Training Week with HYCC

This is the first week of HYCC!  This week is training week for the team leaders!  All the leaders from the outer islands are here and I've met so many cool people!  I've met a person who is a triplet, someone who was in the Peace Core for two and a half years in Micronesia, a real Hawaiian from Big Island haha, a Colorodian, a New Jerseyian, and lots and lots of surfers!!!  Whoohoo, team bonding in the water tomorrow!  Hahaha

There's a lot to go over like expectations, policies, logistics, and lots and lots of forms!  There are forms for EVERYTHING!  They gave us a Team Leader Handbook, and it's stacked full of papers!

I met my co-leader, his name is Kevin.  He's like a serious hiker man, so I'm not worried about this summer at all.  He's also a PE teacher and lives in Makaha, so he can get the kids back in line when they're bad!  Haha nah he's not moke or anything, he's from New Jersey, but he's a cool guy!

We also learned lots of oli's and chants for our trip to Kaho'olawe that we have to memorize and perform.  There's both a Request to Enter chant and a Request for Release chant, and even a song to sing during the sunrise:

Mele Komo (Request to Enter)

He haki nu'anu'a nei kai                           Indeed a rough and crashing sea

'o 'awa ana i uka                                     echoing into the uplands
Pehea e hiki aki ai 'o ka leo                     How is it that the one lands, It is the voice
Mai pa'a i ka leo                                     Please don't hold back the voice

Mele Noi 'A'ama (Request for Release)


'O 'Awe kuhi o kai uli                              Pointing tentavle of the deep sea
kuhikau, kuhikau                                     direct, direct
E homai i 'a'ama                                      Grant also an 'a'ama
i 'a'ama aha                                             an 'a'ama for what
i a'ama 'ia au                                           releasing me from my obligation as your guest

These are really pretty chants and we had a guest come and teach it to us and he did it as an oli.  The song that helps the sun rise up in the morning is also very beautiful.  You have to do a clap as you sing too, which got me really confused and I kept messing up.  I can't sing and clap a beat at the same time I guess!  For this song, we have to wake up before the sunrise and sing this song until the sun is fully risen.  During this time of year, the sun should be rising right above Mauna Kea!  It'll be so cool to see!

E Ala E


E ala e, ka la i ka hikina                            Rise up the sun is in the east
I ka moana, ka moana hohonu                  In the ocean, the deep ocean
Pi'i i ka lew, ka lewa nu'u                          Climbs to the sky, the great height of the sky
I ka hikina, aia a ka la, e ala e!                  In the east, there is the sun, rise up!

You can YouTube these oli's and chants if you want to listen to how they sound, I like E Ala E the best!

Sorry this post was super long!  Here's my dog Mahina getting a bath!  :)