Although I left Hawaii over a week ago, I still need to make a post about the incredible island state. I had started writing this in the airport, awaiting my flight to Samoa. I figured I could post it once I got there, but that was definitely not the case. Wifi has been a struggle in Samoa since day one. Although we’ve bought data for our phones and been given a portable Wifi device, there have still been challenges with connecting to the outside world. Not to mention a cyclone just passed over us, tearing down cables and tree branches. Nevertheless, I am here and now my blog post is as well.
Hawaii was meant to be our week long orientation into the program. We had various lectures and discussions that gave us an insight into the Pacific Island cultures and societies. Between climate change and globalization, we conversed over many issues and got ourselves excited to be in Samoa, where we can truly begin to uncover these complex situations. The challenge, during that first week, was being present in Hawaii while still looking forward to our time in Samoa.
I found myself going off in the afternoons to hike or swim. The seventeen SIT Samoa students were all trying to bond with each other, while bond with Hawaii as well. And the more we ventured out of our hostel and into the heart of Hawaii, the more we realized this island has some unique and pressing social issues.
Hawaii is part of the United States of America, right? Same laws, government, roads, and quest bars. But there are massive differences between this island and the land mass that governs it from thousands of miles away. There is so much I didn’t know about Hawaii, that I never even thought to ask. Yet there is such a rich history here, such a deep culture that has been turned silent. And us, the oppressors, don’t even understand.
Hawaii used to be a recognized global country. That doesn’t just mean that it was a sovereign nation. It means that they had their own language, their own monarchy, and their own relations with foreign powers. The Hawaiian monarchs sailed the oceans to appear in Portuguese courts, British courts, and others. Their land was their own. Their money, culture, and society was of their creation. But now?
We never learned in school that the American government aided a small group of militia to overthrow the Hawaiian Queen, locking her in her palace rooms. We never learned of the resistance and turmoil that ensued for the following decades. Hawaii is a tropical paradise – a vacation destination – not a suppressed nation. We aren’t told that.
I don’t want this post to victimize the Hawaiian people. They are strong and they are pushing for their own voice to be heard. The people of Hawaii want their sovereignty and they are working to achieve it. I think it is important to mention their history, as it will most definitely be revisited in the near future.
Learning the impacts of globalization in our small University of Hawaii campus classroom, and then actually seeing those impacts within the city, was incredibly powerful. I think we all felt as though we got to know Hawaii in a different way than your average tourist.