After a conversation with several co-workers today, we realized that there are only two kinds of people who come to Hawaii. It's very easy to tell who belongs to which group...
Tourists:
A tourist never thinks he's a tourist. A tourist thinks he is directly related to God. A tourist sees any place he goes to visit as his play ground. The place he has chosen to visit is strictly his playground, and anything more is an abomination to him.
He will seclude himself to only a few comfortable areas, and cannot be bothered to explore anything outside of his direct comfort zone.
Since the tourist sees his destination as something that exists purely for his amusement, he has no respect for the time of anyone else (even other tourists), the feelings of anyone else, the cleanliness of anyone's space or property, or the fact that he is an outsider in another person's home.
Now, this means that a tourist will only really encounter people in some kind of "service" industry. And those people, to him, no matter how he encounters them, exist to serve him. If a tourist encountered me (a stranger) in public, and asked me a question for which I did not provide an appropriate answer, I'd probably get lots of expletives and the finger.
Then there are Travelers. I love Travelers:
The Traveler is a person with a true love for life. The traveler wants to really experience every drop of the world around him that he can fit into a single lifetime. The traveler sees every person he encounters, whether in the service industry or not, as a fellow brother in his global family. He treats just about everyone that way, too. When it comes to really experiencing a new culture, he is in it to win it.
The traveler doesn't care how dirty he gets, how messy his burger is, or whether or not he and his wife have matching aloha shirts on. He will never be rude at dinner, and will try any of the local fare offered to him, no matter how odd looking or smelly. He sees brush-ups with danger as an exhilarating opportunity that will give him great stories to tell his kids.
A traveler, though usually less financially endowed than a tourist, doesn't act like a cheap jerk. He doesn't complain about the price of rental gear, food, or transportation. He doesn't try to get freebies. He's just in it for the ride, and if he can afford the tools to enhance his experience, he probably won't think twice about it.
The traveler knows no strangers, and makes friends with just about everyone he encounters.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Friday, June 11, 2010
When Vog Changes Things
There are many things I love about kona. One, I love that EVERYONE pulls over for emergency vehicles. Aloha spirit is a team effort thing: if someone needs help everyone helps by not slowing things down.
Things I don't like: vog, vog, and vog.
When I get up for an AM shift, before the wind pulls he sulfur gas over here. Kona is beautiful. A big mountain covered in green, up against an open seascape. You can see every kind of tropical bird or plant. Truly lovely. But around 11 am the vog rolls in. Sometimes so thick it looks like a storm cloud hellbent on blocking out the sun (but trapping in heat). It changes Kona from a lush island to a fairly dark grey hill with almost no visibility.
Then, come 6 pm, it's beautiful again.
Now, it's not always like that. Some days it's clear round the clock. And sometimes it rolls in while we are sleeping.
The worst change it has made is to my health. Constant sore throat, shortness of breath, coughing stuff out.
Now. It started to spew from the volcano randomly. In the 80's. It could possibly stop all together one day.
The whole vog issue may change our minds about going through with buying a home in kona right now. On the downside, if a doctor can't help me, we'd be committed to living somewhere bad for my health. On the upside, if the vog decided to quit it's nastiness one day, I would be happy and healthy AND my home will triple in value.
Decisions decisions...
Guess it's a moot point for now til we hear from our #1, which is a short sale.
--Nat
P.S.short sale is real estate jargon for "half of all eternity."
Things I don't like: vog, vog, and vog.
When I get up for an AM shift, before the wind pulls he sulfur gas over here. Kona is beautiful. A big mountain covered in green, up against an open seascape. You can see every kind of tropical bird or plant. Truly lovely. But around 11 am the vog rolls in. Sometimes so thick it looks like a storm cloud hellbent on blocking out the sun (but trapping in heat). It changes Kona from a lush island to a fairly dark grey hill with almost no visibility.
Then, come 6 pm, it's beautiful again.
Now, it's not always like that. Some days it's clear round the clock. And sometimes it rolls in while we are sleeping.
The worst change it has made is to my health. Constant sore throat, shortness of breath, coughing stuff out.
Now. It started to spew from the volcano randomly. In the 80's. It could possibly stop all together one day.
The whole vog issue may change our minds about going through with buying a home in kona right now. On the downside, if a doctor can't help me, we'd be committed to living somewhere bad for my health. On the upside, if the vog decided to quit it's nastiness one day, I would be happy and healthy AND my home will triple in value.
