I returned from my Hawaii trip this week and I wanted to thank my group, my hosts, friends and family for my time spent there. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity I had to spend a week in Hawaii learning, working, and exploring.

The work that we did varied daily beginning with erosion control on the North Shore for Kamain’a Kids, our community partner, an outdoor student camp that focuses on environmental education. (http://www.kamaainakids.com)

We did trail work with Kamain’a Kids and learned more about the camp goals, why they do what they do and all of the activities around the island that they provide for the kids who attend their camp.

The next place we visited was a beach on the north shore where Kamain’a Kids have kayaking trips. We removed a lot of overgrowth along the beach and raked the kayak loading zones and smoothed them out to allow for more space for the kids to load and unload as well as eat lunch and play. We were able to take the kayaks out for a spin after our work was done and hangout on a sandbar for a while to bond as a group with the other volunteers. The water was clear and warm and the company was refreshing.

We then had a free day to explore another part of the Hawaiian countryside where native Hawaiians live and mostly farm. We were able to stop in some neighborhoods and check out their local food carts and try different foods such as a variety of shrimp, shaved ice and fruit juices. Our hosts from Kamain’a Kids came with us and showed us the neighborhoods where they grew up, their favorite beach, and drove us the long way home so we could see a different side of the island and more of the culture.

In the country there is a debate right now with developers who want to try and move more tourism there and buy out local farms. There are very few left and the Hawaiian natives are protesting against this by placing large signs on the roadside that say “keep the country, country.” This was an eye-opening observation about culture of actual Hawaii versus the marketed one. We had a long conversation about this, and how it is important that we were able to see this side of Hawaii at the end of the day.

We were able to work on a Taro farm as well. Taro is a sacred Hawaiian plant that is completely edible and used to make a variety of healthy foods for the island. It is not nearly as prevalent as it used to be and about 40 species of Taro out of the one hundred no longer exist. We cleared some new beds for planting as well as pulled weeds out from beds and tended to them to keep them healthy. We also got to try several types of Taro in different food forms that day.

Our second to last day we took a long hike to the highest point of Oahu to learn about all of the different plants both native and invasive along the way. We got to see areas where restoration is taking place, the new baby species that had been planted. Our hosts were two Hawaiian natives who grew up on Nanakuli, a village just below the mountain we were staying. They had a lot to teach us during the hike about the importance of native plants on the island and how the ecology has hanged overtime and the environmental issues associated with those problems.

Our final day we did mangrove removal, which was the most difficult plant we encountered on our trip to remove. We cleared a section near a historical fishpond during the day and after the work was done all of us were fed a traditional Hawaiian meal of pork and cabbage, cooked underground smoked and baked all together.

The entire week was filled with new learning experiences, outdoor exploration, and hard work with new and interesting people. This trip meant more to me than I can ever explain and the people I met have forever impacted my heart and soul. I couldn’t think of a better way to spend my spring break.