It is Illegal to be an Ugly Governor in Hawaii

Yes that’s true.  It is against the “Aloha Law” for a Hawaiian governor to act ugly or mean spirited in carrying out their duties.  You may find the actually law at the end of this entry, but it all has to do with the meaning and spirit of Aloha.

Many Hawaiian words have multiple meanings and perhaps none more so than aloha.  Aloha is the most popular Hawaiian word known and spoken around the world.  It is also among the most sacred and powerful of all Hawaiian words. Speaking it over time is said to have the power to transform one's attitude, heal one's negative emotions, and to help protect and guide one's lifetime journey.

Hawai'i is also the only American state to have two official languages, Hawaiian and English. However, a third unofficial language is also widely spoken, Pidgin which is a slang combining words from many aspects of island life and culture. Instant Hawaii 

Pidgin was used as a way to communicate amongst the various nationalities that were in Hawaii to work the fields, containing enough English language references to generally communicate with their supervisors who primarily spoke English.

We recently adopted a kitten and wanted to give it a Hawaiian name.  We settled on Pili Aloha which was suggested be a friend and which we understood to mean “esteemed companion,” which it does.  However, it could also mean any combination of the following:

Pili

To cling, stick, adhere, touch, join, adjoin, cleave to, associate with, be with, be close or adjacent; clinging, sticking; close relationship, relative; thing belonging to, connection. Pili maikaʻi, fitting nicely, compact. Hoa pili, intimate friend. Koʻu pili, my partner.


Aloha
Aloha, love, affection, compassion, mercy, sympathy, pity, kindness, sentiment, grace, charity; greeting, salutation, regards; sweetheart, lover, loved one; beloved, loving, kind, compassionate, charitable, lovable; to love, be fond of; to show kindness, mercy, pity, charity, affection; to venerate; to remember with affection; to greet, hail. Greetings! Hello! Good-by! Farewell! Alas! 
http://wehewehe.org/

And if that does not impress you with the beauty of the Hawaiian language, how about the name of the state fish?  It is humuhumunukunuku'āpua'a.  

Rivaled perhaps only by the longest place name in America (in Massachusetts) which my brother for some reason can pronounce flawlessly:

Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg.

Aloha!

From the state Charter:

§ 5-7.5 "Aloha Spirit".(a) "Aloha Spirit" is the coordination of mind and heart within each person. It brings each person to the self.  Each person must think and emote good feelings to others.  In the contemplation and presence of the life force, "Aloha", the following unuhi laulā loamay be used:

           "Akahai", meaning kindness to be expressed with tenderness; 

           "Lōkahi", meaning unity, to be expressed with harmony; 

           "ʻOluʻolu" meaning agreeable, to be expressed with pleasantness;

           "Haʻahaʻa", meaning humility, to be expressed with modesty;

           "Ahonui", meaning patience, to be expressed with perseverance.

These are traits of character that express the charm, warmth and sincerity of Hawaii's people. It was the working philosophy of native Hawaiians and was presented as a gift to the people of Hawaiʻi. ''Aloha'' is more than a word of greeting or farewell or a salutation. ''Aloha'' means mutual regard and affection and extends warmth in caring with no obligation in return. "Aloha" is the essence of relationships in which each person is important to every other person for collective existence. ''Aloha'' means to hear what is not said, to see what cannot be seen and to know the unknowable.

(b) In exercising their power on behalf of the people and in fulfillment of their responsibilities, obligations and service to the people, the legislature, governor, lieutenant governor, executive officers of each department, the chief justice, associate justices, and judges of the appellate, circuit, and district courts may contemplate and reside with the life force and give consideration to the "Aloha Spirit". [L 1986, c 202, § 1]

http://clear.uhwo.hawaii.edu/lawaloha.html

Blog 18 – Arriving in Kona/ Getting to Hilo

The flight was smooth and even arrived early. We had heard several disaster stories about retrieving your pets, so we were amazed when they were released to our care even before our luggage had arrived. As soon as we landed they were taken to a special area and examined by a local veterinarian and our paperwork was checked. She said our documents were in the best shape she’d ever seen, so that might have been part of it, but we were also perhaps lucky. One story we were told was of the vet on duty at the airport being called away for emergency surgery and the pet owners having to wait several hours for her return. That would be stressful.

