mandy said every Geology 101 student knows that.)

1. Pahoehoe (Pah-ho-ay-ho-ay): smooth or ropey surface
2. Aa (ah-ah):  small chunky (pictured above) 

Aa forms when lava flows quickly, creating a high viscosity. The lava dries while flowing, tears, and creates the small rocks which continue tumbling along.

Pahoehoe flows slowly, with low viscosity. (Here I'm thinking: cake batter vs. brownie batter.) So it dries smooth as well. 

Kaumana Caves

Lava often flows through underground tubes and leaves these tunnels behind! Several near Hilo were open for exploration. We also read that King Kamehameha used this as a sneaky way to get his soldiers from one location to another without the enemy seeing them.

We spent two nights camping out on a black sand beach at Punalu'u. Naturally, the black sand comes from volcanic rock. It's a favorite beach for turtles to come bask in the sun.

Be sure to give turtles lots of space! No touching

Our other geological adventure was a drive to the top of Mauna Kea. It's a drive from sea level to 14,000 feet, and there's a required resting / visitor center half way where you need to stop and acclimate. By the top, we saw a little leftover winter snow. There's little growing this high.

Mauna Kea is a sacred mountain, and the observatories continue to be a source of dispute. There's a closed pathway marked only for people with permission to travel for traditional reasons. A year after our visit, there were major protests here. Here's a good summary.

On the West side of the Island, we visited Kaloko-Honokohau National Park.

After our camp out, we traveled north near Hilo to our home-away rental in a yurt. I had some confusing problems with our reservation that day. The owner messaged me, asking if I had cancelled. I said no, it wasn't me! So I told the website to un-cancel my reservation.

When we arrived at the neighborhood, a police officer guarded the street. He asked us if we were residents. Nick honestly answered, Nope! The cop said, we've shut down all the vacation rentals... but I see you didn't know, so I'll let you in for now, but you need to find someplace new for tomorrow.

He explained that while this neighborhood wasn't being evacuated yet, the only other entrance had been closed down, and evacuation was possible. We sheepishly promised to find someplace new for the next night.

At our yurt, the owner suggested a variety of fun things to do in the neighborhood... all of which were closed down. But, there was one wonderful opportunity that night. He pointed at the map: "If you drive down this road and climb to the top of the hill, you'll be able to see Fissure #17." We left immediately. 

Fissure #17, viewed from aprx 2 miles away (photo by Nick Madler)

Someday we'll go back and see the Volcano Park, but we loved seeing this!

More photos of Hawaii 2018 adventures available in this facebook album. 

Hawaiian Protest Music

I loved listening to several Hawaiian/Island/Reggae music stations while driving in Hawaii. We hear a lot of classics- like Aloha Oe by the Queen, or 30's/40's American influenced music like Blue Hawaii and Tiny Bubbles. Israel Kamakawiwo'ole's songs are special favorites, like Over the Rainbow and White Sandy Beach of Hawaii.

There were two protest/justice orientated songs that frankly shook me when I heard them. Here's the lyrics- I'll break them down for you.

Couldn't Take The Mana
Recorded by Mana Kaleilani Caceres

Another road built on sacred land
One more hotel gone upon our Birth Sands
Where have all of our Ali'i [chiefs, leaders] gone
Maybe they'll return when they hear this song.

Hawaii is a popular place for new construction, especially resorts and tourist attractions. There's also controversy over scientific construction.

They took the land, they took aloha [love]
they took the Queen even though
they didn't know her
Suppressed Ikaika [strength] and then Kupuna [elders]
broke the ohana, [family]
but they couldn't take the mana [power]
but they couldn't take the mana

Queen Liliuokalani was overthrown by Americans who owned large properties in Hawaii in the late 1800s. More on my InterVarsity posts.

Saying they took the aloha really makes me sad- it's still a huge part of their culture. Kanaka are very hospitable and loving. But, being taken advantage of many times damages that.

Another puka [hole] in the mountain Side
One more bone move for a faster ride
Where have all of our old ways gone
Maybe you'll bring them back
when you hear this song

I remember how things used to be
My Tutu [grandpa] used to say as I sat upon his knee

We didn't need a lot of money, we didn't have a lot of things
The only mau mea [things] we needed
was what the Akua [god] brings
Like the sunshine and the rain and the wind was so much stronger
the life of the land must live forever and longer

Ua Mau ke Ea o ka ʻĀina i ka Pono is a well-known Hawaiian phrase which was adopted in 1959 as the motto of the state of Hawaii. It is most commonly translated as "the life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness."

Another ohana [family] must move away
the better prices and lifestyles so they say
Where have all of our people gone
one day they will return and sing this song

There's a lot of immigration, especially to Las Vegas (jokingly called "The Ninth Island") and also the Pacific Northwest.

