Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Last Night in Hawaii: Obon Festival

There is something to be said about not scheduling every single moment; especially when away on a trip. The only thing I requested for the last part of our Hawaii trip was going to the beach on the North Shore of Oahu which we did on Saturday (the 14th). We had a blast!
That was followed by a spontaneous dinner at PF Chang's ( a new experience for my family in Hawaii).
But the icing on the cake was an Obon Festival near my brother Robert's house. You know, the trip to the beach and the fabulous dinner at PF Chang's already made it a perfect day. I didn't think it could get any better. But, I've only been to one other Bon dance when I was growing up on Moloka'i when my friend, Karen Harada took me to the festival that took place near her house.
It was so neat to see all the different generations participating in this; singing, dancing, playing instruments and drums. I wonder if these kids ever go "Goth"? I would say, probably not since they have a strong sense of who they are while growing up and a strong connection to a community.
My niece, Catherine was thrilled to be able to dance (anyone can dance even if you didn't know the steps, you just jump in behind someone you want to follow). At some points in time, you catch on to some of the words in the songs being sung since many parts are repeated.
John hung out with my brother, Robert while Catherine and I did our thing. His comment was, "that was different"! Even though it might not be the adrenline-laced experience that teenage boys seem to seek out, I'm glad he got the chance to experience it and see what other cultures do.
My internal time clock is still on Hawaiian time as I write this; just having gotten back home a mere 24 hours ago. When I go home to Moloka'i, I feel like I'm doing time travel (back in time), so there are many things to readjust to as I get back into my life here in New Mexico.
It was a wonderful trip home packed with so many different things that it feels like I've been gone a month instead of 16 days.

1 comment:

Sus said...

"There is something to be said about not scheduling every single moment; especially when away on a trip."

Couldn't agree with you more on this statement. This is something I had to unlearn from my childhood and thanks to my (now ex) husband I finally learned to enjoy life.

The festival looks like a ton of fun!

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