Thursday, November 15, 2012

Surfing Up & Diving Down

Maui, Hawaii - November 15, 2012

Today we first walked down to the beach.  My hair was down loose. I was in my bathing suit and ready to surf.  The man from the beach said there could be sharks, so I decided to do an activity closer to shore and on bigger waves. 

I took a boogie board and went to the spot with the biggest and largest waves. I'm not going to lie ... the truth is that I stink.  A man came to help me and soon enough I was on my own surfing up.  Sadly one of the waves went to high and knocked me off.  I was under the water for what seemed like 2 minutes.  I felt like I was drowning. But I did not give up


It was smart not to give up because I soon made a friend.  Her name was Abbey. Together we became really good. I'm not scared any more and I'm definitely going back tomorrow. 


Next we hopped in the car and were on our way to our next adventure. We saw many things including sugar cane and wing meals. The view of the mountain was incredible too. The mountains looked like glaciers.  They were so steep.  Finally opening my eyes I saw a submarine store. We waited in line and hopped on a boat. 

The boat was white and big. The man on the boat showed us some gears encase fires on the submarine. Then there it was ... rising from underwater ... a submarine. The submarine  came up like and airplane it started from the back. 


We hopped on from the roof and took stairs down. 

The submarine was so cool under water at first we only saw water but that's because we were only 5 feet deep,  The next minute I turned my head and we were 130 feet deep. Under the water we saw many fish from puffer fish and many schools of fish. We also saw trumpet fish, yellow fish, black fish. And what seemed like rocks to me were actually coral. Some pieces of coral even looked like mash potatoes. 

We even saw a humuhumunukunukuapua'a, the state fish of Hawaii.  How is that for a funny name?

Now it's time for me to tell you my favorite. When we got really deep everything changed colors. Pink was purple and skin was blue and teeth were pink. 


Sadly the ship went back up to the top and our adventure was over.


Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Understanding Pearl Harbor


Honolulu, Hawai'i - November 13, 2012

Today we went to Pearl Harbor.  Pearl Harbor is as a small harbor next to the city - Pearl City.  Pearl Harbor got a surprise attack from Japan.  But that was a long time ago.  


Japan attacked on December 7, 1941.  Thousands of people died and many battleships sunk.  The United States Navy was able to recover all the battleships that were bombed and rebuild them, except for three. 

The three that were not recovered were Oklahoma, Utah and Arizona. There are more than 800 people who are still inside the ship of Arizona.  In total more than 2400 people died. 

There is now a memorial on top of where the ship sank. Sadly, the ship sank with the people inside. Those people were heroes for risking their lives. 


Learning all this made me feel sad. 

Monday, November 12, 2012

Aloha from the Polynesian Center

Honolulu, Hawai'i - November 12, 2012

Today we went to the Polynesian center.  The Polynesia center is a center were they build small replicas of each of the major Polynesian islands. 



The first island we went to was Aotearoa.   Aotearoa is the Maori was to say New Zealand.  In Aotearoa their main culture is Maori.

The Maoris play with sticks and toss them back and forth for there brain muscles. We even got to try playing with the bamboo sticks it was very fun and hard at the same time.  


Next we played with Poi Balls. Poi balls are Maori instruments that are used for dancing and are balls on strings filled with rocks. I apparently was not so good with poi balls. 


The next Polynesian culture we went to visit was Samoa.  Samoa was my favorite.  The Samoan people have very strong feet.  One Samoan stepped on fire. OUCH!

In Samoa, the man cooks all the meals. The men cook many different ways. The way they get coconut milk is by squeezing the coconut meat.  They shred the white coconut meat with a knife and then they squeeze until milk comes out.  But first they have to climb a tree to get the coconut.


Now you might be wondering what the women do, the women weave and sew. The women sew but all out of nature they use leaves and sticks. 

After we went to Fiji. The people in Fiji usually wear sarongs and play bamboo instruments. 

Next we went to Tonga.  In Tonga, houses are made from mats.  In Tonga when the boy is 16 they are kicked out and the girls bet there own room. In Tonga the parents are most respected. In Tonga the more mats you have the more rich you are. 

Finally we went to is Hawaii. Hawaii is well spirited and there traditional word aloha which means greetings, hello and goodbye.  It's a little like shalom in Hebrew. We also learned the hula dance.  It was fun.



Well I think it's time to go. 

Aloha

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Final Exam: Bali & New Zealand

BALI, INDONESIA



          Q:  Why is the number 3 important to Hinduism?
       A:  For the three main gods 

          Q:  Where is the world’s largest Muslim population located?
       A:  Indonesia 

          Q:  Why should you never stare at a monkey’s eyes?
X        A:  It bothers them

          Q:  How many types of frogs are in Bali?
       A:  200

          Q:  What is a gamelan?
       A:  Balinese orchestra 

          Q:  In which country is Bali located?
       A:  Indonesia 

          Q: Why do some of the beaches in Bali have black sand?
       A:  Because the volcanoes 

          Q:  What type of doctors to people in Bali often visit when sick?
       A:  The healer 

          Q:  Why are rice fields built like steps on the sides of mountains?
       A:  So when one overflows it goes to the next and next column 

          Q:  On what continent is Indonesia located?
       A:  Indonesia is a group of islands it's not in a continent 

          Q:  What is the capital of Bali?
X        A:  Indonesia. 

          Q:  Briefly describe the traditional family house in Bali?
X        A: 

          Q:  What is the primary agricultural product grown in Bali?
X        A: 

          Q:  Who is Sarasawati?
       A:  the god of rice and knowledge. 

