I recently read an article that Elin, the last intern here, wrote about how her experience transitioning from Sweden to Hawaii. The article was mostly about the changes in diet, but one of the things I really appreciated about the article was how honest Elin was about the initial difficulties, and how satisfying that made her ultimate success.
So, I thought it would be helpful if I share some of the difficult things about my first week living in Hawaii. I don't usually like to dwell on the difficulties in posts like this. In this case I think it will be helpful to see how things change over the course of the internship. Also, I expect these challenges are a good practice run for the Peace Corps. So, tuck your cloak into your belt, and here we go:
Homesickness:
For the purpose of future wisdom, I will admit it. I have never been so homesick before in my life. Not when I went to college, not when I was in the Middle East for 5 weeks, not even when I went to Tokyo for two weeks in high school. This is just the most out of my element I have ever been. I didn't really know anyone before getting here, having only emailed and briefly spoken with Craig on the phone. I am very much a beginner when it comes to agriculture, so I've been pretty unstable on my feet there. I don't have a car, and the fruits and vegetables that surround me are utterly new.
Ok, I can't help myself, here's a little of the bright side already. I have been able to call, text, and video chat, so staying in touch has been reasonable. Craig is really patient and a good, diligent teacher/question answerer. I am getting more familiar with the farm work and the fruits and vegetables every day. I'm also getting reasonably good at walking, -up hill both ways- to the convenience store and post office.
Eating:
In Elin's article she mentioned that people are more likely to ethnic food at home, and home-comfort-foods when they are away. Foods that remind us of home create a safe island when a lot has changed around us.
Well I didn't learn that information until Sunday. I arrived in Hawaii thinking it was really important to be eating the local food. I was worried that if I just ate foods that were familiar to me, I would seem closed-minded and unhealthy. Now, it is true that I do hope to include more and more local foods in my diet. However, in this first week I think I put a lot of stress on myself by missing foods from home and feeling like I was wrong for eating the familiar foods I was eating.
Full disclosure: When we did make it to the farmer's market and grocery store I grabbed up some ground beef (which turned out to be 85% lean, not 95%, like I usually choose). That night I made burgers with glee (but not relish). And that night, I had terrible indigestion. The burgers were so much greasier than the fruit, quinoa, and canned salmon I had been eating! You can't win 'em all...
Bugs:
There are bugs everywhere. Most of the time this doesn't bother me. They really could be a lot worse. There is a bare minimum of mosquitoes, not too many bees, and apparently the spiders aren't poisonous! Also, most of the time I am outside with the bugs, they aren't indoors with me, so that takes some of the shock and horror out of any bug encounter. Still, I have had a couple surprise creepy crawlies that I did not appreciate. I'm just getting to be ok with seeing spiders often.
Things that go bump in the night:
Ugh! This was a big one. After the very first night, (during which I slept like a rock) I woke up every night in the first few nights hearing creatures tromps around outside my cabin. Now, realistically this is not a big deal. I lock my door at night so no animals can get in, and we have an electric fence that keeps out our only possibly serious intruder, wild pigs. Most of the noises are generated by a male and female pheasant. I often see them during the day strutting around my cabin. Still, at night, when the whole world is quiet (except for the crickets) and the brain is over active, crunching leaves can be a scary sound.
I finally had to be tell myself, "You know what, pheasants can walk around at night, it's ok. And even in the worst case scenario, even if wild pigs somehow got in, they wouldn't care about my cabin. They would just eat some of our plants and in the morning we would realize and fix the fence." Since I finally gave myself that pep talk, I've been sleeping through the night.
Transportation:
So I don't have a car, and a bike would be a challenge all it's own on these steep hills. I knew this going into the internship. However, I have felt some real tension here. On the one hand I have been anxious to stock up on groceries and get more Peace Corps paper work in the mail (erg arg). On the other hand I wanted to seem self-sufficient and be compliant to Craig and Ngaire's schedule and preferences. While I am still getting to know them, I really wanted to be amiable and I didn't want to do anything that would put me on the wrong foot with them, even though I really felt pressure to get the Peace Corps stuff out, and was eager to take a big chunk of time to stock up the kitchen.
Fortunately, I was eventually able to get the Peace Corps stuff in the mail. As for food, thanks to many trips to Market Baske,t I kind of owned the 45 minutes I had, and am feeling like I have a good supply of food.
Ok, I think I have nicely worked disclaimers throughout, but hopefully you and my future self can appreciate some of the challenges. All the same, let me close out with 5 things that are already awesome about my Hawaii internship:
1. Watching the sun set from the outdoor shower.
2. I'm getting a good workout everyday.
3. I am learning skills that I will be able to use to teach and aid people in the Peace Corps and beyond.
4. I'm where my Father in heaven wants me to be.
5. The coffee is amazing.
That's the rundown folks. Thanks for reading!!!
-Lauren
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