Month: August 2017

Mālama Hōnua Challenge

Reflecting back on when I created this blog almost three years ago, I originally created this as a space for me to share, in hopes of creating dialogue, on topics related to health and environmental justice.  Fundamental to these topics is my perspective as a kanaka maoli, a mother, and one who was born and raised in Hawaiʻi.  I think I also wanted to solidify and sharpen my ability to articulate my values on the importance of aloha ʻāina.

So with that, I wanted to congratulate and mahalo those who contributed to the success of Hōkūle’a’s World-Wide Voyage (“WWV”).  Mahalo for all of the time and effort that you put into making the WWV a success!  Your success makes me so proud to be a Hawaiian.

Hōkūleʻa docked at Magic Island to celebrate its homecoming.

Part of the mission of this WWV was to spread the message of mālama hōnua, “to care for our Earth,” and that the “natural world is a gift with limits and that we must carefully steward this gift if we are to survive together.”  Seeing the Hōkūleʻa accomplish this WWV ignited many different emotions and manaʻo related to mālama hōnua.  Nainoa Thompson’s speech at the homecoming still resonates and continues to impact me as I reflect back on his speech.  One manaʻo re-affirms how ʻakamai our kūpuna were.  It never ceases to amaze me the magnitude and limitless brilliance of our kūpuna.  Further, the method in which Hōkūleʻa accomplished this WWV, using nothing but the stars, demonstrates yet another example of why we should always carry and return to ʻike kūpuna.

Building off of the WWV, and now that the Hōkūleʻa has returned home, what’s next?  How will this impact our daily lives?  I’m not talking about those intimately involved in Hōkūleʻa’s accomplishments.  I’m talking about the broader lāhui, Hawaiʻi, and the world as a whole.  Specifically for the lāhui and Hawaiʻi, I hope that we will practice mālama hōnua in our daily lives–from recycling, using reusable bags, growing our own food, to even how we care for our most sacred spaces like Maunakea.

For me and my ʻohana, we recycle, use cloth diapers on our babies, and try to live a lifestyle that aligns with mālama hōnua.  Although we live in town and do not have any land, we often attend community workdays with various local organizations and support local farmers.  But, I know we can do more.

What do you do to mālama hōnua?  Share ways that you mālama hōnua so that I may learn ways that we can do these things for me and my ʻohana to ensure our Hawaiʻi, our hōnua, is resourceful for our keiki and seven generations into the future.

 

My Journey from Undergrad ’til Now

In recent conversations with friends and family, I came to realize that it is important to share our stories of our educational journey.  Everyone has their own way of processing things, getting guidance, and finding their way, but in the event that this is helpful, here is a bit about my educational journey.  I remember being told that having one person who believes in you makes all the difference in a person’s life.  It saddens me to think that some people don’t even have that one person.  None of this is anything “new,” but here are a couple of points of advice:

1.  There are no shortcuts to success.

This is something that I constantly need to remind myself, ’til this day.  I used to think that by some miracle, I could just show up to class and know all that I needed to know for a test.  This may work for some people, but it wasn’t the best approach for me.  Simply put, do your homework.  Study ’til you know it.

Related to this, sure there are some that are just born smart.  But for the most part, I have come to believe that even smart people need to work hard in order to achieve success.  It wasn’t until law school that I realized that I don’t know how to study.  I still second-guess myself when ever it’s time to study for a test.  But I think the answer can be simple:  put the time in, sit down, and figure out what you need to know and how you are going to learn what you need to know.

In determining the “how” you are going to learn what you need to know, this brings me to my next point.  But also, with things like the internet, the resources are at your fingertips.  Access them!

2.  Learn to ask questions and surround yourself with people that support and push you to be your best.

Sometimes it may feel more within your comfort zone to ask a friend about a particular assignment.  That’s cool.  But don’t shy away from asking the teacher.  In my experience, teachers are MORE than willing to answer questions and welcome it!  You do not have to have all of the answers.  Sometimes just acknowledging what you don’t know is a huge step within itself.

Also, sometimes this will happen on its own when the universe conspires in your favor, so be ready to receive the sign that the universe is sending you.  Other times, you may have to do things that may feel uncomfortable to ensure that you cut the dead weight and only keep those in your life that lift you up.

3.  It is ok to modify your goals along the way.

For as long as I can remember, I wanted to become a medical doctor.  Along the way, I learned about things that I never knew before…like public health.  I never had the intention of going to law school, until I did and then it happened.  So I started from wanting to be a medical doctor to now having an educational background in public health and law.  These may seem like totally irrelevant fields, but they actually overlap.  Although my goals changed along the way, I know that all of my experiences have contributed to where I am today.

Let yourself be free to what drives you, and don’t feel you need to be stuck in a particular major or field because that is where you started when you embarked on this journey.

4.  Kūlia i ka Nuʻu!  (Strive for the Summit!)

Related to my earlier point about there being no shortcuts to success, the effort that you put into studying will be proportional to your success.  If you want to get As, study ’til you know it.

I don’t know where it comes from, but I think it is very natural to try to do as little as possible and to see how far one can get.  RESIST!  Go all in!  Challenge yourself.  Don’t be afraid to make mistakes.  Mistakes are how you will learn, and be sure to not make the same mistakes again.

