As I begin to write my final post for the spring semester of 2018, I snack on a ginger and mint smoothie bowl at Banan in Honolulu, Hawaii. Ginger and mint you might wonder? It’s a delicious juxtaposition.
I decided to extend my layover in Hawaii to two days. I was hoping for peaceful relaxation, allowing myself the time to debrief and process the past four months. Instead of laying on the beach and journaling, I was thrown into the height of tourism. Walking through the streets felt like an obstacle course of human beings and concrete. Scandalous clothing, varying languages, hairstyles, hair colors. The diversity felt loud and abrasive after walking out of a total population of 300,000. With everything that Honolulu thrust into my face, I found my eyes could only see what the city lacked. Where were the awful pop song remixes blaring from every shop, car, and bus? Where was the mismatched clothing with bright blues, greens, and oranges? Where were the outrageous homes to match those bright outfits? Where was the friendliness, the feeling of security and safety? My home, for the past four months, was silenced and slipping away.
Coming to this little smoothie shop took me over an hour due to the traffic. I tried to hop on a bus that was driving along the road, and was shocked to watch the driver continue on without stopping for me. I forgot that you had to be at a specific bus station to be picked up. In Samoa, you just wave your hand when you hear those remixes blare from afar.
Highlighting these vast differences between Samoa and the western world has left me with negative comparisons and disappointments. It is easy to wish the world could conform to an island style of living – and even easier to expect it after experiencing that life for four months. However, it was an openness, understanding, and curiosity that led to my love for Samoa. In my first few weeks on the island I asked every question that came to mind. I was so eager to know this new way of life. I withheld the judgements and the comparisons, allowing full understanding to solidify before defining my personal opinion. It was this very strategy that led to my love for Samoa. Though Hawaii seems overwhelming, it is this same strategy that must be employed for true appreciation and respect to be fostered.
That is why Honolulu has been the perfect city for me to have entered back into the western world. It has challenged me to withhold judgements while continuing with the strategy of curiosity. And while I may want everything to relate back to my experiences in the Pacific, I have to find a way to live in the present. I have to see each place with the same curious eyes that wondered at the volcanic mountains, sandy beaches, and relaxed island peoples of Samoa. Not every avenue will lead to a deep appreciation, but it will bring forth an understanding that stretches beyond a visit and attempts to truly experience a culture.
I’ll miss all of the friendships I have made in Samoa, not just with the Islanders, but with people in my program too. I feel truly blessed to leave with a sad heart because it means that these past four months have meant something. I feel even more blessed to have Maine as my end destination with incredible family and friends awaiting. Love and gratitude overwhelm me – as does my bit of heartache.
“The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.” – Jon Krakauer
