Hawaii Day 3: Into the Jungle

Written by: Dean Golan

8/19/21
Our typical morning rituals have involved sunrise yoga and meditations, but we decided to take a break this morning since we had such an exhausting day and late night yesterday. After piling into our minivans and trekking across the island, we arrived at Papahana Kouala eager to work and learn more about Hawaiian heritage. Upon our arrival we joined the staff in their morning ritual, where they blow a conch shell in all 4 cardinal directions to greet the sun, mountains, and rivers, and start the day with good intentions. After the ritual we started our first task of the day, which was trail maintenance for a new trail on the mountain of ‘Ioleka’a. Armored with machetes and shovels, the group channeled their primal instincts and entered the jungle. The day was especially hot, and we worked tirelessly to bushwhack plants and clear out brush from the trail with our machetes. On our way through the jungle we encountered some red berries, which our guide Ka’iwi informed us were strawberry guava, and so we eagerly scarfed down every last berry we could find. At the top of the mountain we took a break from our machete’ing and Ka’Iwi told us a couple stories about the history and mythology of the mountain we were on. We also had a discussion about the harmful effects of invasive species to foreign ecosystems and the devastating impacts people can have on an ecosystem by making thoughtless decisions with no regard to the land. We really came to understand the importance of serving as a humble steward to the land, rather than only acting as a greedy consumer. Seeing the entire ahupua’a (slice of land between mountain and sea) of He’eia from above showed us the value in striving for balance and harmony in life. Prior to the unlawful colonization of Hawaii, tribes lived in harmony within each ahupua’a and provided sustenance from the ocean to the mountains in one society. Nobody took more than they needed from the land, and people traded with one another and worked to preserve and protect the land, having no other alternative since there was no reliance on importation of goods. These discussions provoked our line of thinking and introduced alternative perspectives that we will all take home after this trip and apply into our daily lives. 

Later that afternoon, we finished our trail maintenance work and took a plunge in the ice pool we had been frequenting for the past 2 days, providing a much needed bath for our muddy, bug-bitten, and sweaty bodies. For lunch we ordered takeout from the Waipole Poi Factory, a restaurant that specializes in Poi (mashed taro). Eating poi after previously working in the taro Lo’i was a really cool experience that brought a sense of closure to our time on Papahana Kouala. Despite the poi having a strange gelatinous consistency and exceptionally bland taste, we held a deeper appreciation for the cultural significance of the plant and the the hard work required to create such a local delicatessen. After lunch, we helped roll some meaty logs out of the forest for a chicken coop, and then we hopped in the stream to collect fish to be ground up and used as fertilizer for the taro plants. The tasks we had performed for Papahana Kouala continued to reinforce the principles of living in harmony with the land and our surroundings, and working to minimize wasteful behavior and think resourcefully to achieve balance in the ecosystem. One interesting thing we learned in the mountains was the value of the tea leaf plant: every part of the plant is used for some purpose in Hawaiin culture – the roots used to make moonshine, the flower used to treat asthma, and the leaves to build hula dancing skirts. By thinking resourcefully and avoiding sheer consumerism we can strike a balance that will help to push the world towards giving more than receiving and can hopefully combat climate change. We ended the workday with a closing ceremony, where the workers sang a chant in Hawaiian to express thanks to the sun and resources of the land for providing us with sustenance and happiness. 

After working the full day, Alexios and Joey were eager to bring their cheffing skills to Hawaii and so we bought grilling equipment and a mountain of food so we could feast on the beach right by our campsite. We grilled some meaty veggie burgers, ahi tuna, marinated chicken, and a bunch of veggies and pineapple to supplement our meal. We did some classic EGL bonding with soccer games on the beach, hot seat circles, assumptions, and star gazing to end the night. An all around incredible day packed with learning, activities, and bonding, we went to bed eager to continue our trip! 

Hawaii Day 5: Sunny Workday and Statehood Day

After waking up to watch another sunrise, some of us spent the morning doing yoga, meditating, and reading on the beach while the rest of the group enjoyed sleeping in a bit before heading out for our final day of volunteering.