Through this journey there will be challenges and obstacles.  Do not let these challenges define you.  Always persevere.  I’ve failed a class, and it is not the end of the world.  You just keep on keepin’ on.

5.  Do YOU!

Simply, do you.  Along your journey you may feel people “jocking” and trying to measure their success in comparison to your success.  Don’t worry about anyone else’s success but your own.  This may seem and feel like a selfish act, but an educational investment in yourself is probably the most valueable investment you will ever make.

Lastly, I had my oldest daughter during my second year of law school.  Going to school with young kid(s) is a topic within itself.  Long story short, while there are challenges with going to school with kids, I wouldn’t necessarily advise against it.  Law school is a unique creature within itself that presents its own unique challenges as opposed to undergrad or another graduate program.

I could probably go a lot more in-depth, but I kept it short in hopes that you wouldn’t lose interest.  If you want to talk more of have any questions, I’m open to talking 🙂

The Never-Ending (?) Journey to HomeOwnership

Homeownership.  In Hawaiʻi.  On Oʻahu.  Where to begin?  Geesh!

Well, as many of you already know, it’s not exactly smooth sailing right now in terms of the current trends.  The median price for a single-family home is in the $750,000 range.  Say whaaaaa???!!!

So I guess that answers any question as to what I’ve been doing with my “extra” (if there is such a thing as “extra” time in being a mom…let alone a mom of 3 keiki) time.  As first-time homebuyers, we’re also new to this process.  In the process of trying to climb this steep learning curve, I couldn’t find anything online where someone shared their experience in buying a home in Hawaiʻi, on Oʻahu.

We haven’t puka’d thru on the other side yet, so I can’t share the silver lining just yet.  BUT, here are 5 things that I’ve come to experience and wanted to share.

1.  It really is a SELLER’s market.

I’m sure you’ve read this or heard this on the news.  But being in the trenches, I can tell you that it’s true.  We’ve submitted offers on two houses so far.  The first one that we submitted an offer on received 13 offers.  THIRTEEN!!!  Because the competition is so stiff, many people offer more than the list price and big downpayments–areas in which we are not able to compete.

In receiving so many offers, guess which offer a seller tends to accept??????????  Take a wild guess!  Double down, highest bidder takes all.

2.  This journey to Homeownership takes a lot of time and energy!

There are many reasons why this journey to homeownership is such a time suck.  For one, it is a long journey.  I would say we “started” this journey and became more serious in this journey once we got pre-qualified.  We started the pre-qualification process in November 2016!

Second, due to the complexities of the market, the inventory available, and the process of figuring out what we’re willing to “settle” for, this too takes months.  Submit an offer.  Offer is rejected.  Go back to square one in looking for another home that is purchase worthy.  Round and round we go.

Third, in hopes of achieving our goal of homeownership and (to a certain extent) ending this madness, there is the process of trying to learn how to ensure that the next offer we submit will be accepted.  I think this is really where we have been pushed to think about what we’re willing to “settle” for.  I put “settle” in quotes because, although it may be obvious, we can’t really get everything that we want in a home.  Are we willing to buy a home that will result in 4 hours of commute time to home and work everyday?  Are we willing to squeeze into a 2 bedroom?  The list goes on.

OH!  And let’s not forget the stress of this hurry up and wait game.  This is something that I did not fully prepare myself for until it happened because I didn’t know what to expect.  Due to the climate of the market, it is a sprint from once a home is listed to submitting our offer.  On more than one occasion, we have seen homes listed one day and by the next day it says that it is “in escrow.”  How the heck?!  Seriously.  Even if we’re able to keep pace with the other horses to even have a chance and we submit an offer, getting our offer accepted (as discussed above) is yet another obstacle.  But the waiting, waiting ON EDGE, once our offer is submitted is so nerve-wrecking.  I can’t sleep and can’t really focus on anything else other than waiting for that phone call to hear the great news that our offer was accepted.

3.  The inventory sucks…

I’m guessing this is pretty obvious too.  But again, in speaking from our personal experience, the inventory sucks.  There are slim pickings.

4.  Timing is KEY.

As I may have alluded to earlier, our wants in a home have evolved over time through this process.  Partly due to what’s available, partly due to what we are able to afford, we had to alter our “wants.”  Of course hindsight is 20/20, but reflecting on our journey thus far, we have seen that perhaps we should have started with “plan F” instead of “plan A.”  As a result, since we started with “plan A,” the inventory for “plan F” changed so that by the time we got to wanting to switch gears to “plan F,” the inventory was even slimmer and decreased our options even more.

5.  Remain optimistic.

With all of that said, I think it’s important to remain optimistic…or, at least that’s how I’m able to manage these rolling sets of turbulent waters.  I truly believe that we will find the right home for us all in the right time.  Even if we’ve gotten this far in our journey to rent our current apartment for a longer time frame than we had hoped, we are learning more and more along the way to hopefully be more prepared for when the timing is right and these pieces fall into place.

Anyone else going through this journey to homeownership right now?  Or perhaps you just purchased your home?  I’d love to hear about your journey!  Any words of advice?