Reflection: Week Review (June 25-29)

   We learned and practiced a lot of 'olelo Hawai'i this week. More of speaking instead of worksheets, which I was pretty relieved about. We learned Pepeke Painu, Pepeke Henua, Pule a ka Haku, 'O Wakea, Pepeke Makemake, more vocabulary, some new questions, more reviewals of Kino 'A/ Kino 'O, the time and how to ask questions, tell, or answer in 'olelo Hawai'i, locational sentences, and practicing to ho'ole the Pepeke's. On Friday we had another activity which was scraping off the dirt of the Kalo and all of it, no spec left behind, equivalent to how if there's pepper on your ice cream I mean who would really want to eat that unless it was some kind of bacon ice cream but anyways the Kalo was to be cleaned to perfection. Then after we had done that we headed to Kumu Noe's class to watch a film about Hawaiʻi and it's establishment, the Annexation, and a little history as well but we didn't have time to finish it because school was almost over. This week was a tough but good week.

   The challenge for me this week was the Aia i hea in 'olelo Hawai'i. It was hard at first because I didn't understand what the structure or pattern was to Aia i hea and memorizing the locations. I wasn't looking forward to the times we pulled out the mats and grabbed the Kalo and la'i, because I didn't know what to say or know where the location was and plus I'm really bad at public speaking or being the center of attention. I tend to get nervous and jumble up my words or forget right on the spot. Having my notes, observing the other classmates, and Kumu go over with us a lot, definitely helps me to understand better.

   The Pule a ka Haku is the Lord's Prayer in ʻolelo Hawaiʻi. It was difficult to memorize because it's kind of long compared to Kunihi which is about half of the Prayer. We started practicing on Monday but I didn't really get it down until Friday because I had lost my paper in the beginning of the week but then I copied and wrote it down from my friend who had their's. On Friday along with our Ho'ike was to recite the Puke a ka Haku like we did with our Kunihi the week before. I was nervous and yet again messed up. I could memorize the whole thing but to say it on the spot knowing that I will be graded for it definitely was pressuring. Up until the second verse is when i completely forgot the whole thing and Kumu helped by feeding the words so I could possibly remember them but it was still hard to say. I'm still continuing to practice the Pule a ka Haku and the Kunihi at home and school.


   The Pepeke Makemake, Pepeke Painu, ʻO Wakea were the easiest to learn this week. The Pepeke Makemake is a sentence to express a want or like for something or to do an action. There are 2 types to this Makemake i and Makemake e, Makemake i is to express the want or like of something and Makemake e is to express the like or want to do an action. Makemake i sentence: I like the dog, Makemake au i ka ʻilio. Makemake e sentence: I want to surf, Makemake au e heʻenalu. A good tip to create this sentence is to put "Makemake" in the beginning. The Pepeke Painu is a sentence to say that something does or involved in an action or that something simply happened. Basically a verb sentence. Example sentence: I go to the dance, Hele au i ka Hula. Another tip is to put the verb in the beginning of the sentence. ʻO Wakea is a mele about the islands, itʻs very easy and simple because all we have to memorize and mele is the islands, Hanau ʻo Hawaiʻi, he moto, and so on.


   Friday was our activity day. But first after we had done our Kunihi, we grabbed our things and went to Midkiff to write out our summaries onto our blogs and while that was happening we also had our Hoʻike taking place outside. We got our laptops and went to the tables to start on our blogs and after we got logged on and got settled in, Kumu was about to call out the first 2 people, by the sticks, or as we say whenever he pulls them out "Not the shticks". I had a feeling Kumu was gonna call out my name, and he did right after Kapua. I was very nervous and I had to wait by the doors until it was my turn to Hoʻike. During that time I was practicing Pule a ka Haku and some of the Ninau Umi. After a long while it was my turn to go up. Kumu asked the questions and I answered the best I could even though I didn't know it or maybe even answered the wrong answers to the question. Most difficult would have to be the Pule a ka Haku. I tried to remain calm and ho'olohe to the question and respond correctly as I possibly could. Once I was done, I was very relieved that it was over and that I didn't have to go if I hadn't been called first. During the time inside the library, I started the beginning of my blog but didn't want to finish until now because I still wanted to the whole day was over so I could write about it and add in the activities we did. Since I didn't do it, I spent my time helping others who hadn't started their blogs and was typing in the first 3 or however so they had. It was a very very long time until the whole class had done their Ho'ike and it was time to do our activity which was after our 20 minute break and awhile after that because a few people didn't go yet. Which was about ʻo ka hola ʻumi keia. 
   