Decisions decisions...
Guess it's a moot point for now til we hear from our #1, which is a short sale.
--Nat
P.S.short sale is real estate jargon for "half of all eternity."
Monday, May 31, 2010
Privacy and an update for friends
Something about having no privacy for several months can make a person re-evaluate the true value of privacy. Which is why this blog went incognito for a while, and is now by invitation only. While I want to keep everyone updated, I don't want to keep everyone updated. So, these blog updates will be for family and close friends from now on. I'm pretty sure if you got the invite once, you can access it any time. This blog cannot be viewed by anyone not personally invited to view it.
Housing:
We've been living in company housing for several months, as finding a rental has been strangely impossible while we house hunt. Isaac's company charges us a rental rate that is very fair, but it is strange having no privacy. We have to moderate strange things, like how much space in the fridge we use, what time we use the stove to make supper, or how loud we talk at night.
The up-side is that I get a chance to actually meet some of the people I'd otherwise only hear about. The downside is that, at least on my end, it's difficult to relax, unwind, or rest. I will welcome a day of lounging in my jammies with no make-up on during a day off once we're out of here.
Home:
We are considering buying a house. I say considering because, even though we've made offers, and have gotten several steps into the process, the sticker shock has us on the fence a little bit. Sticker shock is what it is. In a few weeks, at least, I'm sure I'll be able to say for certain whether we'll be renting a place or will have taken the plunge into home ownership. I, for one, love the whole concept of taking a piece of property and customizing it!
Work:
While I am not the right horse from whose mouth can speak details about Ike's job, I can say that he's been going nonstop for months (at least). We're checking into a resort for one night on Tuesday, and I'm hoping he can have his phone turned off so that he can fully relax. Lazing around by the pool and beach for a night would be a good way to recharge the batteries. Privacy alone would be rejuvenating!
I, too, work full time now. I work some 12 and 13-hour days. I'm working for a rental car agency. I work in sales and upgrades. I work mostly with Japanese tourists, and my Japanese is (to my surprise) actually coming along pretty well! In terms of my language skills, I can complete a transaction including all coverages, fuel options, upgrades, traffic violations, driving laws, and navigation! As well as numbers. Most of the time I can count to ten without messing up. I can even read the Kanji-written Japanese driver's licenses. But...only because I know exactly which numbers and characters to look for.
I had an altercation with another co-worker recently. A very territorial older Hawaiian woman. Who grabbed me and shoved me aside for reaching for a piece of paper (company property) that was "in her space." She is currently on a long suspension and may be permanently terminated for "exhibiting violence in the workplace" or some such thing. My managers are not allowed to tell me more than that. I was so shocked and embarrassed by her behavior that (being me, of course) I had to clock out for several hours just to stop crying enough to be able to work normally. I can feel my face turning hot red with embarrassment just talking about it.
Now, since we are short an employee, I've been covering several shifts a day some days. I never go home on time, and there is rarely a day that I have enough time to clock out for lunch or dinner. I rarely get days off, either. Though I do have today and tomorrow off. I hardly know what to do with myself! (Wait. Yes I do. Laundry. Lots and lots of laundry).
It's not necessarily a complaint though. Now that I have something besides house work to fill my time with, and don't have to find projects to keep me mentally occupied, time goes by much more quickly. I also have something of a confidence booster knowing that I can pick up the lunch tab once in a while. :-)
Wedding:
The wedding is now 8 weeks away! The bridesmaids have received their dresses. My sister sent me a picture, and upon seeing the picture, I am very very excited about them. I love the color and I LOVE that they can be worn 14 different ways, so the sisters can wear them however they want. Freedom of choice! Whoo!
My dress has 5-6 more fittings to go and is coming along nicely. I'm both excited and a little nervous about having so many eyes on me. Not at all nervous about the marriage part. I could do that over lunch in a courtroom with no regrets, to be honest. Getting RSVPs back from friends has been very encouraging. So many people that I love and can't wait to see who are traveling so far to be there for us. Gosh, I can't wait to see everyone. It's going to be so much fun!
So. There's the update. Long. Probably won't get another day off or time to update for quite a while.