          Q:  Brahma (creator), Vishnu (preserver) and Shiva (destroyer) are the three main gods in Hinduism.  How many gods are there?
       A:  the gods have many faces except there is only one god

          Q:  How many islands are in Indonesia?
       A:  1,700

          Q:  What oceans surround Indonesia?
       A:  Indian and pacific 

          Q:  What is a penjor and what does it represent?
       A:  A penjor is a prosperity that represents wealth and health

          Q:  How do you say “thank you” in Indonesian?
       A:  Terimakassi 

          Q:  How do Balinese bury their dead?
       A:  they put them in a coffin and put them in a fire so there body goes up but there soal stays 

          Q:  What is origin of the swastika used by Hitler and the Nazis in Germany?
X        A: 

          Q:  What does Aman mean in Sanskrit?
       A:  peaceful

          Q:  The rice in Bali comes in many colors.  Name three of them?
       A:  black, red and white

          Q:  How would you respond if someone said Terima kasih (thank you)?
       A:  Sama sama

          Q:  What is Karma?
       A:   if you do good you Get good if you do bad you get bad

          Q:  Following the law of Karma … if someone gives you poison, you would return by giving them what?
       A:  a flower 

          Q:  What is Nasi Goreng?
       A:  fried rice 

          Q:  Is an elephant a reptile or a mammal and why?
X        A:   a reptile because it's an erbabor 

          Q:  How do you know if an elephant is happy?
       A:   if it flaps it's ears

          Q:  If you are the first born child in Bali, what would be your name?
       A:   wayan

          Q:  If you are the second child, what would your name be?
       A:  maday 

          Q:  Who lives in the highest room in the traditional Balinese family compound and why?
       A:   The elders because they get more respect

          Q:  One of the smelliest fruits on Earth can be found in Bali.  What is it?
       A:  durian


NEW ZEALAND

          Q:  What two bodies of water surround New Zealand?
X        A:   Pasific and Tasmanian 

          Q:  How many islands are in New Zealand?
       A:   2

          Q:  What does Kia Ora mean in Maori?
       A:  Greetings 

          Q:  Hens lay eggs daily.  Why do some become baby chickens?
X        A: 

          Q:  What is the capital of New Zealand?
       A:  Wellington 

          Q:  Why is a kiwi bird such a rare animal?
       A:  because it is in dangered 

          Q:  Why go Maori people stick their tongues out during their war dances?
X        A:  To scare the audionce  

          Q:  Why did the thermal pools in Rotorua smell like rotten eggs?
X        A:  because of the steam 

          Q:  What is the scientific name for the feature that makes glow worms shine?
       A:  bio luminescence

          Q:  Why did some of the caves in Waitomo have glow worms and some did not?
       A:  because some caves did not have enough food

          Q:  What type of animal is a glow worm?
       A:  a magget

          Q:  What is a stalactite?
       A:  A iceaclle made of stone that's on the roof of a cave 

          Q:  What is a stalagmite?
       A:  The same but on the ground

          Q:  Which is hollow and has a hole in the end – a stalactite or stalagmite?
       A:  a stalag tite

          Q:  What is the only male animal to become pregnant and give birth?
       A:  Sea horse 

            Q:  Briefly describe how to milk a cow?
       A:  rub it's otter put soction cups on its otter and squeeze the milk

          Q:  What is the term used for shaving the wool off of sheep?
X        A: 

          Q:  Why is important to know the sex of the sheep before removing the wool?
       A:  So you don't shave it's willy 

          Q:  What is the oily substance found in wool?
       A:  lanylin

          Q:   How do you look for gold?
       A:  You dig in the sand put the sand and rocks in a bowl and rind it out until your left with black sand then look if you have any gold

          Q:  Why is it important to remove the wool from a pregnant sheep?
       A:  so they will find shelter

          Q:  What are the names for a male sheep, female sheep, and baby sheep?
X        A:  Lamb, ram,

          Q:  Why are dogs important for sheep farming?
       A:  to group and bring the sheep

          Q:  What is the role of the “eye” dog in sheep farming?
       A:  He brings the sheep to the master 

          Q:  Do sheep have pressure points and why is this important?
       A:  yes so they can go to sleep

          Q:  Why will a mother sheep sometimes chew off the tail of its baby?
       A:  so it won't lay down in the snow 

          Q:  Name one animal that is an invertebrate?
       A:  Sheep 

          Q:  What is the benefit of worm farming?
X       A:  The worms take out all the bad things in the farms

          Q:  Who chooses the queen bee in a bee colony?
       A:  the workers

          Q:  How does the queen bee get bigger that the other bees?
       A:  it's fed royal jelly

          Q:  Will a bee sting a wasp that enters its colony?
       A:  No

          Q:  How many eggs does a queen bee lay a day?
       A:  thousands 

          Q:  How does the flag of New Zealand differ from the British flag of England?
       A:  it has four stars

          Q:  What is the traditional Maori greeting?
       A:  rubbing noses

          Q:  What is the land mass closest to Antarctica where people live?
       A:  Queens town

          Q:  Why are the lakes in New Zealand so cold (even in Summer)?
       A:  From the glaciers 

          Q:  How do you know by looking at a waterfall in between two mountains where the water comes from?
       A:  if it is a u its from a glasure if it's a v it's from a river 

          Q:  What happens when you add rennet to warm milk?
 X       A: 

          Q:  What are curds and whey?
 X       A: