Post-trip: New Friends and Cultural Pride by Alexis Clarke

At the beginning of this week, I was afraid. I was afraid I wouldn’t fit in or make new friends. Now that this program has ended, I find those thoughts immensely amusing. I made friends with nineteen new people, and we are so close we are like a family. I never thought I could make so many friends let alone in such a short time. These people have taught me that being weird is good, such as listening to eclectic music from the 50s, that laughing so hard your stomach hurts is one of the greatest feelings that you can have, and that being vulnerable is a good thing. This program has made me a happier, more extroverted, and better all-around person, so much so that words cannot decipher the feelings I have in my heart.  

Another thing that I want to discuss is the cultural pride that the Hawai’ians have in their hearts. Lehua Alapai of the Dryland Forest shared how people have left her land for cheaper living, especially in Las Vegas, Nevada. She divulged how people did not teach her her culture and urged her to leave the Island of Hawai’i to find a better living situation, yet she refused. She emphasized that in her gut and her heart, she felt she needed to be in Hawai’i and help her ohana’s land. Her story touched my heart and made me realize that I have the same feeling about California as she does about Hawai’i. I moved to Belgium last year due to my father’s job and had not felt true inner peace there like I have felt in the Bay Area of California. The pride she feels about her ohana and culture is how I feel for my roots and home. I spoke to her about this, and she told me that following your heart, or your gut, is the most important thing because it will lead you to happiness that will last your entire life. 

I would like to thank everyone I met for impacting me in such a short amount of time. Mahalo no kou lilo ʻana i ʻohana maikaʻi loa. 

 


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