   Then once we were all done and mostly put our entries up, we went back to class to put our stuff inside then headed back outside. We filled up buckets with water, halfway then lined them against the wall. Kumu was ʻolelo Hawaiʻi which was kinda hard to understand because I was only picking up keywords and watched his hand motions to somewhat understand what he was talking about. We had to pick a partner and a bucket, then we got our Kalo and a knife and started washing and taking off the dirt. We used the back side of the knife to gently scrap off the dirt and take off as much "pepper" we could little by little. Afterwards once Kumu gave us the maikaʻi sign, we got to cut it up however we wanted and ʻai it. It smelled and tasted so ono. Even when it was all in the pot back at Midkiff, the aroma spread across and made me hungry. A few of my friends didnʻt want their's which was surprising but they gave some to me which I would gladly take but I was full at the time and I wanted to take some home but had no where to put it. After we had ate and washed up, the knives and the buckets and filled them up for the next class, we waited outside to Kumu Noe's class for the movie. After a few minutes, the class inside came out and we went in. We watched a film called "We are who we were" i think, about the Annexation of Hawai'i and some history. The story of how Hawaiʻi became a state, about Queen Liliuokalani, President Cleveland, the buisnessmen, and a lot more that was shown and told about. 
   
   I was looking forward to watching the whole thing and knowing more about Hawaiʻi's History because I'm all very new to this and was never educated in any Hawaiian thing and not familiar with any of it, and everything that I've learned in this class (Hawaiian 1) was all brand new to me like learning english for the first time, besides the very basic and common things of Hawaiian that I do know. Learning Hawaiian the language, culture, and history is all very hard but yet fun and interesting and I really enjoy learning about my culture. I do look forward to the rest of Summer school which is the remaining 3 weeks, but I know that it's going to be very hard and I'm going to try my best to really focus and make sure i'm understanding it. It's almost Monday so I'm prepared for the ton of work we have do and for the rest of the week.

Reflection: Week Review (June 18-22)

   This week was very intense, consisting of a lot of grammar, more vocabulary, more numbers, and more of using worksheets rather than ʻolelo Hawaiʻi. We learned Pepeke ʻAʻano, Pepeke ʻO, Pepeke Aike He, more Papani, reaching numbers up to the thousands, and also learned about and started our first Oli (Kunihi). Monday was the hardest because we had much to learn and understand it altogether on that day. We did more worksheets and had little class activities in the week, which was okay because we had the opportunity to read, write, and ʻolelo Hawaiʻi on our own and understand it a little better of how it’s spelt or putting sentences together and actually seeing it. I’m glad we had got that out of the way.


   Throughout the week we had practiced our Papani. Last week we practiced by being separated into 2 lines and each person from a line going all the way in the front, facing us, and pointing in the correct way for every Papani said. For example, Kumu would say "au" which means "I" so we had to point to ourselves or he would mix it up and add numbers which we had to make with our fingers, sometimes he would say "11 or 15" to throw us off which was pretty funny. This week we added on by saying and pointing to 2 or more gatherings, like he would say "kaua" which means "You and I" so we had to point to ourselves and the person in front of us or he would say "ʻoukou" which means 3 or more people in front of us, not including ourselves, and we would point to all of them. We’re always learning new Papani, so doing this had become a regular thing. I like doing these class exercises because it helps me to memorize who is where and pronouncing it correctly.

   Another class activity that we had was making posters and a lot of them. Since we had plenty of grammar work and grammar rules, Kumu decided to put up posters to help us if we forget or maybe don’t know it, and hang them around the room for us to look at if we needed help. This had also became a regular thing. We were divided into groups and assigned to write out whatever was on the board or paper that needed to be made into a poster. The posters help a lot whenever I’m stuck and most likely to my classmates too.

