> Ikaia Chu < Over the last few weeks since we got back home, I’ve been reflecting upon and this experience, just trying to put my feelings into words (an impossible task it seems). There was just so much that we did and learned, it seems surreal as if it were all just a dream. And even now, three week since we returned home, I can still remember vividly everything we did in Aotearoa as if it were yesterday. We (30 or so Hawaiians) chanted in front of over two thousand Maori students, greeting each and every single one after! We worked on the Hikianalia as though it were our home! We even SAILED the Hokulea! I don’t think I’ll ever have another experience that even comes remotely close to this one. I would first like to thank all three of our teachers, Mr. Blake, Mr. Kamalu, and Ms. Arce for giving me this experience in the first place. I am very thankful to have been one of the ten students selected for this trip, and I am very glad I decided to go. Before the trip, I guess I didn’t really know much about the trip at all; I just thought, “Hey, I’ve never been to New Zealand before. That would be kinda cool.” But after coming home and finally settling down again, I can now see how great of an experience this really was. I’d also like to thank each and every one of you students who went on the trip with me. I may not have known all of you at the start, but by the end of the trip, after growing together, we were truly one family. The trip wouldn’t have been the same if even one of you were absent. Now first of all, let me say that I have never recognized myself as a very cultural Hawaiian in any way. I speak the language a tiny bit, but I never really cared much about the culture. For me, it's was just something I learned about to pass classes. However, this trip has truly changed me as a person and as a Hawaiian.
As a person, this trip has helped me find myself again, after years of going through the motions. Participating in the welcoming ceremony of the Hoku and visiting Te Reo schools showed me the pride the Maori people take in their culture and the power with which they perform songs and dances. As Mr. Blake would say, “we traveled all the way down to New Zealand in hopes of becoming better Hawaiians.” Watching the Maori for a whole week has really inspired me to change who I am as a person. It has inspired me to take pride in my culture, and to be proud of who I am. As well as helping me find myself, this trip has given my life direction in this very crucial time before I head off to college. Unless you’re one of those very driven kids who know exactly where they’re going in life (which I’m not), it’s hard to figure out which direction to head in. For me, I know what things I like and don’t like, but I have absolutely no clue what I want to do for the rest of my life. The most significant thing that I have taken from this trip was not specifically about voyaging, but rather about the PVS’s mission and how important it is, as future leaders of Hawaii, to give back to Hawaii and my people. This experience has given me peace in the sense that I realize its really not so important what exactly I decide to do with my life. I realize that it doesn’t matter whether I become a doctor, an engineer, a pilot, or even enter the military; what’s important is that I find a way to give back to Hawaii in whatever I do. Now, although the trip has come to an end, our journey has just begun. Now, our mission is to take what we learned, whether it be about voyaging, physics, or sustainability, and use it to educate others. Because we were given this opportunity, we carry the responsibility of spreading the mission and vision of the Worldwide Voyage and the Malama Honua project. On a final note, I would like to again express just how grateful I am to have been a part of this experience. This trip has given me two things I didn’t initially expect to find: pride in my culture, and a purpose in life.
1 Comment
3/18/2017 08:46:09 am
My son Ikaia, your maturity and wisdom are beyond what words I could ever express, as your father I am so proud of the man you are becoming and already are...
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May 2015
CategoriesContributorsThe members on the Mālama Honua journey will maintain this area to document their experiences. |