Post by bigfan on Apr 28, 2005 13:26:51 GMT -5
Campus Hawaii clubs help ease transition to mainland life
HONOLULU, Hawaii (AP) -- Ari Wong was miserable after moving from Hawaii to Washington, D.C., several years ago for college.
"I was very homesick and it was very hard adjusting," said Wong, now a federal law enforcement officer. "I couldn't get used to the food, so I lost a lot of weight. I kept getting sick. I missed my family, Hawaii's climate and the people."
It could have been worse. One reason Wong chose George Washington University was because it has a Hawaii club to help ease the transition for students leaving paradise.
Hawaii clubs are fixtures at more than 50 colleges nationwide, and on many campuses are the only state-themed clubs. Membership ranges from less than 20 at schools with few island students to 200 at schools such as the University of Washington and Stanford.
The clubs can be havens from what many Hawaiian students see as a more fast-paced lifestyle and sometimes unfriendly encounters, especially in large East Coast cities.
"For a Hawaii person on the mainland, the culture here is different. Sometimes people around here can be a little less, uh, warmhearted," said Chris Farm, a junior at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Matt Tsai, a University of Pennsylvania senior, said support from club members helped him adapt to the climate and way of life.
"We tell the freshmen, 'It's going to be cold, a little bit more high-paced and people generally are going to be a little more in-your-face,"' Tsai said. "You have to learn to become more 'East Coast' and deal with it."
Even in a more laid-back region such as Oregon, Hawaii clubs can help students adjust.
"We all miss the food and the beach," said Jennifer Slaton, a senior at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon. "And the sun, because Portland is so rainy."
In frigid climes, upperclassman in some Hawaii clubs organize shopping expeditions each fall, helping freshmen accustomed to tank tops and shorts shop for heavy coats, wool sweaters and long underwear.
'It's great to have both worlds'
For almost all Hawaii clubs, the annual spring luau is the premier event of the year. Generally held in April, guests are treated to authentic hula performances and spreads of traditional Hawaiian food, such as kalua pig and a gelatinous coconut dessert called haupia. Parents and friends in the islands often donate hundreds of dollars in colorful flowers and tropical plants -- ti leaves, red ginger, ferns and birds-of-paradise.
Students perform the sacred traditional hula, or kahiko, as well as the flowing modern auana style. Many clubs also perform dances from other Polynesian cultures, such as hip-shaking Tahitian, the Maori hakka and poiball dances, and even Samoan fire-knife dancing.
The clubs, open to all students, also help students from Hawaii clear up misconceptions classmates may have about the islands.
Tsai, a Honolulu native, said he has been asked questions such as: "How long have you been in the U.S.? Do you use U.S. dollars? Do you live in grass huts?"'
And however much fun students may have hanging out -- "cruising" in island parlance -- most try to use the clubs as a bridge to the mainland culture.
"A lot of parents encourage their kids to stay away from other Hawaii kids, to branch out and meet different folks. I think it's great to have both worlds," said Jessica Toyama, president of University of Washington's Hawaii club.
Often, Tsai said, island students are asked how they could leave such an idyllic place.
"I love home and I want to go home one day," he said. "But I feel like it's a rock and isolated. Things can turn into a repetitive routine. The mainland has so many experiences you just can't get at home."
HONOLULU, Hawaii (AP) -- Ari Wong was miserable after moving from Hawaii to Washington, D.C., several years ago for college.
"I was very homesick and it was very hard adjusting," said Wong, now a federal law enforcement officer. "I couldn't get used to the food, so I lost a lot of weight. I kept getting sick. I missed my family, Hawaii's climate and the people."
It could have been worse. One reason Wong chose George Washington University was because it has a Hawaii club to help ease the transition for students leaving paradise.
Hawaii clubs are fixtures at more than 50 colleges nationwide, and on many campuses are the only state-themed clubs. Membership ranges from less than 20 at schools with few island students to 200 at schools such as the University of Washington and Stanford.
The clubs can be havens from what many Hawaiian students see as a more fast-paced lifestyle and sometimes unfriendly encounters, especially in large East Coast cities.
"For a Hawaii person on the mainland, the culture here is different. Sometimes people around here can be a little less, uh, warmhearted," said Chris Farm, a junior at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Matt Tsai, a University of Pennsylvania senior, said support from club members helped him adapt to the climate and way of life.
"We tell the freshmen, 'It's going to be cold, a little bit more high-paced and people generally are going to be a little more in-your-face,"' Tsai said. "You have to learn to become more 'East Coast' and deal with it."
Even in a more laid-back region such as Oregon, Hawaii clubs can help students adjust.
"We all miss the food and the beach," said Jennifer Slaton, a senior at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon. "And the sun, because Portland is so rainy."
In frigid climes, upperclassman in some Hawaii clubs organize shopping expeditions each fall, helping freshmen accustomed to tank tops and shorts shop for heavy coats, wool sweaters and long underwear.
'It's great to have both worlds'
For almost all Hawaii clubs, the annual spring luau is the premier event of the year. Generally held in April, guests are treated to authentic hula performances and spreads of traditional Hawaiian food, such as kalua pig and a gelatinous coconut dessert called haupia. Parents and friends in the islands often donate hundreds of dollars in colorful flowers and tropical plants -- ti leaves, red ginger, ferns and birds-of-paradise.
Students perform the sacred traditional hula, or kahiko, as well as the flowing modern auana style. Many clubs also perform dances from other Polynesian cultures, such as hip-shaking Tahitian, the Maori hakka and poiball dances, and even Samoan fire-knife dancing.
The clubs, open to all students, also help students from Hawaii clear up misconceptions classmates may have about the islands.
Tsai, a Honolulu native, said he has been asked questions such as: "How long have you been in the U.S.? Do you use U.S. dollars? Do you live in grass huts?"'
And however much fun students may have hanging out -- "cruising" in island parlance -- most try to use the clubs as a bridge to the mainland culture.
"A lot of parents encourage their kids to stay away from other Hawaii kids, to branch out and meet different folks. I think it's great to have both worlds," said Jessica Toyama, president of University of Washington's Hawaii club.
Often, Tsai said, island students are asked how they could leave such an idyllic place.
"I love home and I want to go home one day," he said. "But I feel like it's a rock and isolated. Things can turn into a repetitive routine. The mainland has so many experiences you just can't get at home."