it wasn't so bad after all

i don't know why i worry myself so much sometimes. i guess starting something new can be scary...but things always turn out fine. usually. anyway, everything at the school went fine. i started on tuesday. after the tutoring, i went with them to the garden that they have up in the back roads. its on several acres of agricultural land given to the program from the university of hawai'i. we planted corn, beans, and squash. something about those three plants being the "three sisters" in some type of native american folkstory. and how they "work together" to grow. a haole (white) woman who met us at the site tried to explain to the kids the story and how it ties into our native hawaiian "value of the week" which was mihi or asking for forgiveness. i didn't really see the connection and all the kids wanted to do was stick their hands in the dirt so that was pretty much what we did. dig and plant.

then on thursday we went to makapu'u beach and my uncle who is a lifeguard there explained to some of the kids about water safety, ocean currents, that sort of thing. it was a pretty small day there but there were some big sets once in a while. big for fifth and sixth graders. it was good though. the kids had fun.

theres this cute chubby little hawaiian girl that i tutor named victoria and she just talks nonstop. when we were at the beach another girl had asked to go to the restroom so (because we are not allowed to be alone with one child) i asked victoria to come along with us. on the way back she was talking about how her cousin said that makapu'u is a haole tourist beach and how she doesn't like haoles because they take everything away. the other girl, who is hawaiian also, says, "don't be mean. thats not right. haoles are people too." and victoria says, "yeah but my cousin said this is a haole beach. thats why i don't like this beach. we should go to sherwoods." so i say, "whats wrong with being haole? aren't you haole?" and victoria says, "no way. i'm hawaiian, podagee (pidgen for portuguese), filipino, irish, and german." so i say, "well, what do you think portuguese, irish, and german is? thats haole." and the other girl says, "yeah. i'm hawaiian, irish, puerto rican, chinese, english, german. i'm haole too." then victoria says, "i'm related to mel gibson." "the actor?", i say. "yeah he's my podagee cousin." she says. "NO, really?" i say in mock astonishment. "yeah. he took time off from acting and was there to watch my mom give birth to me." she says. "NOT!" the other girl says. "mel gibson is your portuguese cousin?" i say. "no. he's my PODAGEE cousin" she says correcting me. "everyone says i'm such a drama queen. i must get it from him."

i could not stop laughing.