   My problems this week were all with the Pepeke’s. I was confused and mixed them together and messed up on making them hoʻole. I would forget the structure for making them negatives. It looked and sounded wrong but that’s because our english mind messes us up and we don’t think it’s right when it is. That was my major problem. A great tip was to think like Yoda or think pidgin. "The waves are nice." translated into pidgin or Yoda would be "Nice the waves." or like "I am the student" translation is "The student I". Thinking like this helps constructing better sentences and practicing it in ʻolelo Hawaiʻi. At home my Ohana isn’t really familiar with the Pepeke’s or making and saying sentences, so ʻolelo Hawaiʻi is kind of hard because i can’t communicate with them or get feedback or help. But it’s okay because each day I’m teaching and going over what I learned today with them and helping them understand it better. Another thing that was kind of hard was the Kunihi, memorizing it took awhile because it was long but i got it down by Wednesday. By Friday i could say it like it was the lyrics to my favorite song but i got nervous about messing up and by the time it was my turn to Oli, I forgot some words and actually did mess up. I need to remember to not over think and just let it be. I also Kunihi at home and continue to practice on it.


   Our vocabulary is building everyday. Each day we get a new vocabulary list which is about 25 words or so which is difficult memorizing because while we are on a new list, I’m still continuing to practice and memorize the other vocabulary list the day before. I like to make flashcards and practice them all day and use my time on the bus in the morning and sometimes before class to review the flashcards and have my friends quiz me and do the same for them.


   On Friday we had our Hoʻike, it was difficult and very stressful. 3 pages, front and back, having everything that we had learned this week. I took my time answering the questions, skipped the ones i didn’t know, and came back to them later, once I was finished. If I had rushed through them and poorly guessed on them, I would have resulted in a bad grade. Even though I don’t take this class for credit, I do enjoy achieving good grades and knowing that I had did my best and understood it.


    Today we had another activity including the 2 other classes, Intro Hawaiian & Hawaiian 2, as we are all one, like Kalo. We had to bring 3 laʻi and we were going to make lei’s. After our 20min. break, all classes went out onto Konia Fields, onto the mats where we were divided by boys and girls. We had Kumu Noe who is really nice and helpful and funny too. We washed our laʻi by wiping it down with the washcloths in the ʻumeke full of water, allowed it to dry, then we began to snip and pull out the stem. Afterwards we took our ti leaves, wrapped them up, and put them in the microwave. While this was taking place, we went along with Kumu Mele who is also nice, helpful, and funny, grabbed our tool, and headed out to the garden. There, we picked weeds or "nahelehele", cautious not to step, sit, or go over the Kalo. It was very hot outside and I was working up a sweat out there. After awhile, we finished, washed up, then went to go grab our laʻi from the microwave which was in Kumu Mele’s classroom. Then walked back to the field, onto the mats, and were taught by our cool Kumu Kalani. Twisting another piece of laʻi in was a little confusing and mines did not come out the way I wanted to but later at home, I re-did it and it came out perfect which I then gave to my sister.
   I look forward to next week and next Friday’s activity, but not waking up at 4 in the morning everyday, for the rest of Summer School.
   




   

Ka Pule a ka Haku

E ko mākou Makua i loko o ka lani,

E hoʻāno ʻia kou inoa,

E hiki mai kou aupuni,

E mālama ʻia kou makemake ma ka honua nei.

E like me ʻia i mālama ʻia ma ka lani lā.

E hāʻawi mai iā mākou i kēia la

I ʻai nā mākou no nēia lā

E kala mai hoʻi iā mākou i kā mākou lawehala i kā mākou.

Mai hoʻokuʻu ʻoe iā mākou i ka hoʻowalewale i ʻia mai,

E hoʻopakele nō naʻe iā mākou i ka ʻino.

No ka mea, Nou ke aupuni, a me ka mana, a me ka hoʻonani ʻia, a mau loa aku.

ʻAmene.