Housing:
We've been living in company housing for several months, as finding a rental has been strangely impossible while we house hunt. Isaac's company charges us a rental rate that is very fair, but it is strange having no privacy. We have to moderate strange things, like how much space in the fridge we use, what time we use the stove to make supper, or how loud we talk at night.
The up-side is that I get a chance to actually meet some of the people I'd otherwise only hear about. The downside is that, at least on my end, it's difficult to relax, unwind, or rest. I will welcome a day of lounging in my jammies with no make-up on during a day off once we're out of here.
Home:
We are considering buying a house. I say considering because, even though we've made offers, and have gotten several steps into the process, the sticker shock has us on the fence a little bit. Sticker shock is what it is. In a few weeks, at least, I'm sure I'll be able to say for certain whether we'll be renting a place or will have taken the plunge into home ownership. I, for one, love the whole concept of taking a piece of property and customizing it!
Work:
While I am not the right horse from whose mouth can speak details about Ike's job, I can say that he's been going nonstop for months (at least). We're checking into a resort for one night on Tuesday, and I'm hoping he can have his phone turned off so that he can fully relax. Lazing around by the pool and beach for a night would be a good way to recharge the batteries. Privacy alone would be rejuvenating!
I, too, work full time now. I work some 12 and 13-hour days. I'm working for a rental car agency. I work in sales and upgrades. I work mostly with Japanese tourists, and my Japanese is (to my surprise) actually coming along pretty well! In terms of my language skills, I can complete a transaction including all coverages, fuel options, upgrades, traffic violations, driving laws, and navigation! As well as numbers. Most of the time I can count to ten without messing up. I can even read the Kanji-written Japanese driver's licenses. But...only because I know exactly which numbers and characters to look for.
I had an altercation with another co-worker recently. A very territorial older Hawaiian woman. Who grabbed me and shoved me aside for reaching for a piece of paper (company property) that was "in her space." She is currently on a long suspension and may be permanently terminated for "exhibiting violence in the workplace" or some such thing. My managers are not allowed to tell me more than that. I was so shocked and embarrassed by her behavior that (being me, of course) I had to clock out for several hours just to stop crying enough to be able to work normally. I can feel my face turning hot red with embarrassment just talking about it.
Now, since we are short an employee, I've been covering several shifts a day some days. I never go home on time, and there is rarely a day that I have enough time to clock out for lunch or dinner. I rarely get days off, either. Though I do have today and tomorrow off. I hardly know what to do with myself! (Wait. Yes I do. Laundry. Lots and lots of laundry).
It's not necessarily a complaint though. Now that I have something besides house work to fill my time with, and don't have to find projects to keep me mentally occupied, time goes by much more quickly. I also have something of a confidence booster knowing that I can pick up the lunch tab once in a while. :-)
Wedding:
The wedding is now 8 weeks away! The bridesmaids have received their dresses. My sister sent me a picture, and upon seeing the picture, I am very very excited about them. I love the color and I LOVE that they can be worn 14 different ways, so the sisters can wear them however they want. Freedom of choice! Whoo!
My dress has 5-6 more fittings to go and is coming along nicely. I'm both excited and a little nervous about having so many eyes on me. Not at all nervous about the marriage part. I could do that over lunch in a courtroom with no regrets, to be honest. Getting RSVPs back from friends has been very encouraging. So many people that I love and can't wait to see who are traveling so far to be there for us. Gosh, I can't wait to see everyone. It's going to be so much fun!
So. There's the update. Long. Probably won't get another day off or time to update for quite a while.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Paper
Tomorrow, I get paper in the mail.
Blank, plain paper with nothing printed on it. Absolutely nothing.
And I am ecstatic!
Never in my life have I been so excited about paper!!
It took several weeks of exploring both this island and Maui in search of paper that would be practical for the printing of our wedding invitations. In a down economy, most places that would typically supply paper had liquidated their supplies. And once you liquidate a supply of anything on an island in the middle of the Pacific ocean, there's a good chance it isn't going to show up on shelves any time soon.
(Side note, that scared me into realizing that if anything catastrophic happened on the mainland, those of us in Hawaii would just be rationing things like food, medicine, and water until we ran out).
But! I found what I needed online. And dag gummit, UPS says it's going to get here on time and everything!
Which takes a weight off my shoulders and makes me feel so, so happy.
Ah, the simple things.
Blank, plain paper with nothing printed on it. Absolutely nothing.
And I am ecstatic!
