Christmas Party with USDA members!

Christmas is coming!
It is one of exciting events in the U.S. including here in Hilo.

I had a Christmas lunch at a Chinese restaurant with USDA members on December 4th.

Our top boss played guitar without hesitation, we followed him with singing Christmas songs in his funky tunes.

I was laughing about the boss who knows what party is supposed to be: joyous and happy!

Everyone ate a lot. Always, Chinese food enriches humans' appetite.

Especially, If it is a case of a buffet style.

It was buffet! I had no choice that I filled up my plate with many kinds of Chinese dishes.

We also had potluck-style sweets after lunch. People bring sweets. All sweets are no way to complain.





We exchanged a Christmas gift. We brought a $5 gift.
My surprised gift I got was a silver gecko bookmark.

A big strong-looking man got a Hello Ketty calculate from me....
Life is funny sometimes.

For around 1 hour, we ate endless food, sang Christmas songs with the funky boss, and enjoyed surprising gifts!


Mahalo for organizing such a fun lunch time!!!

Aloha, Papahanamokuakea on 16th of November!

We had a guest speaker at USDA today.
His name is Yumi-san. He is really nice speaker!

I met him at Mokupapapa Discovery Center at the downtown Hilo.

People can learn about the Northwestern Hawai'i Islands (they are also parts of Hawai'i) at the center. If you want to find out more, please google it. (everything seems to search through it.)

I used to volunteer there ( I will re-volunteer sooner.) since I love ocean.

Yumi-san has been to the Papahanamokuakea National Monument as a NOAA staff by the ship for almost 1 month. The monument is protected by the U.S. and only allows scientists, researchers, religious practitioners, and the people who have permission to enter the monument.

I invited him to share his knowledge about there with us at USDA.

He is a really good educator.

All of the pictures were taken by Yumi-san when he was on the Northwestern Hawai'i islands for research.
One of his job, I believe was counting fishes. I am sure that he has encountered many sea creatures and new things each dive. The research has been done once a year.



I am very interested in the marine debris.
Many pieces of plastics are floating on, in, and under oceans for years.

We are creating other massive landfills at oceans.

I say we have waterfills (trash areas in oceans).

The Hawi'i islands have had impact of marine debris from all over the world. You can see trash on beaches and at oceans. I picked up the trash written in Japanese at the green sand beach, one of the Hawai'i island's beach. It was come from Japan! The industrialization seems to create the plastic dream ocean.
The sea birds, sea turtles, fishes, and jelly fishes are eating pieces of plastics and trash because they are similar to their food....

Plastics never be composted but remains their forms.....becomes smaller pieces until we can not see by our vision.....but, they are there.....will be never disappeared........

I want to know facts at oceans.
Yumi-san is one of the people who can educate us to be award of the truth.

All pictures we saw from his presentation made us felt as if we were on the Northwestern Hawai'i islands. The islands become more closer to us.

I am very glad to have him at USDA.
Mahalo nui loa e (thank you very much for) coming! We kealoha (love) you!





Hope, we have much better future for our future keiki (children)!!

Halloween at USDA

October 30th (Friday), we had a small Halloween lunch party!



Many co-workers were out for meetings.

Lisa (a girl) who is a high school student works for us for an internship. Mr. gorilla is my one of supervisors. Steve is my best friend and like my second father.



Who is the girl or gorilla with a pizza? I am a child of Mr. gorilla (above the picture: my supervisor, Steve)?
He and I are human beings (HOMO), of course. We borrow the mask from our supervisor, Peter.



Two witches are other Japanese co-workers at USDA. They are really hard and good workers! Mariko who wears a black hat works with our team under Peter. Yu who wears a green one works with another team but is a good buddy!




I
like this shot! A human and gorilla can be a good friend.





Ms. witch and Ms. devils are one of my lovely co-workers who support scientists and lab assistants. They do office work!
They are really warm-hearted, and I kealoha (love) them.



Again, I thank all of them being my supporters. Of course, we support each other like `ohana.




What kind of work I do? I am a lab assistant for rearing insects, especially Light Brown Apple Moth. Before some produces are shipped out of the island to other countries, we have to treat them to control its population. With Peter, my team is working on food irradiation. Mariko, Lisa, and I rear thousands of the insect for Peter who has published many researches about the irradiation test.

Does it make a sense?






The work can be a really stressful depending on what kind of personalities you have.

I had stress before; however, I have been learning how to balance myself.
The work I do can be less stress if I do not put a lot of pressure on myself.

Yes, TAKE IT EASY.

I play a lot of jokes with other workers who also enjoy humor sense, talk stories, and have tea time with my team members.



I am not a scientist or biologist (but maybe an entertainer??). I am a just a Liberal Arts student. I was fortunate to be hired.




Anyway, we had a good time on a day before the Halloween!

My Second 'Ohana (family)

I started working at USDA (Agriculture Research Service Center) in the end of May, 2008.

Working at USDA is one of my highlight in my life.

People there become my true `ohana....

They teach me a lot and treat me warmly with their kind eyes.

One of the photos shows my team workers.

I tell them many of my stories. I get another point of views from them and learn from their views.

In passed days, I have been gone through big changes.

My changes could be stopping working at USDA; or leaving my house for another place to stay.

My life was busy; housekeeping, taking care of dogs ('ohana), schooling, and this part-time job.

My home was not happy; my father and I were not able to be nice to each other.

I thought, some points, my life was controlled by my duties and my father.

I thought that there was no escape....(;however, I always wished to be free from the home (responsibilities and duties.)).

I am not happy in home.

I made my life complicated!

First, I chose to stop working at USDA.

Of course, I made all of workers badly surprised. (I am sorry!)

However, my second `ohana, especially my team and friend, has been helped me out to simplify my life like my parents and sisters/brothers.

I cried a lot to tell my truth and stories of my life.

The people listened to me kindly and warmly.

They worry about me and care of me.

Now, I choose to leave my home and be little away from my home.

I want to be independent and try to find a mature relationship with my home.

Mahalo nui loa e (Thank you very much for) reaching and pushing me to a big choice and an important change to make myself happier!!!!

I love the people at USDA very much, and I feel very happy to change my mind to stay working there.

I thank my supervisor who accept me to have there again.

I attach a photo of rocks.

In Japanese, we call it "ishi", which means rocks; mind. I always want to have beautiful minds....

Like these rocks, life can be really unique and beautiful.

Like these rocks, everyone is different and beautiful.

I also attach a photo of `ulu tree (bread fruit tree).

It symbolized the growth.

I need to grow and to notice it is a wonderful step without feeling fear....

I love my second `ohana!!!

I am really blessed to be at USDA and get knowing the people.

It does not matter how many time I say THANK YOU, I never feel enough how much they have done for me and helped me.

But, let me say, Mahalo!!!!!!!!!