May 1st, 2010 Saturday - Happy Birthday Daddy!

May 1st, 2010 Saturday - Happy Birthday Daddy!
Today is Daddy's birthday. I have to make sure I call him. I believe he is 75 years old today. Happy Birthday, Daddy!

I applied for the Al Guskin scholarship award yesterday. It required a 3 - 5 page essay that addresses:
1. How your doctoral studies are contributing to your professional/community practice.
2. Reflect on your own development as a scholar-practitioner during the course of your time in the program be it one, two or three years.

Well, I got my financial aid papers in, and completed the online application and essay. Now we wait and see what happens.

Actually, there's no waiting in the PhD program. In fact, if you wait, it costs you money. I feel like I have procrastinated long enough, and now I need to step on the gas! I had a lot of emotional blocks that come up, between the reading, writing, and processing. I've hired a cognitive-behavioral psychologist to help me process, and to keep me on deadline. This is actually genius in that I cannot procrastinate - she holds me accountable. I have to report to her every week...In person every other week, and voice mail check in on the weeks I don't see her. I have been able to process some personal issues regarding identity, and most recently, grief of losing my beloved Mom. Since I started seeing my therapist, I have turned in two papers, and have plans to turn another one (Dissertation Concept paper) in tomorrow before we meet, and yet another (Global Conceptual paper) by next week Monday.

I read two books yesterday: A is for Aloha, by Stephanie Freeney, and IZ: Voice of the people, by Rick Carol. A is for Aloha is a childrens' non-fiction alphabet book with pictures depicting the local way of life. It is really cool in that they use themes that are common to Hawaiian children. For example instead of "S is for snow" ("What is snow?", Keiki o'ka Aina might ask.) they have "S is for sand, sea, shell" and instead of "E is for elephant", they say "E is for eat" and they have a picture of these little kids eating saimin! Brilliant! I love it. I couldn't help but smile. I am going to try to get a copy of this book for my own personal library of childrens' books.

The story of Iz was extremely touching. He grew up in the same neighborhoods we did, on the east side of 'Oahu, until his family moved to Makaha. I could see all the places he described so clearly. In 1983 Iz and the Makaha Sons of Ni'ihau gigged at the Ranch House in Aina Haina, at the Jolly Roger restaurant in Kahala, just down the hill from where we grew up. Why did I not frequent those places? I realized that during that time I was going to school at the University of Hawaii, cheer leading at the big games and worked as a waitress at the Yum Yum Tree and at Ray's Seafood Restaurant in Waikiki - the same nights he gigged. Geez. It seems like yesterday.

His story made me laugh, cry, feel anger at injustice and prejudice directed at the Hawaiian people. His story gave me the space to contemplate, the plight of so many Hawaiians and how it is so hard for them to beat oppression, poverty, drugs and violence. Iz had a major eating disorder, that may have been partly genetic. He lost his mother and father, older brother Skippy and younger sister Baby, all to diabetes and heart failure due to morbid obesity. I was amazed at how devoted his wife and daughter were to caring for him – they never left his side. In the end, the onset of morbid obesity took his life as well, but not until he left his mark on the hearts of people all over the world. Israel Kamakawiwo’ole was just 38 years old.

I read two articles yesterday as well. The first one Native Hawaiian Epistemology: Exploring Hawaiian views of knowledge (Spring 1998, Cultural Survival Quarterly, p. 38 - 40) by Manu Aluli Meyer will be key to my Aloha Leadership concept. She quotes Kumu Hula Olana A'i as saying "Aloha is the intelligence with which we meet life". Isn't that beautiful? This article educates the reader by showing us that The Hawaiians were a deeply spiritual, cultural people, connected to Mother earth in their thoughts and in all that they did. She talks about being judged and criticized as "lazy" or "stupid" by westerners who didn't understand the Hawaiian way of life...For example, you work before the sun gets too hot, and you rest during the heart of the day. You never harvest more than is necessary for your family, and you shared whatever you had with your community. This is very different from the Western, individualistic thought of taking more than what you need from Mother Earth’s scarce resources and selling the extra for profit. No wonder Native Hawaiians struggle with the concept of free enterprise. Our collective culture shares by nature. Very good article.

The other article I read was from the Journal of American Indian Education (Fall 1999 vol. 39 no.1) by David Kekaulike Sing, Alapa Hunter, and Manu Aluli Meyer. I am learning that Manu Meyer is a passionate, educated, young Hawaiian scholar that really knows how to articulate the struggles of the native Hawaiian peoples in a way that "others" don't get offended...they learn empathy. In this article, Native Hawaiian Education: Talking story with three Hawaiian educators, the three of them - David, Alapa, and Manu talk about what cultural intelligence should be passed down to our children and grandchildren...and how can we do this through the educational system. They talk about our connection - to family, place, community and nature. These professors talk about values, and cultural intelligence, about teaching from a strengths-based model to shape the way teachers will teach Hawaii's children for years to come. Fascinating stuff.