a Volcano Iki hiking trail

January 2010 is a Volcano week! Many events have been going on in the Hawai'i Volcano National Park.

My hiking friends took me to there for hiking.

It takes around 1 hour from Hilo to get the park.

You can see the birth of the earth including the birth of the Hawai'i islands.

You will learn that the Hawai"i islands are chains that go to the northern West.

We saw the Hula Kahiko (traditional hula dance) at the park!

Volcanic activity was great! Hawaiians believe that volcano is Pele who is called goddess of Volcano.

Pele was active!




On the way of hiking to a "Kilauea Iki" trail, we saw plants growing on the lave rocks!

Here is a Native plant, an Ohia tree. The trees create soil by cracking the lava rock.

They are one of important roles in Hawaiian ecosystem.

The flowers are red (sometimes, we see yellow flowers).

The red color represents The Big Island where I live.

There is a myth about the trees.

The flower represents lehua, a female.

Pele falls in love to a man, but he loves lehua.

Pele turns her into a flower and him into a tree.

If we pick lehua flowers, it will rain.

They cry because they are separated.

The earth is alive.

Volcanic activities destroy and create new lives. Every thing changes its forms, but nothing will be gone.

From here, a volcano activity started about 50 years ago.

I realize that life takes time to grow. Forest was born after many many years later.

The Volcano National Park is a special place.

The Hawaiian people used to live in the park and practiced their culture.

However, they had to move and leave the area because government owned the area.

Sometimes, I feel that reserving the place and educating visitors are important but protecting the Native culture are also important.

For the practice reasons for the Hawaiian people, the park opens for free.

The visitor have to pay an entrance fee.

I had good time with my friends! Thank you for taking me there!

My Change

I want to dedicate to the lady who I am taking care of.

She and I had a small conflict.

I was so tired and sleepy to be patient and kind to the lady during night time.

I have not slept enough for several nights becasue of her irregular sleeping pattern.

I expected to wake up and help her for bathroom for 3-4 times per night.

However, my situation was unexpected.

She belongs to the hospice program that is for people who gradually progress to die. The program offers them medical support to let them die peacefully.

My environment needs a lot of responsibilites and work for her sickness.

I did not realize how hard it was!

Every time she woke up or called me, and I started to feel depressed and unhappy after spending time with er for 2 months.

She sometimes confused among the reality, dreams, and imaginations.
It is hard to make her calm down and let her sleep again.

She sometimes asks me things during mid night, such as making something to eat.

I did not have my own time.
I sleep next to her so I do not have my own space to be alone.

I did not feel confident that I could take care of other people since I have been ignoring myself.

I was stressed out.

She expects me to smile and talk softly and nicely no matter what time it is (The middle of night won't matter for her).

When I show her my sleepy face and speak loudly, due to her hearing problem, she does not like it.

She thought I was mad at her.....or unhappy that made her feel hesitated to ask for my help at night.

She speaks in her own language (Korean, she is originally from Korea) at night time. Of course, I cannot understand what she says. If I ask her to speak in English or Japanese (she can speak both), she gets mad. She thinks I am Korean and cannot accept that I am Japanese.

Therefore, it was hard to communicate with her, sometimes.

I needed my own peaceful time....

She thinks that I am no longer nice to her at night.

For her, my character changes at night, but for me, I was just sleepy and cannot control myself during midnight.

One of her caregivers said to me that I should say "sorry", and then it would be over.

I could not say the word easily because it has big meanings for me. If I say it, I have to keep smile and be nice and patient to her all night even though I cannot sleep or do something I want to....

I did not have confident to do all commitments for her...

I could leave here and find a new place. It was too much for me to manage this life with my college study and my part-time work.

However, I think about her and her family.

All her family members are nice, and I can feel that they need a caregiver for night.

She gives me many hard lessons but accepts me as one of her family member, sometimes depends on her mood (she told me that she felt I was her daughter).

Finally, I could say "I am sorry" to her.
I shaked her hand for awhile. I have not touched her hands for long time.

She was true that I have been changed in a cool way.
I was not nice to her.

I accept that she cannot help or control herself. She may be preparing herself for the next journey....
She lives in moment as she said.

If she died now, I would have feel so bad not to make her happy.
I want her to feel happy when she dies.....(it will happen to all of us, of course.)
I want to give her happy time, and that is what I am here for.