Never in my life have I been so excited about paper!!
It took several weeks of exploring both this island and Maui in search of paper that would be practical for the printing of our wedding invitations. In a down economy, most places that would typically supply paper had liquidated their supplies. And once you liquidate a supply of anything on an island in the middle of the Pacific ocean, there's a good chance it isn't going to show up on shelves any time soon.
(Side note, that scared me into realizing that if anything catastrophic happened on the mainland, those of us in Hawaii would just be rationing things like food, medicine, and water until we ran out).
But! I found what I needed online. And dag gummit, UPS says it's going to get here on time and everything!
Which takes a weight off my shoulders and makes me feel so, so happy.
Ah, the simple things.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Crunch Time!
To all:
You may find that you get your paper invites a little late. I'm doing the best I can. Paper is in short supply on the island so I am patiently waiting for it to be shipped from Lord-knows-where, Mainland, USA.
But, once I get the ball rolling, they'll hopefully be sent with ample time for some RSVP action.
You may find that you get your paper invites a little late. I'm doing the best I can. Paper is in short supply on the island so I am patiently waiting for it to be shipped from Lord-knows-where, Mainland, USA.
But, once I get the ball rolling, they'll hopefully be sent with ample time for some RSVP action.
Monday, April 5, 2010
The Java Effect
I once knew a girl who worked at Starbucks. She worked there for years. She said her favorite thing about it was working the drive-through window, and this is why: Once in a while, someone would come along who decided to spread some love. For no apparent reason, they would pay in advance for the coffees for the car behind them. The person who just got free coffee from a drive-through stranger would, being so pleasantly surprised, then pay for the coffees of the car behind them. According to this Starbucks employee, this pattern would continue for an average of 2 hours, or until there was a gap in the car line.
I think that there is a vibe similar to that Starbucks drive-through going on on this island. Everyone, and I mean everyone, has been cheerful, helpful and has gone out of their way to spread the love.
Every single person we've encountered has been friendly, welcoming, and warm. Without exception. I wish I could pay them all tribute here, but my memory isn't so good with that sort of thing.
The people who run the ship yard jumped our moving van twice today for us because it had a bad battery. They didn't have to do that. They had jobs that required them to labor in the sun all day, sweating, operating heavy machinery, with major deadlines. They weren't even working in the same area we were, they just saw that something was awry with our car and came over, already prepared with jumping cables and a toolbox.
In contrast to this, on the day the Tsunami hit while I was on Maui by myself, my car battery died in the evacuation area. When I was able to return, my car wouldn't start. Several people had jumper cables--I could see them in their truck beds!--but it took begging and pleading to get someone to take 5 minutes to help me get my car started again.
Another person who was moving things out of their container came over to help us move couches because they were too heavy for me to lift. Then Isaac helped him get his heavy things into his truck bed.
People actually let you turn out onto the highway here if there's a long line of traffic to wait for. People say "please" and "thank you" and "aloha". People invite you to cut in front of them in line at the grocery store, even if you have more stuff than they do, just because your arms are full and you look overwhelmed.
In Borders, I was looking for a book about the Big Island. I was looking with fear and trepidation, because if I had been doing something on Maui that made me come off as a tourist, well...just being a "haole" on Maui is more or less a crime worthy of punishment. But here, other locals who didn't even work in the store came over to help me pick the book they thought would be the most helpful.
In turn, I feel more patient, more inspired to practice kindness where I may normally try to be an unseen passer-by. I wonder if it's that coffee drive-through window effect. Or maybe it's something in the air. Maybe all that sulfur gas from the volcano just re-wires our brains a little bit to make us friendlier.
I think that there is a vibe similar to that Starbucks drive-through going on on this island. Everyone, and I mean everyone, has been cheerful, helpful and has gone out of their way to spread the love.
Every single person we've encountered has been friendly, welcoming, and warm. Without exception. I wish I could pay them all tribute here, but my memory isn't so good with that sort of thing.
The people who run the ship yard jumped our moving van twice today for us because it had a bad battery. They didn't have to do that. They had jobs that required them to labor in the sun all day, sweating, operating heavy machinery, with major deadlines. They weren't even working in the same area we were, they just saw that something was awry with our car and came over, already prepared with jumping cables and a toolbox.
