Hawaii 5-0!


The Marriot Resort in Ko’Olina is amazing! Our original intention was to visit to a variety of tourist sites around the island of Oahu, but there was so much to do on the property, that we didn’t leave once! We were involved in everything possible, from fitness classes, to cultural dances and a whole host of other activities. Also, from Oliver’s post, you can see the resort is absolutely gorgeous, so there wasn’t a lot of incentive to leave our new paradise home!

Everyday we started with yoga classes on the beach. After months of travelling on planes, trains and automobiles, it was great to be able to stretch out our bodies and get back into comfortable positions like “downward dog” and “warrior”. It took a few days, but it wasn’t long before we could reach a little longer and stretch our poses a little farther. It certainly helped that we were looking right into the Pacific Ocean and could see the palm trees swaying in the breeze!

Good Morning Yoga!
Good Morning Yoga!

We also did a lot of other classes from Beach Bootcamp to Tai Chi, Aqua Zumba, Hip Hop Fitness, and Pilates. It was also wonderful when our niece Anastasia was able to spontaneously join our Global Fieldtrip for a week in Paradise!

Now Mikhaila’s turn….

My favourite activities were the native dance classes from the Polynesian islands.
Hula dancingHula dancing originated in the Hawaiian islands. Contrary to some beliefs, the hula is not performed in a grass skirt. The skirt is actually made of cloth and is used as part of the dance to tell a story.

Hula dancing
Hula dancing

Our teacher, Gardenia, gave us full and flowery skirts to wear while we learned one of many hula dances. Our group did such a good job, Gardenia arranged for us to perform at the torch lighting ceremony that night. After the show, we received a CD so we can do the dance at home.

Tahitian dancing

This style of dance originated on the island of Tahiti which is near Australia. Grass skirts are worn because they make the moves look more dramatic.

We also took this class with Gardenia but it was not as easy as the hula. There are a series of movements such as making circles, boxes, and figure eights with your hips. This class was my favourite because it has a faster pace and the hip movements are fun. We watched a group of ladies doing a Tahitian dance at the luau and they were incredible! It would take me a lot of time and practice to really master this skill.

Fire knife dancing

The performers have torches with both ends on fire which they twist and spin around themselves. In the Samoan villages, the guards had a type of staff with one end as a torch and the other a knife. They would swing the staff around and use whichever one they needed (the knife for defence and the torch for light).

Our group learning fire knife dancing
Our group learning fire knife dancing

We learned 3 movements with the torches while they were unlit, of course. I would only do this if I were a professional, but since I am not, practicing without fire sounds like a good idea.

Fire-free fire knives
Fire-free fire knives!

In addition to the dance classes, we had another really neat activity. This time, a representative from NASA came to the resort. We were lucky to have a private class and were able to ask as many questions as we wanted. He brought a huge telescope and Zoe, my mom and I took turns looking through it. We saw Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Hokulei (an important navigational star), young and old stars, double stars, and a galaxy. We also learned Hawaii is the only place where the Southern Cross and the Big Dipper are in the sky at the same time. Seeing all these celestial objects in space has made me realize how small Earth is in comparison. This class has inspired me to maybe one day work for NASA and learn more about what is out there in the universe.

 

Aloha!  Zoe here!

We did many activities at the resort.  Some that I really liked were lei making, bracelet making and learning the Hawaiian language.

Lei Making

We made Hawaiian leis at our resort out of beautiful purple orchid flowers.  First, we were given a long needle with a string attached to the end.  We had to pull one of the stems off of a flower and tie it onto the end of the string.  The stem prevents the flowers from falling off.  Then we had to place three to four flowers on the needle and slide them down to the bottom of the thread.  We continued this until the whole string was filled up with flowers.  Next, we tied it off and taa daa!  It was all done.  We gave one of these to Anastasia as a welcome to Hawaii gift when she first arrived.

Bracelet making

For the bracelets, we met a kind lady who was running the activity.  She set everything up and taught us how to make them. We had to weave a black ribbon through a palm leaf and tied it off in the end.  We made really nice bracelets!