We were lucky enough to have a new experience at Hui o Ko’olaupoko today which is located in the same valley as Papahana Kuaola but farther downstream. Hui o Ko’olaupoko is a non-profit watershed management group that focuses on ecosystem restoration and storm water management in the Ko’olaupoko region. After meeting our volunteer leaders for the day and some initial introductions, we grabbed some gloves and weeding tools and set out to the He’eia State Park. Working together, we cleared invasive species such as weeds and mangrove tree roots which are non-native to the land. We took a quick lunch break and were able to try some fresh coconut water by shaking down coconuts from nearby trees and chopping them open with machetes. After this we went back at work, this time filling planter boxes with plants, soil, and mulch, constructing the irrigation system for the boxes, painting a water collection stand, and shoveling invasive plants out of the area. Our volunteering ended after we finished those tasks and we left the site to explore more of Oahu. 

When we left the volunteering site, we noticed how empty the streets and roads were and upon asking some locals at a gas station, we found out it was Statehood Day. Also called Hawaii Admission Day, it commemorates the anniversary of the state’s admission to the Union. To learn more, we decided to visit the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum. This museum is the designated Hawai’i State Museum of Natural and Cultural History and is made up of several buildings, each with different aspects of history and science from the historic Kalihi district of Honolulu. This opportunity gave us a new perspective on the stories and history that we had been learning about during the week while volunteering and talking to members of the non-profit organizations we were visiting. 

With a spectacular day of working under the sun and visiting the museum almost over, the group headed back towards Camp Erdman for the night. On the way, we stopped for shaved ice, malasadas, and groceries for dinner. When we arrived back at camp we started a barbecue on the beach and enjoyed a great night of bonding and stargazing before going to sleep.

Our volunteering site for the day

Taking a break for a group photo!

Learning about Hawaiian history at the Bishop Museum

Hawaii Day 2: Leadership & Collaboration

Aloha! We started our day with sunrise yoga and breakfast at a local coffee shop. Many of us tried açaí and pataya bowls for the first time, and we fueled up for the day ahead. 

We elected to have a late lunch and condense our volunteering into one nonstop session. We further tended to the kalo plants from the previous day. Submerged in mud, we fertilized around the plants with fish meal, dehydrated and ground fish from the local area. Half of us then courageously carried buckets of mulch back and forth from the farmhouse to the swamp, and the other half covered the kalo plants in mulch. This was a particularly significant endeavor, because the fertilization and mulching process only occurs twice throughout the twelve month life cycle of the plants. During this work, we discussed the significance of recognizing and preserving the space that we occupy, as well as the transfer of energy from our bodies to the plants. It was very important that we nourished the plants with positive, gracious energy so that they can nourish the people they will feed. 

After tending to the kalo, we began weeding in a nearby forest. Ninety percent of the plants at the preserve are invasive species, so it is of high priority to preserve the native plants. All of us contributed to a tree that was suffocated with weeds so extensively that the branches grew in a helical manner. With some careful landscaping, it was beautiful to see how the tree regained vitality. It was also an important reminder of our collective power and ability to restore and transform, even in an unfamiliar situation. 

We ended the day with a dip in the freshwater pond that sits near the top of the preserve and drove to our subsequent location, Koko Crater. 

There, we climbed the 1,050 stairs to the summit together. We relied on each other for motivation and perseverance, especially in places where the steps where missing or eroded. After enjoying a few moments at the top, we continued down the coastline until the end of the rocks. We took a few moments to take pictures and enjoy the strengthened relationships that formed on the way up despite our sore muscles. 

We climbed back to the summit and started our descent back to the ground. About midway through the stairs, we encountered a woman who fell and was in need of help. Together, we used our leadership and collaboration skills to orchestrate an emergency helicopter rescue for her with the help of the Honolulu Fire Department. The group cleared the way for fellow hikers and emergency personnel while Joey and Sadie stayed with the injured woman’s son. After a successful helicopter rescue and reunion, we enjoyed a much needed hydration and shave ice break. We also took some time to reflect on our gratitude for the safety of the group and the promptness of the emergency personnel on Oahu. 

We then visited a nearby beach, where we watched the sunset, climbed near a blowhole, and crawled through a cave. The beach was incredibly beautiful, and it was a tranquil ending to a high energy day. 

On the way back, we celebrated Taco Tuesday at a Mexican restaurant in Honolulu. We also enjoyed some churros and chips and salsa on the ride back. 

Back at Camp Erdman, we sat together on the beach and looked at the stars and watched the waves roll onto the shore. We discussed some of the lessons that had manifested during the day that we could apply to engineering and business. Most notably, the importance of acknowledging and learning about the different cultures of the environment and people with which you are working is critically important. We are more likely to take care of land and people that we value and respect, which can be a useful principle for synergy in both our personal and professional lives. 

