It’s been a view days since my last blog, so please bare with me, this is probably going to be really long.
Well in the few days that I have not done any blogging, a lot has happened for me personally. On Friday (7/29) we all did some West African Tribal dancing, and it was a LOT of fun. During the dancing we got one of the exchange students to join us. Her name is Helen, and she is from Russia. Later that same night, there was a disco, with really loud, and repetitive and…well kinda lame music, but that’s just like, my own opinion man. But everyone else in our group seemed to enjoy it, except for me and our new Russian friend Helen. So during that time that we weren’t dancing with everyone else, me and Helen were talking, and it was just such a cool experience, getting a glimpse at another culture through the eyes of one of the locals.
It was pretty awesome to say the least.
The next day, Jessica and Jana’s mom and dad came in to talk to us about cultural protocol and our Kuleana to it. It was such a fascinating talk, and in that moment I finally started to understand a little of the Hawaiian that was being said. It was in that lecture that I realized how important it was for me to learn my own culture. I practically had an epiphany. So now it is my goal to eventually go back and relearn the Hawaiian language as well as learn more about the culture.
Blog
Old town claremont
today we went to the farmers market in old town claremont and it was really fun! i got to walk scott’s dog everywhere and meet a few people. it was really and and also i was like giving a miniture tour of the village (old town claremont) because i lived right down the street from there so ..yah really fun!! 😛
lalala
I loved hearing Jessica and Janna’s (I hope I spelled your names right! <3) dad speak yesterday! I forgot how many similarities there are to my culture and the Hawaiian culture. For example: In my language we call our grandma tutu and so do Hawaiians! That as well as not interrupting others and not displaying rude behavior, not whistling at night because of bad spirits, acknowledging our elders presence, etc. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised (: I also thought Alex’s daughter was the cutest!
Anyways,
I was also thinking about how much of a culture shock it is to be away from home and be with mixed cultures that aren’t the same as mine. Sometimes I have to hold back from getting really upset with people whistling at night, people’s different personalities/mindsets, and especially getting asked if I wanted to eat while I was helping with the fry bread. I’m progressively learning how to cope appropriately with situations such as these and I’m really proud of myself because I;m figuring it out on my own. I can see that being here is like being in the real world outside of home; There are going to be people who I can’t get along with or that are different from myself and I just have to understand that, deal with it, and move on. It’s all a learning experience and I’m happy with it.
our connection/isolation video
This is the mentor’s video about isolation/connection… it was really fun to make. Just wish we would of had more time to get it all fine tuned.
Chips && Salsa
Last night was so fun and relaxing with the salsa dance teacher. She was pretty great and a inspirational speaker. It’s not going to be easy to follow the DREAM, but the journey will be a great story to tell. I’ll turn a MESS into a MESSAGE<3 Inspire other people to do what they want to do. It’s going to be TMTH. Oh and me and jessica are epic at the DOOKIE BOOTIE.
a few things… that have been fun
So we did some dancing the last few days which was very fun and funny because I really have no idea how to dance… the West African dancing that we learned was really hard for me because it was so much movement and exaggerated movement… I was so sore after we learned ONE dance. Yesterday, we learned some salsa dancing which was awesome it took a while a for me to get the count down and then when I did we had to switch partners. Today, we went to the farmers market which was fun also because I got to talk to a few people from there… one guy was selling cacti from all over the world. One of the other mentors, Becca, bought an old man cactus which was awesome because it was all hairy.
In total, I am having a good time; an even better time because I got to see my daughter and husband yesterday… but I really feel like some of the youth here have become more connected and bonded. I am super excited that all the youth who are here have so many ideas and goals and I can’t wait to see where they go in life….
The Farmer’s Market
The Farmer’s Market was interesting. Tried freshly squeezed orange juice and apple juice. Haha! It was REALLY good. 😉 I liked it. 😀 Haha! Scott brought over his beautiful Husky, Mison, and he was really friendly and he had just…. beautiful blue eyes. I love Huskys. 🙂 Bulldogs are my favorite. 😉 Anyways, at the Farmer’s Market in Pomona was really small n’ nice. 🙂 The fruit there was amazing!
A good day
yesterday was the day my parents came to teach our class, when I came to see them I felt like I wanted to cry but I didn’t 😉 lol and when night came I finally made spam musubi and most of the people ate it and later on I saved some for lunch tomorrow 🙂 I think it made Kapele happy :3
Just a few thoughts…
So today is Saturday… we have made it through the first week and I am so proud of everyone!! I think that tonight was by far the best and I feel like we all really connected better than any other time we have had. I am happy that everyone who is here came to this program and I am so grateful to have a wonderful group… both young adults and mentors!!
Alexandra
Response to “In Whose Honor?” posts
Hi All…I want to thank you all for posting insightful and powerful comments about the documentary, “In Whose Honor?”. I am truly moved by what each one of you has written. “In Whose Honor?” a hard documentary to watch, because it so painfully portrays how common ignorance leads to expressions of blatant racism in our society. And…when racism is embedded in popular culture icons/mascots and sports teams, that large groups people are invested in, it can blind people to the possibility of individual change and awareness, even if causes tremendous harm to others…hard to stomach at this point in history!
On the positive side, this film is inspirational in it’s portrayal of the work of Charlene Teters, a powerful contemporary artist and activist. By enacting her individual protest and resolve she bravely demonstrates how one person can raise awareness about an unspoken issue and inspire others to speak out against discrimination whenever it pops up in any way that we can.
I though you may be interested in a video produced by New Mexico Public Television that updates the “In Whose Honor?” doc. The video is narrated by Charlene Teters, and it tells some of the same story, but in the second half, Charlene talks about her work as a contemporary artist, and how her art practice has been influenced by her activism on the mascot issue, you get a chance to see some of her artwork and hear her philosophy on navigating life and identity in a world where ignorance an racism exist. You can also find more information about Charlene Teters and see images of her artwork at her website: http://www.charleneteters.com/Welcome.html
You all are do amazing work and I will see you on Sunday.
– Gina
nativeyouth2college.org 