Where are you from?

'Aloha.' This is my greeting to people I speak with on the phone, this is my greeting as I meet new guests arriving at the resort, this is the greeting that I use, not as a novelty, but as a true form of communication of welcome and warmth. Aloha means hello, goodbye, love, I love you...whatever warm wish and spirit you wish to convey.

And I find everyone has a different reaction and response to my greeting. Some come right back with an authentic aloha...some giggle at the foreign word, some make a funny face and are unsure how to respond, but for the most part, it is a happy word, it is a word meant to create unity and harmony, so people react accordingly.

Part of my job is to engage in conversation and create a bond with my resort guests so I can best service them. In doing so, I most often find out where my guests are from, what their family situation is, and how and where they like to vacation. But in the short time I have been in this position, I have also come across the guest that is equally interested in my situation...and I have been asked, "where are you from?"

Well, well...what they do not realize is what an entirely loaded question that is for me. I have been asked this question my entire life.

People initially ask the question because they think I am a local Hawaiian, born and raised...but when I open my mouth and speak, most realize that I am probably not a native Hawaiian...so then their thoughts wander as to where I might be from...is she Pacific Islander? Brazilian? From Fiji? South American?   Only a few people guess I am of Indian heritage, only because I feel that most people have only had experience with people from India who have an accent that gives their heritage away.

So given that people are unsure of the response I will give them, my natural and first response, especially now as I am starting to feel a longing for my home, is 'Danville.' 'the Bay Area.' 'I grew up in Walnut Creek, went to Cal Berkeley, what else do you need to know?'

I find that people are not necessarily concerned that I am from Danville, but when they find that this is my response, their questioning seems to stop. They are satisfied that I am 'from' somewhere else....they are satisfied that I am from the mainland, because this makes them feel less out of place and more at home, for if I can utter the word 'aloha' and be from Danville, well then so can they.

Working Girl

Aloha. I feel it has been a while since I have last written a post and communicated about my life and transformation of life here on the island...and I think it is because I have actually been out living a new life and creating a new schedule and a new identity and trying to establish myself and my presence here on the island.

Bikram Yoga at the Yoga House in Kapa'a has become my new second home....I am practicing bikram yoga now at least 5 days a week, and although I am still very much of a beginner, I am becoming reliant on my instructors and their voice and mantras as a part of my near daily ritual of self-renewal and meditation. The physical demand of the practice is intense, but the mental and emotional commitment is overwhelming and entirely gratifying.

And I have started working again...as a Concierge at the Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas on the north shore of the island. It is about a 45 minute drive from my home on a two-lane highway, arguably one of the most beautiful commutes in the entire world. I see the ocean, sunrises, waterfalls, and rainbows all on my drive to work that passes from ocean to lush tropical foliage, to golf courses and taro fields. My desk overlooks the grounds of a 5-star resort that overlooks the Pacific Ocean, where at this time of year is a playground for humpback whales. Yes, I see whales spouting from my desk at work...

As I contemplate my life now and think about the months I spent imagining and dreaming and hoping what my life would be, I feel entirely blessed. I feel like I write now about a life and a present reality that I had written about several months ago as a dream and a vision. For those of you who have been reading my blogs, I work at the same resort as the 'Manager of Fun,' and his name is Kapule. Yes, I work at a resort where there is a core value that produces a job title 'Manager of Fun.' I am still amazed.

My job requires me to talk to people on their vacation about their vacations. My job requires me to talk to people about what they want to do for fun...what kind of food they like, what kind of memories they want to create...what makes them happy. And so if I have to live in Kauai, in paradise, and I have to earn a living...what better way to do so then to talk to people on vacation about their vacations...and the memories they want to create...and what makes them happy. That makes me happy.