K is for Kindness

K is for Kindness; when I think of where I have lived, the most kindness I have witnessed was in Hawaii.
My husband went ahead of us(U.S. Navy) on a USS Destroyer, the O'Kane.   We arrived a bit later in October; gorgeous weather, people very friendly, business meetings were laid back, people wore Hawaiian wear, not business suits.  You are welcomed to the island with a lei(necklace of real flowers).    There are gangs and you are warned to not be in certain locations in the evening, but I never saw anything other than the spirit of Aloha.
                              Akahai, kindness to be expressed with tenderness;
                              Lokahi, unity, to be expressed with harmony;
                             Oluolu, agreeable, to be expressed with pleasantness;
                             Haahaa, humility, to be expressed with modesty;
                             Ahonui, patience, to be expressed with perseverance.

 There is a more relaxed vibe, more smiling, more kindness, perhaps it is the beautiful beaches(kahakai) and the ocaean (kai).  The weather is gorgeous and affects everyone's mood.
.   
Many cultures make up the Hawaiian's background; this is reflective in the food, language and spirit of the people. I remember we were at Sam's Club in Honolulu, HI, my husband was looking for some type of coffee(kona).  He made the comment, well, if we were home in the U.S.  I said, "You are in the U.S."   There were so many locals and they weren't speaking English around us.  In Hawaii, there are 2 languages, English and Pidgin-local language.   There alphabet is different than ours, all words end in a vowel.  It is very crowded, this is the one thing that was hard to deal with.  Every time we went shopping, no matter where or when,  there was the Christmas vibe: too many people, long lines and crowded!  The island of Oahu isn't that big with a lot of people living on it, you had the feeling of too many ants on a rock.   There was also volcanic fog called -vog, it would give you allergies and cause your eyes to swell.  (volcanic ash+fog)

There are 2 officially holidays there honored and celebrated for Hawaiian royalty, Prince Kuhio and
King Kamehameha.

My daughter couldn't say macadamia nuts, but her cousins were Matt n' Dana, so she called them, Mattn'Dana me nuts. She was 4 when we arrived and turned 5 while we were there.   We were suppose to be stationed there, 5yrs, but it ended up being 5 months and on May 5th, we left the island.  (yeah, I have this thing about fives).
My son was released from school, every Wednesday early, it was part of their program, so you could have that day to take them to dentist, Dr's appts, or go enjoy the sunshine.

Some interesting K words:

Kahuna	kah-HOO-na	a priest, or expert in a profession
Kai	kigh	the sea
Kala mai ia’u	KAH-la my e-ou	excuse me
Kalua	KAH-loo-ah	cooking food underground
Kama’aina	kah-ma-EYE-ne	long-time Hawaii resident
Kane	kah-neh	boy or man
Kapu	kah-poo	forbidden, taboo; keep out
Keiki	kay-kee	child or children
Kokohe	ko-Ko-hey	rascal
Kokua	koh-koo-ah	help
Komo Mai	komo-m)	come in
Kona	koh-nah	leeward side of the island
Kuleana	koo-leh-AH-nah	concern, responsibility
Kumu	KOO-moo	teacher
Kupuna	koo-POO-nah	grandparent

*Wahine is woman

Kapu is mentioned, I always think of that episode on the  Brady Bunch, when they go to Hawaii on vacation.
I think it is Peter, that finds a strange looking totem, a tiki god,  at his Dad's work site.   This is shrouded with  Kapu; Then all this bad stuff, starts happening.   I never saw anything Kapu, while I was there!  

If you have a chance to go...Go, by all means, it is unique to see, such a diverse culture.  A state within our
country with it's own alphabet.... kool!

When I took my daughter to the dentist today I thought of the Hawaiian spirit and tried to smile more and
be relaxed!