A Week at Papahana Kualoa

Honestly, this week has been fantastic and an experience that I will treasure for a lifetime. Being a city girl, I've never been so directly involved in nature. Sure, I've seen trees, and maybe even climbed a few, but that does not compare to everything I've been able to do at Papahana Kualoa. I will admit that I probably have never even planted anything before this camping trip (who even has a garden in NYC?) Heck, I've only been on one camping trip in my life! Everyone here in Hawaii seems to be so intertwined with nature and their ancient, still pervading culture. It is quite amazing, and I sometimes forget I'm even in America with all the Hawaiian aura the people of these islands give off.

I'm not very athletic, nor do I take extra care to keep in shape. Being a teenage girl still in high school, I care more about having fun than keeping healthy. As a natural consequence, I am terribly out of shape. I never knew just how athletic so many people in Hawaii were! Everyone seems to be paddling, running, etc. Everyone just seems so strong. Being naturally clumsy and uncoordinated can be a bit of a hindrance, but I think this summer will help me greatly overcome that hurdle as well as many others. Which brings me to my next point; for some unexplained reason, I've never, ever liked worms. To put it bluntly, I vehemently detest those foul creatures. Which is quite ironic, being as they are one of the main detritus feeders in the soil ecosystem and help to aerate soil, and etc. As a result, many times this week I stopped and asked myself, "What in the world am I doing here?! Conservation is all about nature, and nature involves soil, which inevitabley involves worms." However, though HYCC is about conservation, that is not the only thing prevalent in this program. HYCC is also about teamwork and cooperation, and developing oneself into a better leader and better character. It is about overcoming fears, like the member Jikai who overcame his fear of heights to do the zipline. If he can do that, I promise to myself that this summer will help me to overcome my fear of worms. (I mean, they don't even bite! But I can't get over them nevertheless.)


To wrap up my little blog post (I don't know how long it has to be,) I wanted to say that I am so happy I was accepted into the program and all the things I have been able to learn and do, all courtesy of the wonderful people at Papahana Kualoa and HYCC. I've done things I never thought I would do, things I've only seen on television (such a city girl, yeah?) I even became addicted to making those little stone rock things you play in that ancient Hawaiian game (I can never remember the name for that!!) Here I am, a full-blooded chinese girl from New York City, learning Hawaiian culture and feeling the unique connection between everything on the islands and the people who call it home. I love my teammates, I love my team leaders, and I love the memories I already have, and the ones I will have. Thank you, Papahana Kualoa and HYCC! I can guarantee this will not be the last time you hear my squeamish cries in the mud. :)

-Grace