He Kanaka
by Ka'ikena Scanlan

Most of this song is in Hawaiian, but here's the English section of the song (which of course is all I really understood driving in the car.)

According to my name which is Elijah
The one that I give praise to, his name is Jah
Sorry I don't believe in your religion
No offense to you it's just that I'm a Hawaiian
Ever since the day you landed on my island
Many of them passed away and many of them gone
All of them giving the praises to your holy begotten son
My people have to chant and sing "This is my song,"
I say... [Hawaiian lyrics]

I never gave my praises up to Jah
Cause the race of which I came from was raised on Hāloa so... [Hawaiian lyrics]

"Jah" is a commonly used name for God in reggae lyrics. It's a Hebrew word for God, along with Jehovah and Yahweh. Elijah has jah as a root word, so Elijah means, "Jah is my God." (The singer clarifies in the Hawaiian lyrics that he also isn't into Rasta.)

Hāloa is the Hawaiian creation story. So, he's saying his people's stories can't be reconciled with other stories.

Queen Lili'uokalani holds the Kumilipo creation chant, her own music, and the new constitution she wrote for Hawaii. She was a Christian.

I don't blame anyone who would to reject everything from Christians, or everything from Americans. Yet, I'm grateful to the Native Hawaiian and extended community of locals and activists who taught me about how they make their Christian faith their own, rather than taking the white, western version that was given to them by colonizers. They remember the good things the missionaries brought, while also standing against the harm that they did.  

Hawaii: ISM International Values

In January, I attended the national International Student Ministry staff conference for InterVarsity in Phoenix, AZ. I roomed with my team leader, Rachel, and got to see old friends, like Jovin. 

Elevator selfie!

For me, the most helping training during this conference was about cultural assumptions. Different cultures have different values, and some of them can be expressed on a continuum. We tend to believe our culture is "right," but it's helpful to look at the other side and see different interpretation of values. 

Obviously, I'm not saying that every value is true or right. But there are many situations where we are quick to judge before trying to understand. Understanding different cultural values is also a good first step to being able to interact better with people from different backgrounds. 

This list is adapted from Joe Ho’s: “Cultural Values Continuum - Definitions”

Where would you rank yourself on these continua? I've bolded my current location and included some notes on how I understand each of these topics, but I'm still learning. 

IDENTITY

What's the source of your identity?

Identity from Self: Integrity means knowing and being true to yourself. 

Identity from Community: Integrity means knowing and being true to your community.

American culture tend to be individualist. A lot of great things can come from this: innovation, inventions, and new ways of thinking. However, there's also a downside to individualist culture where people who are struggling may get lost or ignored. Learning about social justice work has helped me to see value in collectivist culture as well. 

ISM Staff from the Pacific Region (CA and HI)

TRUST: TASK/ RELATIONSHIP

What do you prioritize?

Task then relationship: Bonds are first built through shared task, and we trust that relationships will follow. 

Relationship then task: Bonds are first built through relating, and we trust that tasks will follow.

Example of task-oriented behavior: Because there’s a long agenda to get through, the meeting leader goes through all the action items, and there’s no time for co-workers to interact relationally.

I'm productivity oriented, so accomplishing a task is typically my top priority. If people are goofing off, I might get frustrated with them. However... again, I've become more flexible here. A lot of these values were challenged for me during the Texas Tech/University of Houston mission trip to Merida, Mexico during my senior year of college. We had certain goals for the week (running a vacation Bible school, beach evangelism, community service) but were also warned that bad weather or broken vans could quickly change any of those plans. So we had a new goal: be patient. Talk to each other. Talk to folks in the community. If the "job" for the day didn't get done... it's ok! We still accomplished something by spending time with each other.

LESS FACE / MORE FACE

Losing face means being shamed; giving face is honoring.

Less: Face or public image is important, but concerns for the face of self or others only impact behavior to a certain extent. 

More: Concern for the face of self or others is the critical consideration in behavior and speech.

                

Example: The international student joins a group activity because of fear of being embarrassed (losing face) in front of peers. 


I dislike worrying about face; it reminds me of being a perpetually embarrassed middler school student. College was a good experience in deciding that I would give myself a chance to speak up, take risks, and not worry so much if I wasn't doing it right. I still see value in saving face. For example, I try to represent my faith well by holding true to my convictions. However, I haven't been part of a community where there was pressure to save face, so I have less personal experience in this topic. 

We shared good stories from fall ministry on postcards

COMMUNICATION

Direct Communication: Spoken and written words should stand on their own and be clear without additional subtext. 

Indirect Communication: Nonverbal communication and subtext communicate as much as what is actually said.

Example: The American student’s new international acquaintance agrees to attend a sports event although he appears rather stressed and has mentioned how difficult classes are- he calls at the last minute to cancel. This is an example of indirect communication- a “yes” that maintains the relationship but really means “no.” Someone really aware of the contextual clues (the stressed look and mention of difficult classes) might have understood the no. 


