we started off with a morning at the beach...
jones loved that i would fill our bucket up with sand and then dump it out for him to smash... i made a million bucket shaped sand mountains...
then on to the polynesian cultural center... or pcc... too long to type...
a very interesting place, especially when you learn what it is all about... the students who attend byu hawaii are mostly from the different islands and countries in the south pacific... this is their chance to come to a good school, learn, receive a degree and then return to their homeland with the skills and qualities of a leader to better help their communities...
they are given scholarships to attend byu hawaii... with the understanding that they will work at the pcc in exchange... there is so much to learn about each country and island... the south pacific is a whole other world it seems and you get a small taste of a few places while visiting the pcc...
jones found this cave and kept calling it a tunnel... seriously... the kid loves tunnels...
jones sweet tatt from fiji... it is the warrior tattoo...
hanging out with the tiki man after a yummy buffet dinner...
we then took a tour of the campus and saw the laie temple... so beautiful... the white temple built at the bottom of lush green mountains... we were sad to find out that the temple is now closed for an 18 month period for some major restoration work... guess we will have to go back someday...
.....
it is crazy how small of a person i found myself feeling while in hawaii... let me explain... hawaii is a state... of the united states of america... i know... you already knew that... but just read on... many times on our trip i felt so small and was learning so many new things about new cultures everyday... always surrounded by japanese, chinese, and many many other peoples from many of the south pacific islands... i am not saying that i felt unwelcomed or in danger in any way... i loved being there and seeing the different people the island had... just for once in my life felt a culture shock in a way... mexico never made me feel that way... i studied mexico in school and kind of knew what to expect... and knew it would be different... crazy to me that i did not have much of a culture shock in greece or turkey either, especially turkey when i almost got pick pocketed... did get stolen from (i still remember you cab driver)... or when to go into a church and had to remove my shoes for reverence and all women having to cover their heads with a scarf... i think i just expected it to be so different and it very much was... but one of my countries own states... to be so diverse and so different... it was something i didnt expect... it was a very cool and life changing experience... made me realize that there is so much of the world i dont understand and know... i want to learn so much more!!!
thank you for that hawaii... that you for that people of hawaii...
2/5/2010
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