Hawaiian Language 

We learned many things in our Hawaiian language class such as the history, words and phrases.

Here is the history:

At first the Hawaiian language was only spoken and never read or written.  In 1820, an alphabet was added.  In 1826, the alphabet was changed to latin, but the language stayed the same.  In 1834, the very first newspaper was printed.  Soon, almost everyone in Hawaii was able to read, write and speak the language!  Unfortunately, in 1893, there was an illegal overthrow of the monarchy, therefore the language was banned.  Punishments were given to anybody in the government or schools for speaking Hawaiian.  Slowly, it disappeared…  In 1978, Hawaiian became the official language of Hawaii.  In 1984 a Pūnana Leo, a Hawaiian language immersion preschool, was started and today there are more than 10.  For students in grades K-12, Hawaiian was taught at another type of school called Papahana Kaiapuni.

The Hawaiian language is similar to Spanish because all vowels are pronounced.  Here is my Hawaiian dictionary:

  • Hello- Aloha
  • Until we meet again- A Hui Hou
  • How are you?- Pehea ‘oe?
  • What’s your name?- ‘O wai kou inoa?
  • Where are you from?- No hea mai ‘oe?
  • Thank you!- Mahalo!

Malama Pono!- Take care!

 

Katina here again…

You all might be wondering why I used the title Hawaii 5-0, as I’ve made no mention of it throughout this post.  Well, to be honest, I just wanted to use it as a cool title:) Also, the show was filmed right on the beaches of Ko’Olina so there is a connection:)


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Comments

10 responses to “Hawaii 5-0!”

  1. Doreen Avatar

    Sounds like you were all able to immerse yourselves in many areas of the Hawaiian culture. So nice to see some family too! A good place to choose to visit Anastasia. Travel safely and see you all soon…where have the last 11 months gone? Love Doreen xoxo

    1. Katina Avatar

      Hi Doreen,

      You are so right…where have the past 11 months gone? It seems like yesterday we were making our way to Ireland! We have had such an amazing time….we are going to enjoy every last minute! We also wish you well on your trip to NFLD…make sure to kiss the cod!!

      Cheers,
      Kat:)

  2. How long were you at this resort? You sure got a LOT accomplished during your time there! Did you ever just, um, chill? You guys are so active, it wears me out just reading about all the thing that you do!! I am seriously Impressed.
    That is a very interesting bit of history about the language. Seems all colonialists try to repress the counties they take over, but at the end, the original people’s do persevere. The resort looks amazing.
    Your experience with the telescope was my favourite . Sounds like this has given you lots to think about.

    1. Katina Avatar

      Hi Herta,

      We were at the resort for a week. It was a perfect 7 days…they had so many fun activities that we just tried to do as many things as we could…and since we never the left the resort – there was a lot of chilling out in between the fun. It was exactly what we all needed!

      Cheers,
      Kat:)

  3. Mary Papulkas Avatar
    Mary Papulkas

    Perhaps, you can put on a show for all of us when you get back, featuring all the dances and costumes worn. How about at Kew Beach, with Lake Ontario as the setting? Great that Anastasia could join you in Hawaii to make it 5-0.

    1. Katina Avatar

      HI Aunt Mary,

      Thanks for the idea…yes exactly – Anastasia made us Hawaii 5-0!!! And believe me – when we get home the girls have a show planned to share all of their new dances, tricks and fun they’ve learned over the year…just wait for it!

      Cheers,
      Kat:)

  4. Aloha!
    As I was reading this lovely commentary , along with the beautiful photos, I started hearing the very beautiful Hawaiian music and it made me want to join in the dancing!!!
    The gift of the lei was such a thoughtful and beautiful way to welcome Anastasia! It’s great to see how all of you are learning as well as having such a great time!
    Love, Baba

    1. Katina Avatar

      HI Baba,

      IT was great to have Anastasia join us…we really enjoyed her company on the trip! She was willing to do everything with us with a big smile on her face:) I think Hawaii is magic!

      Cheers,
      Kat:)

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