I have decided that this blog needs more food in it. We have some great places to eat out here in Ko’olauloa, and they deserve props for making sure we are all well-fed. It helps that I’m hungry right now.

The plan is to check out a different place and feature it in this space each week. Any suggestions? Historically, the moku of Ko’olauloa spans from Ka’a'awa to Waimea. That’s huge!! It will take me years to get through all the great food places in those boundaries.

New places I’m thinking about checking out: the reopened Crouching Lion Inn (maybe I can find a *date* to finance that one? hehe), the Thai lunchwagon in Hau’ula, and one of the Kahuku shrimp trucks (since I’ve never tried any–sad, yeah?).

This weekend? I’m thinking comfort food: Papa Ole’s? Hukilau Cafe? I could go for a nice, filling Saturday brunch…

The Brigham Young University - Hawaii 2008 Commencement Ceremony took place on Saturday. I decided to check it out, as I had an uncle, cousin, and several close friends finally earning their degrees.

The ceremony was very nice, and rather solemn–I give a lot of credit to Vernelle Lakatani, the school registrar, for her efforts to correctly pronounce long, tongue twister names from Hawaii, Samoa, Mongolia, China, Tonga, the Philipines, Marshall Islands, and countless other exotic countries of origin.

Of course, once the ceremony was over, the madness began.

I had to sort through this crowd to give out the 8 lei I brought with me!

I thought these signs were adorable.

Congrats to all the graduates who are moving on to the next big step in their lives, be it careers or graduate school–you worked hard for it!

I stopped by the end-of-the-year pool party at BYU-H for the Hawaiian immersion schools in Ko’olauloa last week.

It was nice to dip my feet in the water, surrounded by laughing, splashing children, and talk story with parent Rebekah Walker and teacher Leone Sa’aga about the programs, which currently serve more than 60 students from preschool to 11th grade.

Hawaiian immersion preschooler So’i Sa’aga and first grader Kohala Sproat take a break at the programs’ year-end pool party.

The preschool, Pūnana Leo o Ko‘olauloa, began in 1997. The school operates in Kahuku at Rainbow School (on the grounds of the Kahuku Methodist Church).

Preschool graduates are fed into the DOE’s immersion program at Hau’ula Elementary, called Ke Kula Kaiapuni o Hau’ula. Kaiapuni started a year after Pūnana Leo with the younger grades. The oldest children in the program were in the third grade.

Those third graders have become a growth marker for the program, which has expanded each year as the students progressed through each grade level. This school year, they completed the 11th grade at Kahuku High School, and will be the highlight of a decade-long journey a year from now as the program’s first graduating class.

“The kupuna have wanted to see the return of our native language to our community,” said Leone Sa’aga, director of Pūnana Leo. “We are a Hawaiian community.”

Sa’aga, whose children are currently enrolled in the immersion programs, said that over 200 Hawaiian speakers have come through the programs to date.

“My goal is that my son will never, ever regret not being able to speak his native tongue,” said Sa’aga. “I never got the opportunity, and I want my children to. When they grow up, then they can decide (if they want to be involved in the Hawaiian community or not).”

Rebekah Walker, president of program parent group Na Leo Ka Ko’o o Ko’olauloa, enrolled her children for similar reasons.

“I wanted my kids to know that they are Hawaiian. There is meaning to the things that they do in school…we love it. For us, it’s a family thing,” said Walker, who also described the special connection students in the program have with local kupuna.

Sa’aga stressed that any family–Hawaiian or not–interested in having their children learn to speak Hawaiian are welcome (”we take anybody and everybody!”), but it’s important to keep in mind that this program teaches more than just the language. The programs use the community as a classroom to teach values and culture.

Kaiapuni students participate in a beach cleanup at Kahana Bay. Some other community activities the students participate in include working in area lo’i (taro patches), visiting heiau, and putting on a Kupuna Day.

Photos courtesy Kawehi Kammerer

One of the challenges facing the elementary and high school programs includes a shortage of DOE-allotted teachers; the high school program has 2 full-time teachers overseeing grades 7-11, with 3 covering K-6. It’s also been a huge challenge to adapt cultural lessons and concepts to No Child Left Behind, as required of all public school systems.

Getting the word out has been a challenge, as well. Currently, new enrollment comes from word of mouth and a sign hanging on a fence in Kahuku. I guess I should be more observant; I’ve never seen the sign, and I didn’t even know the programs existed–and I’ve lived out here my entire life!

My impression of the immersion programs out here in Ko’olauloa: it’s a tight-knit community of Hawaiians–and Hawaiians at heart–who share a love for the language and culture of our island home.