This is another category where I am very Western. In the past, I have felt distrustful toward people who use indirect communication because I'm more familiar with unhealthy forms of indirect communication, like passive-aggressiveness. I gained a helpful understanding this week on the subject. I found out that there are also healthy ways of communicating indirectly, and that people who use them clearly understand what each other think. (I don't know why I thought a whole culture wandered around being confused all the time... that wouldn't make sense.) Healthy indirect communication can include many forms of politeness, like letting someone down gently when you have news they won't like. And, I realized I also use indirect communication- I just hadn't thought of it that way. When I'm discussing a controversial subject and hoping to persuade my companion, I don't tell them: "You're wrong! Here's why!" Instead, I ask them thought-provoking questions about their perspective so they can see my concerns, or tell a story related to the issue. (I don't always do this well... obviously.) Providing examples and stories can be a form of indirect communication too. We love using the parables of Jesus, which was a way he would teach thoughtfully, rather than giving easy answers. 

Rachel's group did a skit about training students with the end goal of them applying what they've learned in their home countries.

RULES

Universal: The best rules should apply to everyone all the time. 

Contextual: The best rules are flexible according to circumstances.  It is important to treat people with different social positions differently.

I still hold skepticism about contextual rules if they allow letting people in positions of power get away with crimes or bad behavior, but punishing marginalized folks for the same behavior. But, a pure universal rule leaves no room for discernment. That's why our justice system includes components like a trial, not just to discover guilt, but to see if the person may have had an understandable reason for committing a crime, and shouldn't be punished as harshly. Even outside of a courtroom, I hold greater value on discerning circumstances than a black and white response to someone who has broken a rule. 

ISM Staff Team

POWER DISTANCE

Low Power Distance: Inequalities in power are de-emphasized. People feel free to challenge/question the leader. 

High Power Distance: Differences in power are seen as normal. People are less likely to question those in power.

When a staff friend of mine was explaining this to me, several years ago, he said his favorite version of low power distance is the college professor whose students call them by their first name. They teach class sitting in the lawn, chatting about the subject, rather than lecturing at a podium. This is also the way InterVarsity tends to teach Bible studies, as a guided discussion. That feels strange to some international students. This week, we talked about how an international student might feel disappointed when a leader asks, "What do you think about this Bible story?" The student may be thinking, I spent my free time coming to hear from a wise leader. Why are they wasting my time asking my opinion? So finding a good balance between cultures take work. 

WHERE CONTROL LIES (LOCUS OF CONTROL)

Internal: Control is largely inside the individual. There are few limits to what you can become if you try hard enough. 

External: Control is external. Some things in life, including unhappiness, must be accepted as they are. Success is a combination of good luck and effort.

Growing up, I was annoyed with anyone who seemed to have an external locus of control. There are some people who seem to fill their lives up with excuses and justifications, and don't take responsibility for their actions. However, believing that everyone is in full control of their lives all the time is unrealistic. 

In high school, I was furious when a weekend of pneumonia seemed to ruin my track season. I couldn't understand why something that used to be easy was suddenly hard. (Working harder gave me worse and worse results.) It wasn't until years later that a doctor confirmed for me that my lungs hadn't been done healing yet; their capacity was less than before.

Admitting that some things are out of my control is healthy. It also helps me have compassion for other's life experiences. Chronic illness, death in the family, and all sorts of happenstance can derail a life plan.

We've talked about this with Stephen's job. He's been incredibly successful, and he has worked hard and deserves it (internal control). But, when he first started with the company, about 50 people interviewed for his job. He was one of the youngest guys, and he asked for a low salary, because he didn't know what it was worth (external control). Both hard work and chance played a role in getting him where he is.

Learning these different perspectives is important for International student ministry, but I find it valuable for many situations. It sheds light on conservative/liberal debates in America. It can be helpful for working across genders or in different families. I joke with my students a lot how marriage is helpful for getting a new view of yourself because what's "normal" for my family isn't "normal" for my spouse's family. We learn to see ourselves more clearly, and have an opportunity for development. What values, practices and beliefs do we want to keep, and which do we want to change?

While looking at a continuum, think of the left side as Western values and the right side as Eastern values. We typically meet International students who come from Eastern values, although many Western values have been increasing in the Eastern world. We wish our good values would be our primary export, but unfortunately we often often spread our bad values. 

Other highlights of the week: Rachel gave a great talk about justice and hospitality. Some of the material for that talk is in her blog post: Being Good Guests in the Land, which she shared last Thanksgiving. She discusses how she has worked to honor native Hawaiians as a white person living in their land, encourages others to learn about and honor the native people where ever you live.