Reflection: Week Review (June 12-15)

   This week (June 12-15) was very fun and interesting. We learned Na Ninau 'Elima, Papani and Ka'i, Pepeke Aike He and Pi'apa, Na Helu and Helu, Hakalama, the story of Haloa, Na Mahele O Ke Kino, and reviewed the Student Handbook. And on Friday we learned Na Ninau 'Eha, did our ho'ike, planted our Kalo, and also played Jeopardy with 'Elua other classes which was a review on what we had all learned this week. I practiced 'olelo Hawai'i, reviewing my ha'awina, and memorizing the mele. Out of the week, I enjoyed the Kalo activities and practicing our Na Ninau 'Eiwa altogether in class.

   Learning the Na Helu on the first day was a little confusing but I got the hang of it by the next day. I liked doing our Helu in math form because it gave us a different mana'o of how to use, read, and write it. We had also practiced counting in Ho'okahi Haneli in class by going around and each haumana saying the Helu until we reached 100. The Pepeke Aike He and turning it into negatives didn't make sense at first but I maopopo soon after. I practiced at home, making sentences and turning them into negatives such as, "That (n) is a bird” - 'A'ole kena he manu. We also reviewed our Pi'apa which is the Hawaiian alphabets and we did our Hakalama by closing our maka and lohe to the Kumu and repeating after him to maopopo better.

   This week we learned 5 questions which are Na Ninau 'Elima and adding 4 more on Friday, altogether 'Eiwa ninau. In class we practiced by being divided into 'Elua groups and asking the other kanaka the questions and then having them asking us and so on. I like how we learn and practice 'olelo Hawai'i in class with our hoa kula and Kumu because it helps us to communicate better. This week we also learned Papani which is a proper noun. We were split into 'Elua lines and practiced saying “au” “'oe” and “o'ia” and pointing to the correct kanaka. We practiced this daily and switched it up by adding in Helu and kino, also by pointing and making the correct Helu with our manamana lima.

   On Friday we played Jeopardy with 'Elua other classes. Our Kumu's chose 'Elua hoa kula from their class and they were to be apart of the game. There was 'Elima categories all of what we had learned this week, with 'Elima ninau in each category. For each time a hoa kula won they would get poker chips added to their classes' stack, depending on how much their ninau was worth. It was a very fun time. Our class won with the highest stack. Then after, all classes were led out to the courtyard where it was time to plant our Kalo. Ipu, lepo, and Kalo, and then more lepo if needed. Our daily ha'awina is to make sure that there's water in our ipu. I'm really excited to watch my Kalo plant grow over the weeks and to take it home at the end of Summer School.

I would say that I've gotten almost everything down but I just need to continue to review and practice all of what I've learned and use it to everyday's situations.

Daily Reflection: June 13

   Today we learned what our body parts are called and counting to Umi, all in a fun mele. We also practiced counting to Ho'okahi Haneli, reciting the Hakalama, and reading the book called "Haloa" in Hawaiian and English. I liked the story of Haloa because it told of how we Hawaiians are all connected and one with Kalo, very much of what we've learned at yesterday's activity, and the creating of the islands.
   The quiz today was actually easier than I thought, but I must continue to practice and also each day's work to get better and better, like counting to Ho'okahi Haneli and studying more about Papani. My group and I were assigned to make a Papani poster which was pretty funny because we had gone through many poster sheets from a lot of re-dos.
   I also enjoy group activities like today because it gives us a chance to connect with the other students and work together as one to achieve the goal.
                                                                                                                               -6/13/12

Daily Reflection: June 12

   This is the first day of Summer School I've attended so I'm pretty excited and nervous at the same time! Today's weather was nice and sunny. I'm hoping it will stay that way for the whole session because I look forward to all the outdoor activities. Today our Kumu's made a dish from the Kalo plant. This was very interesting to watch. The preparation and setup was a fascinating experience. We were also taught some basic words and questions of the Hawaiian language. When I got home, I practiced using them with my Ohana and shared their meanings.

   Taking this class is such a great opportunity! I've always wanted to learn how to read, write, learn about my culture, and to communicate with others that are keeping our language alive.
   There is a couple of other things I also enjoyed today. The library was really neat. I was suprised at how big it is. And the news about our Kalo plant that we get to take home at the end of Summer School. We have been planting a lot in our garden at home, so this will be a really nice addition to it. Today was a great day, i'm anticipating the weeks to come.
                                                                                                                         -6/12/12