Today in class I got to pot and take home my tomato plants that I started growing in class. We were given two different sized pots and had to choose which one went in which pot. We were given soil and worm poop as well for planting. I decided to take off the rock wool on one of the plants to see if taking it off would change the way that my plant grows pose to just leaving it in the pot. Personally I do not have a very green thumb when it comes to taking care of my own plants, My family and I sort of stopped growing all of our plants in our yard over the years and its just been grass. I am quite nervous to have to take home my plants and grow them on my own. This will be a challenge and where I put the plants could also be a big factor as to if they survive or not. With the weather in Ewa Beach it is unpredictable when the next rainy day will ever be so I have to always be onto of it when it comes to watering my plants.
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Finding a meal in my house that isn't made from processed foods is sort of hard. My family doesn't have time for sit down meals anymore with all of our crazy schedules. My parents come home from work late and I come home hungry from school much before them. We buy vegetables for the house but besides that we don't eat organic. Everyone feeds themselves and we eat together as family occasionally but usually on the weekends. Eating a meal that was entirely organically sourced was more than just waiting for my mom to cook dinner. Along with the lack of family dinners we also have a lack of a green thumb. My family will recycle and use our own bags when we go to the store but we were never good at gardening. When I was younger we used to have banana trees and a papaya tree but overtime we couldn't keep up with them and they died. So I took a trip to Kapolei Down to Earth where I found a pretty good meal. Although it was a bit more bland than most pasta Ive had, the pizza was a mop. The Margherita pizza tasted like any other I have had that wasn't made from organic and natural products. Here are some pictures of what I ate... Besides being completely eaten alive by mosquitos and red ants, this first field trip was quite fun. My classmates and I all got to take a field trip down to Waimanalo Research Station. I had no clue what to expect, Iʻve never been to this place. I am also not too familiar with this side of the island . We got to take a tour of the place and see a bunch of different plants that are being grown there in their many different sections. Although the tour wasn't the only thing we did, we got down and dirty to work. I stayed with the groups that dug out the weeds by the ʻawa plants (potent roots) , under the ʻulu trees (bread fruit). One challenge that the group faced was the limited supply of tools. We only had so much garden tools to work with, some of us had to use our hands. But that was no problem, ʻaʻohe hua o ka maʻiʻai ka lā hoʻokahi translating to when done together no task is too big. In other words, many hands makes light work which is what we did.
We walk through the forests stepping on all the native plants not even realizing it. We get mud on our feet and get mad instead of seeing it as a blessing. Our generations have changed more and more over time from the places we hang out to what we do when we hang out. You won't see kids cruising in the lava tubes. You'll probably see them on their phones or iPads. This article was multiple examples on how our culture is dying.
There are people in the mainland trying to claim Hawaiian ancestry/blood, yet they don't know anything about the culture. Then there are the Hawaiians who have the blood and still know nothing. But, we can't blame them. Not everyone has the resources to learn the things we do here at Kamehameha. We need to start taking the initiative to try to learn and practice the culture. Our generation tends to forget how to depend off of the land instead of just buying everything from the store. This past Tuesday we had a guest speaker who came in and reminded me about how smart our kūpuna were in the ways of navigation along with learning a few new things as well. For instance, there is this thing called the Ipu Aʻa. This is a water gourd that hangs on the ship as they sail so they don't have to look up as much to see the reflection of the stars. The size of the gourd depended on how far the journey was that they were traveling.
The area that my class and I will be taking our field trip is very sacred. This was where Papa and Wakea once lived. Before the land was split apart it used to be one. This is where you would gather all your limu. Many of the different names of the small islands have mana in them. One being Maoliola while means ʻbreath of life'. From this field trip I am looking forward to being able to step my feet into the ground where our ancestors once did. I am also looking forward to being able to do some of the things that they did as well. The term 'Hawaiian Scientist' can be taken in many ways. I see it as a person who studies science within the Hawaiian culture. Whether this may be the environmental side. This would be dealing with the life of our native Hawaiian plants. This could connect to the medicinal ways that the Hawaiians once practiced with their plants. A prime example could be the scientists out on Coconut Island in Kāneʻohe. They are studying the life within that island in many different sections, taking water samples and constant tests on the life found there.
Everyone has their own way of doing things. Different techniques, strategies, and people who have taught them. This could also be reflected off of the culture they were raised within. Growing up in Hawaiʻi I have found that you can tell where someone was raised based on how they act, talk, and view certain things. Having a diverse group of cultural backgrounds within scientists can be rather beneficial. This past hurricane scare had everyone on their high toes. Everyone stocked up on cases of water and Spam for their families and emptied out the shelves of Costco. My family being included. Along with that came a week of constant climate change and scenery all around the island. Before hurricane Lane was suppose to come to O'ahu there was a lead up for a couple days of very humid muggy weather. It was a bad start of the week on the hill.
In 'Ewa Beach, the city that never rains we were finally hit with the week of gloomy skies. The sun never seemed to really shine, only peak through the clouds here and there. Kapolei rained a bit more than 'Ewa. Around Thursday to Friday there were very strong winds causing trees all around to fall. To me, Mālama Honua means the literal definition. Mālama, to care for and protect. Honua, meaning land or earth. Being a live human being living on this earth it is our job to take care and protect the earth. Earth is a broader section rather than just saying to protect the land. Within the word earth a bunch of different meanings come up as well. Earth associates itself with all of our resources. By resources I mean the means of our food, transporation, clean air, clean water, etc. We need our earth to be taken care of so the plants and animals along side of us can live long lives and help provide for future generations. |
AuthorChaeana Kahaʻi-Kim |