We had a pre-set confirmed appointment with the vet, whom we spoke with on the phone several times before arriving. Only one vet serves the entire Kona arrival center, so you also need to confirm that she is available at the day and time you want to fly in before booking your flight. Another thing is that you have to have the flight and flight number ahead of time for your application.

Anyway all went well with the pets, so we collected our entire assortment of luggage and I went to get the rental car while

Valentine and Kiwi received beaucoup attention from the passer-bys.

We had a mini-van on this end, so everything fit with relative ease, unlike in California where we were barely able to stuff everything into a “full sized” vehicle.

The drive to Hilo took us about two hours, but we stopped enroute in Waimea for food and household cleaning supplies – which added another hour. The Foodland store there is my wife’s favorite grocery outlet.

We finally pulled into our house very tired and very relieved at about dusk. One of the owners was still there doing some last minute cleaning and our realtor dropped by to welcome us with a bottle of champagne, so we had a little mini-welcome party.

"The View"

They left, and we crashed. Two beds were part of the overall transaction, so all we had to do was make one up and hit the sack. It felt so good to finally be back in Hilo – and best yet, on a one-way ticket.

Blog 17 – Getting Off the Ground

After a fitful night’s “sleep,” the next morning at the motel near the San Francisco airport was more than chaotic. Five trips down from our second floor room got the car reloaded with our pets and luggage. We then proceeded to SFO where I dropped Devany off with the dog and the cat and most of our bags – with agreement to meet at the gate. I then drove to the rental car place, hoping it was open at 6am so that I could be shuttled back to the airport.

Devany had great success with an extremely helpful Redcap that handled everything with great aplomb – checking all the bags at curbside and directing where to go for the animal check-in, which turned out to be in the basement. There they inspected the animals and cages for security risks and accepted them for transport.

Meanwhile, the rental car shuttle dropped me off at its only stop about five terminals away from my destination. It probably took almost an hour for me to get to the gate, but I was there first which concerned me.

Devany finally arrived after having encountered the bad-tempered Gestapo Lady at the security line who told her that her carry-on was too large (the same bag she had used many times), and told her in no uncertain terms to get out of the line which was now up to about 20 minutes long. The bag had our computer and other stuff and the GL took Devany out of line and demanded she put it in the carry-on template where off course it didn’t fit. Luckily, another security agent took pity and told her to take out the computer and try it again – which worked, even though she now had too many carry-on items. Go figure.

We met up at the gate, wobbly but intact and already seriously needing an adult beverage even though it was only about nine in the morning.

Anyway, time to get on board and say good bye to the Bay Area…….!

Blog 13 Getting Pets Quarantined on the Mainland

Valentine on Lake Michigan

Hawaii has no rabies and wants to keep it that way.  Recent changes in the State’s procedures have resulted in a huge improvement in bringing your pets to the islands.  For instance, ours were directly released to us on our arrival in Kona – before our luggage had even arrived.

Kiwi the Ragdoll

However, please bear in mind, that if you do not meet the specific requirements of this new program, your pet may be quarantined for up to 120 days upon its arrival in Hawaii.

Valentine's Puppy - Winston

Next the only thing to watch out for is the lengthy mainland qualification process.  It had an impact on delaying our departure by two months.  Procedures include getting chips implanted in your animals, two sets of rabies shots 90 days apart and blood work being sent to a laboratory at Kansas State University (KSU).  Significant preplanning is critical to minimize the impact on you and your pets in this type of relocation.

The official state link regarding moving pets to Hawaii is:

(http://hawaii.gov/hdoa/ai/aqs/info)

Valentine - Happy in Hilo