A Sprint Not A Marathon

You’d think things would slow down towards the end of my stay. I can assure you, that’s not the case. I’ve done more interviews and will be doing even more next week. But mostly, I’ve tried to make a significant dent into my data analysis. While this doesn’t make for super exciting pictures and can be time consuming and maybe even a bit repetitive, it’s also super interesting and I’m gaining more and more insight on what are common attributes between players.

Early in the week I had the pleasure of having a very lovely lunch date with Auntie Myrna Kamae (Eddie Kamae’s wife). She’s a brilliant interviewer herself and, although definitely of advanced age, she’s very much interested in everything that’s going on and is making a point in keeping busy. After we had our meal she told me that she used to go to the exact same restaurant for lunch with Eddie for several decades and filled me in in what he always used to eat there (the same dish for several years in a row). I was very much looking forward to seeing Myrna again that very same evening together with Ellen and Chris from Maryland, who I’ve kept running into. They’ve since returned to their home and their journey was delayed by more than 24h on the way, which makes me slightly worried for next week.

On Wednesday I’ve had part one of my interview with Ian O’Sullivan. It’s a first to split and interview, but we’re going to meet again this week. And on Thursday I was super happy to have Brittni Paiva over for an interview, which I found very insightful.

Friday I met up with Cynthia Lin for lunch. We had absolutely delicious Japanese food and she treated me to Taro Donuts and nitro coffee (?!). It was particularly nice to catch up, as we had just met in Berlin in October and I found it really enjoyable to hang out and chat. I then ran over to campus to attend a panel on „Kanaka ‘Ōiwi Methodologies: Mo‘olelo and Metaphor“, which was absolutely fascinating and had quite a few aspects that deeply resonated with me and what I’m doing right now. I was also really glad that my Hawaiian vocabulary apparently had quite expanded throughout my stay (and because of the book I had been reading: „Local: A Memoir“ by Jessica Machado), as about 30% of the talk was in Hawaiian.

That day Ukesuppy’s Jens and Maria placed a huge book order and had intentionally timed that to contribute financially to the Hawaii Trip. Don’t really know, how to say this, but they’ve been so supportive for so long and I feel immensely grateful to know them! Can’t wait to see them again in person. Make sure you get your Uke supplies at Ukesupply.de!

Additionally to doing the dry data analysis and interviews I was gently pushed by my loved ones to actually enjoy a little bit of Hawaii and I’ve made it a point to go to the beach twice and watch a sunset. While this was wonderful, I’m back to my cold. It can be surprisingly chilly here (and no, I’m not complaining, obviously!).

During my last trip to Hawaii in 2019 I got a tattoo from Sue at Black Cat Tattoo and I’ve been contemplating getting another one on this trip. Partly because I’ve been feeling like a new tattoo for a while, but also because I’ve been feeling so immensely welcomed by the island and its people. Staying for what will be five weeks in total has given me a small taste of what it would be like to live here. So yesterday I went and sat down with Sue again and got my first color tattoo (I’m in love).