Over spring break this year, my family and I had the privilege of going to Hawaii. We had a great experience and got to learn a lot about the beautiful islands of Hawaii. Here are six things that I learned throughout my trip.
Honolulu has a true city landscape
When I picture Hawaii, I typically picture beaches, wide-open green grasslands and tall palm trees. So when we were on our way to the first resort we stayed at in O’ahu, I was surprised by how urban it appeared. There were apartment complexes and office buildings everywhere. We were staying on the edge of the capital city of Honolulu, but for some reason I never pictured it looking like a typical city. It was not until we hiked to the top of Diamond Head Crater that I truly realized how big the city is.
The U.S.S. Arizona memorial is built on top of pearl haror and the sunken ship
I had learned about the attack on Pearl Harbor and the U.S.S. Arizona in-depth during my ninth-grade history class. So when my family visited Pearl Harbor, I could recall a lot of that knowledge to understand the significance of what happened and how it happened on December 7, 1941. But the one part of the national military park that I was unaware of was that the U.S.S. Arizona was built on top of the sunken ship. Visiting the memorial is a very peaceful and humbling experience, especially being so close to the ship in that way.
Hawaii loves spam
I learned this from a bus tour guide named Patrick. He informed us that Hawaiians love Spam. The state is one of the largest consumers of Spam in the world and even goes to the length of having its own annual Spam festival. There are flavors of Spam that specifically target the Hawaiian market. This love of canned meat can be traced back to World War II and its convenience in the Hawaiian diet.
The road to Hana is not for people who get easily carsick
If you have never heard of the “Road To Hana” you are not the only one. I had no idea what it was until my parents mentioned that we were doing it. The road is a very small two lane road that travels along the coast of Maui. It has lots of beautiful places to stop along the way like hidden waterfalls, fruit stands, botanical gardens and black sand beaches.
So what’s the catch? The road has over 600 hairpin turns and 56 bridges, with over 40 of those bridges being one lane. At the end of the road, you get to the town of Hana, which is a simple little fishing town. The road is not for the faint of stomach, however, which means most of my family felt very sick by the end of the trip. But the adventure was well worth it, and I can honestly say I would do it again.
Missionaries saved the hawaiian language in an attempt to destroy it
I also learned this from our bus tour guide Patrick. When Christian missionaries came to the islands of Hawaii, they did not understand the language. Since their goal was to colonize and “Christianize” the Hawaiian people, they wanted to get rid of the language. In order to get rid of it, they had to learn it in order to translate. As a result, they had to write down all the words and the translations, which inadvertently saved the Hawaiian language.
Aloha is a mentality
The majority of people understand that the word Aloha to mean hello. But the word also means goodbye, love, peace, compassion and mercy. Aloha is more than a word though, it is a state of mind. The Aloha mentality is rooted deep in Hawaiian culture. It means to love always, to live in the present moment and to spend valuable time in nature.
These are just a few of the many things I learned about Hawaii and its history during my trip. It is important when going to new places to learn about the history and culture of that place to not only gain more out of your experience, but to also show respect to the people who call that place home.