Thank you again to the EGL Alumni, the Seth Bonder Foundation, and the College of Engineering for this incredibly enriching day and the opportunity to leverage our leadership and collaboration skills in a new environment. Speak soon!

Day 4

Hello All,

This morning started off as any other has been—a soothing crash of waves coupled with the soft morning sun trickling in through the window onto our eyes. We have our own little “ahupua’a” here (“land from mountain to the sea”), lodging at Camp Erdman in a space that is nothing short of dramatic when you witness it up close. Not only do pictures fail to do the justice to what we can see from here, but they also fail to capture the essence of all the senses which are stimulated by the elements here.

For me this takes me back to when I learned about Immanuel Kant’s teachings on the Sublime and the Beautiful. He says “Whereas the beautiful is limited, the sublime is limitless, so that the mind in the presence of the sublime, attempting to imagine what it cannot, has pain in the failure but pleasure in contemplating the immensity of the attempt.” The beautiful in this case can be captured by the sunrises and sunsets we view—both passing moments which we take in and think of in the context of the moment we are in, the people we are with, and of course, the awe-inspiring colors. The sublime in this case is the Ocean and the Mountains and the Land. For thousands of years, these elements in the ahupua’a went through a limitless amount of change that we cannot possibly fathom. It makes us feel in our blood that there is something more that is linking everything together, and this blends perfectly with our teachings from Papahana Kualoa in the first few days. To be one with the land and work with something truly sublime, thousands and millions of years in the making elevates us to really consider everything in a new light. Working to regenerate this land the first few days in tandem with the many thousand year old stories we heard only gave us more appreciation for Camp Erdman and all of Hawaii.

We arose with our bodies tired from the day prior, having collectively chopped down over 35 invasive trees on a stunning trail up the side of the mountain at Papahana Kualoa. With the volunteer site short-staffed for the day, they could not accommodate us, but we have struck a deal to extend our work on Friday to make up for loss time. We ventured then to learn more about the Ocean having been on the land for three days. We discovered marine life through the eyes of snorkel gear, and witnessed sea turtles, monk seals, and a plethora of delicate fish. Despite some sightings, we can now with certainty say we see the connection between human intervention and damage to this ahupua’a, with reefs having been decimated (and consequently sea life) by humans due to toxic sunscreen. We learned all of this on the boat, and it only underlined the fact that everything is connected, from the mountains, to the valley, to the beach, and to the sea.

Hawaii Day 1: Muddy Salty Sandy

Our first day in Hawaii was incredible! After some of us watched the beautiful sunrise and did yoga and meditation, we started our first day of volunteering with an ancient hawaiian morning greeting ceremony at our worksite at Papahana Kauola. The ceremony involved blowing a conch horn in all four directions and chanting traditional hawaiian prayers. Our leader for the day, Mae’le, explained to us their purpose as an organization to reconnect hawaiians to their ancient roots of sustainable living and culture. We discussed hawaiian history and mythology and learned about the violent takeover of their monarchy by US businessmen and the current problems locals face with poverty and generational trauma. We learned about Kalo, or Taro, the staple food in Hawaiian cuisine which they farm at Papahana. Then we got down and dirty in the mud pits where the Kalo is grown to pull out weeds and lay down cardboard to prevent more harmful growth so the Kalo could grow strong and healthy.

Throughout the hard and dirty work, we learned so much from Mae’le about hawaiian history, culture, mythology, and contemporary issues. We learned many of the original names of mountains that have been changed by the tourism history to mask their origins and connection to local culture. She showed us a cold mountain stream to wash off the mud from the Kalo pits, or Lo’e, and cool down and we continued to discuss hawaiian history and contemporary issues. To finish the day of work after lunch we learned about the invasive species that plague the island and weeded out some to protect the native species they grow on the Waipao.

Mae’le also taught us about the history and significance of surfing for hawaiian culture, so we decided to surf that afternoon after finishing up work. We headed back to the north shore for surf lessons and kayaking where everyone that got lessons successfully stood up to ride a wave! We met up at a beach for sunset where some of us got to see some sea turtles on a secluded cove. After a long and tiring day we all fell right asleep back at Camp Erdman excited for the rest of the week of work!

by Joey Shoyer