I remember the time when I was hospitalized.
I remember my friends who were so nice to me. It is funny that I can still remember their smiles and gental faces and tones of their voices. They filled my heart. I felt so comfortable.

I want to give her my smiles and gental faces like they did for me.

I will do my best not to regret my poor attitude and actions to her.
I do not want to regret myself not to behave well to her!

I am sorry to her!!!!
.
I change myself from today.....

Brown Coffee Farm

A Coffee farmer, Steve Brown at his yard.

I was amazed when I saw his coffee farm.

He makes a really wonderful farm on his own. Two varieties of his coffee trees grows happily as if they are his children.

He takes care of them very nicely.

After harvesting coffee fruits and peeling their skins off, white beans come out!
Then, he puts them in water and lets them soak until they become smooth.




What is a coffee fruit?

I have never seen it until I came to Hilo. I just bought a cup of coffee or a bag of grounded coffee beans when I was in Japan.

When the fruits become red, it is time to harvest them by man's hands.

The fruits are pretty. Also, its flower is white and has sweet taste.

The baby coffee beans are dried by the sun after they are soaked in water..

The original beans are small, but when they are roasted, they will pup out and become bigger. The smell and the color of black coffee come up as we know.

The Coffee beans at Brown Steve and Linda's farm are happy babies.

With Steve and Linda's loves, the coffee becomes delicious taste.

In the future, Brown Coffee will be sold in the public.

It will be a Hilo's famous coffee because I know the coffee beans are happy. Their happiness will make not only our mouths but also lives happier!

I like home-made products. They have something special.

I believe that it comes from people' loves.

Steve's hydroponic garden

Steve and Linda! They are a nice couple!


Here is a baby pepper plant!



Steve grows strawberries, lettuces, peppers and so on.

I admire him that he makes homemade hydroponic garden in a nice way.

I really want to try it.

I have a kit given by my co-worker. I shall make my dream comes true....

Hydroponic is a man's survival kit.

Arts in Steve's house

Steve, my supervisor' house, has full of arts that I like.

I did not feel myself as an art lover.

Now, I am.

Arts touch our hearts.

His older daughter draw the sky at his bathroom.
It was truly amazing that she did it by herself in a day!



This is also her paint at his bathroom. She has a talent.
His house is decorated into a fantasy!









Linda, Steve's wife, loves Mexico that reminds her ancestry.


These clothes are handmade by Native Americans in the southern Mexico.

Every material comes from natural its sources.
These clothes have the makers' hearts that remind us re-value traditions.

We shall not forget our cultures and traditions. They are a part of who we are.

Tamales Cooking Class (part 2)

Now, it was time to eat. Their house has always food in cute fancy plates.

We enjoyed all dishes!


Even though my stomach was full, I kept eating all dishes.
My eyes and mouth were out of my control in front of their table.



Here is Linda's idea. We ate Tamales with a Chinese parsley dip.
It give a present flavor into Tamales.




Here was how we steamed Tamales.





While we were rolling Tamales, we had snacks.
It was yummy.

I will put the recipes when I get them from Linda.

Then, you can try these recipes!

I like cooking to build better understanding of other organisms and learning new dishes to open up my knowledge.

I learn many thing through cooking.

It is an ideal that cooking is how we treat organisms to bring them at their best.

I want to learn the best relationships with food!

Tamales Cooking Class (part1)

On 1/9, 2010, I had Tamales (a Mexican dish) cooking class at my supervisor's house. His wife Linda, who I think she is the best chef I know, taught her friend and me how to cook her home-style Tamales.

Tamales are a traditional Mexican dish that brings families together.

We rolled up Tamales before being cooked. All preparation were done by Lida.

Those are Tamales.

The inside of Tamales are corn flour paste, chickens, black beans, cheeses, and olives. We covered them with corn husks.

Then, we steamed them to be cooked.


She is our chef, Linda who is a wonderful lady. She is really a warm-hearted person. She also has beautiful eyes....blue clear eyes...

My Supervisor has a great wife!




Here is my supervisor, Steve. He was rolling up pre-steamed Tamales.

When I tried to roll, it was hard. It is not like rolling sushi.

Linda's good friend, Monika. She is also a warm-hearted person. She always has good smiles on her face.

It is better if you can sit down on chairs and have companies to entertain each other.

I am sure that is why making Tamales brings families together at a table!

