Status: active looking for co author :)
Night March
Welcome Home
Several hours and a short flight from Honolulu later we exit the plane at Lihue's airport in Kauai. My dad and I take the short trek in this little airport towards baggage claim. gazing at the tourism photos that line the white walls of the airport hallway, I realize how unlike my home this place is. They pictures paint a strikingly beautiful landscape and I wonder if what I see in these photos is really what I'll get.
When we reach the open baggage claim area we emerge out into a crowd of hundreds of people in what seems to like chaos. It's not really though, we are surrounded by families reuniting, vacationing couples looking for their designated luggage carousels and Hawaiian greeters with lei's in their hands. I watch as a pregnant woman greets a man in Army fatigues that I'm guessing is her husband. I never realized how touching the arrivals gate can be. If I ever need a good does of humanity in its happier moments, this would be the place to go.
As we walk around trying to find our way, we see to beautiful Hawaiian women holding a sign that says: "Townsend Family."
I look to my dad in question. He gestures with his head and we stride over to them. Both women are identically dressed in black summer dresses with traditional Hawaiian floral print in yellow and red. They were both wearing bold tropical flowers in their hair; they looked like they were picked fresh that morning. Several layers of shell-strung necklaces decorated their necks. In their hands they each hold a lei made of boldly colored red flowers headed off with white undertones. One of the leis is different from the other. It had green leaves intertwined with the flowers
Once we reach the two women they simultaneously say, "Aloha" place a lei on our necks and give us a brief kiss in the cheek as Hawaiian tradition dictates.
I got the lei with the green leaves woven in which smells sweet and floral. I say, "Thank you." giving them a meek smile.
My dad replies "Ma-halo" I look at him in surprise wondering how he knew to say, I'm assuming, the appropriate Hawaiian thank you. He shrugs and gives me a half smile followed my a wink. "Your old man did his research of course. You don't think I would move my teenage daughter to another country without Googling island life first?"
I stick my tongue out jokingly at him for making a dig on my 'another country' reference.
My dad reaches over and touches the green leaves on my lei. "These are from the Ti plant. They are woven in to chase evil spirits away and to bring good luck to the wearer."
When we reach the open baggage claim area we emerge out into a crowd of hundreds of people in what seems to like chaos. It's not really though, we are surrounded by families reuniting, vacationing couples looking for their designated luggage carousels and Hawaiian greeters with lei's in their hands. I watch as a pregnant woman greets a man in Army fatigues that I'm guessing is her husband. I never realized how touching the arrivals gate can be. If I ever need a good does of humanity in its happier moments, this would be the place to go.
As we walk around trying to find our way, we see to beautiful Hawaiian women holding a sign that says: "Townsend Family."
I look to my dad in question. He gestures with his head and we stride over to them. Both women are identically dressed in black summer dresses with traditional Hawaiian floral print in yellow and red. They were both wearing bold tropical flowers in their hair; they looked like they were picked fresh that morning. Several layers of shell-strung necklaces decorated their necks. In their hands they each hold a lei made of boldly colored red flowers headed off with white undertones. One of the leis is different from the other. It had green leaves intertwined with the flowers
Once we reach the two women they simultaneously say, "Aloha" place a lei on our necks and give us a brief kiss in the cheek as Hawaiian tradition dictates.
I got the lei with the green leaves woven in which smells sweet and floral. I say, "Thank you." giving them a meek smile.
My dad replies "Ma-halo" I look at him in surprise wondering how he knew to say, I'm assuming, the appropriate Hawaiian thank you. He shrugs and gives me a half smile followed my a wink. "Your old man did his research of course. You don't think I would move my teenage daughter to another country without Googling island life first?"
I stick my tongue out jokingly at him for making a dig on my 'another country' reference.
My dad reaches over and touches the green leaves on my lei. "These are from the Ti plant. They are woven in to chase evil spirits away and to bring good luck to the wearer."