Yokohama Beach (Draft)

You could hear my cousins & friends strumming to the ukulele, singing to local hawaiian music just waiting to arrive at Yokohama. We still had about a hour and a half to arrive at our destination. As I was looking out the window, I could the long shoreline of beaches breaking the the shore. As I looked on the otherside of the car, I could the Makaha Mountain Range, with different shades of green & brown covering the mountain.

We had finally arrived at Yokohama Beach. Yokohama Beach is like a second home to me. As you look out to the beach, you see the long stretch of untouched sand waiting for you to step on it. You could hear roar of the waves crashing against the shore. The clear crystal blue water was making you want to just jump into the water. It was so tempting to go into the water, but we had to get all the tents & food all out the car & set it up on the beach. I stepping on the sand, it was burning hot. Felt like you were on a hot stove being cooked.

I jumped into the cold water. It was so refreshing & the salty water being splashed against your face, taking the stress & the negativity out of you. As I looked out the the ocean, I could see the I was surrounding by reef, I ran to the shore to get my snorkel because I had a feeling that there were a lo t of reef fish swimming all over. I dove into the water, looking at the reef that I was about to approach. I could see the stripes of white, yellow & black of the butterfly fish swimming past me. As I was diving deeper & deeper into the water, I could see black sea urchins & tiny clear shrimp in the small holes of the reef. While I was swimming, I could see a dark figure swimming at me about 50 yards away. As it got closer, I got kind of nervous & scared. I was thinking to myself that a big shark was gonna attack. The black figure got closer & closer, & I just realized that it was just a honu, or a green sea turtle. The turtle was harmless & didn't do anything to me at all. It was just swimming more to the shore to feed on the seaweed on the rocks.

It was about 2 o'clock in the afternoon, & all of a sudden, the waves started to get bigger & bigger. All you could see were surfers just arriving & took out there shortboards & ran to the water. The lifegaurd said that the surf was gonna get big towards the afternoon. I got really excited because I brought my surfboard with me to the beach. So I rewaxed my board & ran straight into the water. My first wave & I got a barrel. The wind rushing through & the water just sprays you as you get out of it. The barrel is what every surfer wants in his or her life.

Yokohama is my favorite to be at to make me happy.

Journal #9

This book relates a lot to culture. First, the Pidgin language relates to a typical Hawaii family. The book describes their identity by describing what they eat, what they do, how they manage their problems, and how they living their everyday life in Hawaii.

Journal #8

1. Beach:

-Surfing at the beach lets releases the stress.

-Its very refreshing.

-Its where I get to spend time with my friends & family.

2. My room:

-Its quiet & peaceful. Thats where I can go whenever I'm feeling sad or disappointed.

-Its where I can do what ever I want too.

-Its very private, where no one else is able come in.

Essay Draft

It was just a typical Saturday morning sitting on the big grass lawn lawn under the big banyan tree waiting for my Kumu (Teacher) to start hula practice. As he approached us, he said, "Aloha, today you guys are gonna do something different from what you normally do." We replied, "Oh Kumu, what are we gonna do today?" "We are going to Kahana Valley to visit the Lo'i (taro patch). I am gonna teach you guys our to take care of the kalo(taro), pick the kalo, & how to make poi." We were all excited to go to Kahana that day because we have never been to a Lo'i before.

Finally we arrived in at the Kahana Lo'i. You could smell the aroma of white ginger & pikake surrounding you. You could hear the birds chirping the guava trees. You could hear the kahawai (water stream that is very important for the lo'i) flowing around the lo'i.

My hula friends & I were sitting down on the big branch of the koa tree above the river. We were just talking about random things when we could hear Kumu calling, "Wahine, Hele mai eia nei oluolu(Ladies, please come here)." All of us jumped off the branch & went into the cold river swimming to the shore. "Yes, Kumu," we all announced. "I'm gonna teach you guys how to make poi." Kumu replies. I was so excited because I have never made poi before.

So we sat down around Kumu. He brought out steamed kalo(taro), pohaku ku'i ai (poi pounder), a koa wood bowl, & a bowl of fresh water. Before he taught us how to make the poi, he had told us that poi is considered the an important & a sacred part of daily Hawaiian Life. He took the steamed kalo & started to pound kalo onto the wooden poi. He would pound it until the kalo became mushy & sticky. About every minute or two, Kumu would put water on the poi pounder & the poi to make it less thick.

Two & a half hours had past, & Kumu finally finished. I took my two fingers, & scooped up the poi into my mouth. It made you feel like you step back in to the past where our native hawaiian used to eat this in every meal.

Til this day, I eat poi with my family to keep my Hawaiian Tradition going. My siblings & I will past it on to our children so that our Hawaiian culture will never be forgotten.

Roots & Recipes

Kiana Felicilda
Period 5

Roots & Recipes Interview
Uncle Ainsley Halemanu


Why is poi so important to you?
The bowl of poi was considered so important and a sacred part of daily Hawaiian life that whenever a bowl of poi was uncovered at the family dinner table, it was believed that the spirit of Haloa, the ancestor of the Hawaiian people, was present. This is because Hawaiians believed that the taro plant, or kalo, was the original ancestor of the Hawaiian people.


What is poi made out of?
Poi is made out of kalo (taro). The taro is supposed to be steamed & smashed into a sticky substance.


How does poi taste like?
Poi has a paste-like texture and a delicate flavor. The flavor changes distinctly once the poi has been made. Fresh poi is sweet and edible all by itself. Each day thereafter the poi loses sweetness and turns slightly sour.


Are there different kinds of poi?
Poi is always the same, but the thickness of the poi maybe different depending on how much of water you put in it. People may called the poi either poi can be known as two-finger poi or three-finger poi.