In contrast to this, on the day the Tsunami hit while I was on Maui by myself, my car battery died in the evacuation area. When I was able to return, my car wouldn't start. Several people had jumper cables--I could see them in their truck beds!--but it took begging and pleading to get someone to take 5 minutes to help me get my car started again.
Another person who was moving things out of their container came over to help us move couches because they were too heavy for me to lift. Then Isaac helped him get his heavy things into his truck bed.
People actually let you turn out onto the highway here if there's a long line of traffic to wait for. People say "please" and "thank you" and "aloha". People invite you to cut in front of them in line at the grocery store, even if you have more stuff than they do, just because your arms are full and you look overwhelmed.
In Borders, I was looking for a book about the Big Island. I was looking with fear and trepidation, because if I had been doing something on Maui that made me come off as a tourist, well...just being a "haole" on Maui is more or less a crime worthy of punishment. But here, other locals who didn't even work in the store came over to help me pick the book they thought would be the most helpful.
In turn, I feel more patient, more inspired to practice kindness where I may normally try to be an unseen passer-by. I wonder if it's that coffee drive-through window effect. Or maybe it's something in the air. Maybe all that sulfur gas from the volcano just re-wires our brains a little bit to make us friendlier.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Very Excited
It has been a LONG day. We packed all of our belongings into a container to be put on a ship and taken over the water to Kona early this morning. Hoping we get settled fairly easily. I'm looking forward to fresh Macadamia nuts and Kona coffee. Moreover, I'm especially looking forward to being permanently based somewhere (for the first time in years) and having Isaac home every day. Woot!
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Succinct
I did something long overdue. I had our website domain name changed to something less ridiculous to type in:
New domain name, same website. Will add more guest info in a week or two.
New domain name, same website. Will add more guest info in a week or two.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
130 to go!
130 days to go until the Schaefer-Giguere Wedding of 2010!
Actually, it will possibly be the Schaefer-Giguere Wedding of the century...or maybe even all of eternity (exciting). I wonder how many Schaefers have married Gigueres in the past. Hopefully none. I want my kids to have a deep gene pool, and inter-marrying does not normal offspring make. In case you were wondering.
At any rate, I'm doing my best to plow through the check lists. According to TheKnot (wedding guilt-monger that it is) I'm about 2 months behind on a ton of check list items. According to rational human beings who live in the rest of society however, I am ahead of the game. Who to believe?
We are looking forward to seeing so many faces that we miss and love this summer. We hope you guys bring your good vibes and par-tay attitudes. Just for you, we'll practice staying up past 10pm for the next 4 months.
For those guests who received a save-the-date (invites will be on their way soon-ish), we've been keeping the website updated with information we hope will help our out-of-town buds plan the trip easily. Head straight to the "Guest Information" section.
Or, you could also put trip planning off until the last possible minute. Whatever suits your style.
I am hoping (but not promising) to have the rest of the guest information fully updated in a month...or so.
Click Here to visit our TheKnot website.
Actually, it will possibly be the Schaefer-Giguere Wedding of the century...or maybe even all of eternity (exciting). I wonder how many Schaefers have married Gigueres in the past. Hopefully none. I want my kids to have a deep gene pool, and inter-marrying does not normal offspring make. In case you were wondering.
At any rate, I'm doing my best to plow through the check lists. According to TheKnot (wedding guilt-monger that it is) I'm about 2 months behind on a ton of check list items. According to rational human beings who live in the rest of society however, I am ahead of the game. Who to believe?
We are looking forward to seeing so many faces that we miss and love this summer. We hope you guys bring your good vibes and par-tay attitudes. Just for you, we'll practice staying up past 10pm for the next 4 months.
For those guests who received a save-the-date (invites will be on their way soon-ish), we've been keeping the website updated with information we hope will help our out-of-town buds plan the trip easily. Head straight to the "Guest Information" section.
Or, you could also put trip planning off until the last possible minute. Whatever suits your style.
I am hoping (but not promising) to have the rest of the guest information fully updated in a month...or so.
Click Here to visit our TheKnot website.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Aloha, Maui.
We're saying aloha [goodbye] to Maui and aloha [hello] to the Big Island this month. Another move so soon. Here's the announcement! It's official, we're setting off for bigger---and hopefully better---things. Kona or bust.
Now that everything is all caught up, maybe I'll give the blogging a rest for a while.
Now that everything is all caught up, maybe I'll give the blogging a rest for a while.
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