“The reason (we started this program) is to identify with who we are. That was lost,” said Sa’aga, adding that the Ko’olauloa programs are particularly important because “our children should be able to stay in our community to learn the language, play sports, and not be displaced.”

The families who have worked hard to ensure that there is a program here for their children deserve a pat on the back. A large chunk of my classmates from Kahuku are Hawaiian, and very few ever learned to speak the language–I know that they would have taken advantage of these programs had they been around back then. Thanks to these persevering parents, teachers, and community members, schoolchildren today have that choice.

Some of my favorite memories are of camping here in Ko’olauloa…no, not da kine backpack in the mountains, sleep on the ground camping, but the cushy camp on the beach with an EZ corner, air matress/cot, and full kitchen set up. You know, the kind where you live so close to the campgrounds that you go home to use the bathroom and shower, and you bring the T.V. and hook it up to a generator for the kids to watch movies at night. =)

I’ve camped with family and friends at most of the beaches out here on our side, and I say that nothing beats camping on the beach. Which one is the best, though?

I used to prefer Hukilau Beach in La’ie, because it’s within walking distance of my house, and I grew up swimming in La’ie Bay. The drawback is that the ground is dirt, so you get extremely muddy on your way back to the tent after swimming. Besides, who likes using port-a-potties?

I have also camped at Kahana, but I remember it being hard to get cell phone reception, and you have to double, sometimes triple park. There’s also a lot of runoff from all the rain in the valley, so it’s rare that you get a day with clear ocean water for swimming.

Malaekahana is fun, and there are even a bunch of cute cabins and campsites set up on the Kahuku end of the park that you can rent for a weekend. We rented out the big house once for a family reunion–the adults got to sleep inside, and we kids spent the night in tents in the yard.

Now, we usually go to Kekela (Kokololio Beach Park) in Hau’ula because it has lots of grass, open space, and REAL bathrooms. Not to mention plenty parking!

My aunt recently wrote the following about camping at Kekela as a child in our monthly family newsletter about “The Best Summer Ever”:

From the time we set up the excitement would build. Getting the right spot, and everything set up, and then having the freedom to go and swim, play and life just didn’t get any better…I would be so tired by the time I hit whatever spot there was in the tent, I would just crash…sunburned, sandy and all….passing out from total exhaustion. And then to awake to another fun filled day… (That’s if you didn’t get egged or shaving cream put on you during the night). Those summers were the greatest. The only sad thing was that they came to an end, only to build up our hopes and anticipation for the next summer.

It’s funny how I share the exact same feelings about camping–an entire generation later! Late nights talking story over pani keke (Samoan pancake) and koko rice (the Samoan version of hot chocolate), swimming all day long, eating all day long, and going to bed happily exhausted. I can’t wait for this year’s camp, which will take place in mid-July.

Where do you like to camp out in Ko’olauloa? Any good memories from camp you’d like to share?

I know, I know…it should be ‘pickled’ mango, but who calls it that around here?

The mangoes are starting to come in, and my family made good use of the first batch this past weekend. Sunday afternoon, we gathered at my uncle’s house in La’ie to peel and slice several buckets of green mango.

8 gallons of pickle mango…YUM!

Here is a li-hing pickled mango recipe I found on alohaworld.com if you want to try making your own (I no like get lickins for sharing family secrets!). Obviously, it’s a little different from ours (we use brown sugar and don’t cook the vinegar sauce), but I’m sure it’s just as good…

And if you don’t feel like going out, picking, peeling, slicing, mixing, packing, and waiting for the juice to set in before grinding, visit any crack seed store to satisfy your craving.

Ingredients:
1 gallon sliced green mangoes 2 cups raw sugar 1 cup rice vinegar	4 Tbsp Hawaiian rock salt 1/4 - 1/2 lb seedless li hing mui (15-25 or more) 1/4 tsp red food coloring (optional)
Cooking Instructions:
Peel green mango with a vegetable peeler. Slice into thin strips and discard the seed. Set aside. Bring sugar, vinegar and salt to a boil. Continue boiling until sugar dissolves. Cool. Stir in li hing mui slices and pour over mango slices. Store in airtight container.
Additional Comments:
Mangoes should be very small - 3 to 4 inches in diameter. At this point you may cut through the seed. Common mangoes will give the best results. Regular vinegar will give it a more sour flavor. Most people prefer the rice vinegar.

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Since we’re on the topic of green mango, does anyone have a good recipe for shoyu mango? Any other suggestions on how to eat green mango (while we wait for the rest to ripen )?