My little time....

At my work, my co-worker found eggs. We do not know whose eggs.
We guess they may be gecko's eggs.... let's see.

We close the door frequently. I hope they are safe.

We hope to see new lives from this door at USDA.

I met my friends and had a small potluck chat at the Bayshore Tower where I am staying now. There is a big kitchen area, a big dining room, library, and a mini nice pool in the basement.

We looked for migrating wheals. They are now coming to Hawai'i from December to March to head for Alaska.

I hope I happen to see them.

I love an ocean view. From the pool, we can see a peaceful Hilo bay with coconut tress.

It has been so calm in ocean. It is good for canoe and kayak people.

Hilo has blackish beach created with lava rocks and black stones. The Big Island is the newest island in Hawai'i. We will have a newer island in a far future. Now, active lava of the mountain here has been creating another island underneath the ocean.

The Earth is alive.

When I eat and feel energy coming from food,

I realize about the earth creatures that make me survive and feel happy.

We should be nice to them. We should thank them every time.

We should not to waste anything. We shall do what we can do to make them happier, too.

My thought.....

We do not know everything.

We just know only little.

Every time we learn and appreciate things we face.

We tend to think and see things through what we already know.

Sometimes, things we think are just come from our narrow views.

I want to be open mined to see the new world every time!

I just want to share my thought with you.....

My father's arts!

My father (on the left), he has a special skill that is discovered in Hilo, Hawaii.
Every day, he is outside and makes something out of woods!

He has great ideas in his mind. He makes something just as he plans in his head.

I did not know he is creative!

He made chairs, dog cages, plant pots, and etc. He is such a handy man!

It is picnic site on our backyard.

He made all!

It is a smoking area.

He has a skill.

I really admire his arts!

I want to show you my campus.

This is the University of Hawai'i at Hilo. We are covered with green.

I like this small campus!

My New Year started from....

My new year started as usual as it is.

The lady you see on the left side is the lady I am taking care of now. I am now taking care of her and stay with her at an ocean-view apartment (Bayshore towers).

She has good friends, especially a lady next her. Her friends are very sweet. I love them.

On Christmas time (American's favorite event), they shared many goodies: cookies and chocolates.... Mahalo (thank you)!

The lady gives me lifetime lessons.

I really learn from her every day.

Be patient is what I need most.

It is impossible to see her long life, but what I can see is that she is the only one in the world! and, everyone of you.

l really want to make her comfortable and happier.

We have four dogs. I could not take a picture of her brother (you see just his back.).

A Happy New Year from our 'ohana (family)!

On the New Year's day, I visited my father.

We took our 'ohana (dogs) for a walk.

At the park, they do not have leash, so they can run freely.

It is my happy moment to see them running around happily.

Freedom is what all creatures want and need.

I visited my father again on the next day. We took them a walk again.

Now, I have a better relationship with my father.

We are nice to each other.

The distance sometimes heals human relationships, I believe.

I started my first day happily with my father.

I shall stop finding a good home for Shiro. Shiro likes my father.

My father loves him as well. I should hope Shiro and other dogs will be free-leash dogs at home....

I hope my father and I are more happier on this 2010 year.

I wish your good years as well!!!

Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year 2010!

Merry Christmas in 2009!

Here is a real Christmas tree at my supervisor Steve's house.

All decorations were taken out because this picture was taken after a new year's day.

The smell of the tree made his family feel closer to Mr. Santa.....

A Happy New Year to everyone.
I wish your happiness, health, smiles, and dreams will come true!
I hope that the year of 2010 will be something new to your lives and give you joys.


On the New Year Eve, I am at the apartment with the elderly lady I have been taking care of.

We sometimes hear fireworks from outside now.
In Hawai'i, people can enjoy fireworks privately only two days a year, The Independence Day (July 4th) and A New Year's Day.

People buy a lot of fireworks at stores. The stores which sell fireworks are very busy.
People enjoy fireworks at their backyards as much as they do.
Especially midnight at 12am, you hear fireworks most.




At the New Year's day, I will visit my father's house and greet my all family members, my father, Shiro, Mahina, Ka La, and FeiFei.



We shall not forget how we are blessed to have a new year!

I thank everyone who helps me through the last year and my whole life.

Also, I hope my blog will be on this new year as well! Please cross your fingers (it means "let's hope") that I shall keep writing and not be lazy.