Coral Reef Ambassadors in Hawaii - part 2

Awesome Taiwanese in Hawaii

Derrick

Our trip depended heavily on the cooperation and help of the Taiwanese who lived in Hawaii; not only did they supply us with the logistics for a successful trip, they were also almost uncannily helpful. We lived at the house of a Taiwanese, got hosted by various Taiwanese, and even attended the New Year events of the Taiwanese community; our involvement in these activities were also the result of the many helpful people who spent their time to help coordinate these activities.

It came as a shock to me just how willing the Taiwanese community of Hawaii was willing to help us during our stay there. Even when disregarding the extreme case of Mrs. Wang letting us live in her house, there were still plenty displays of hospitality to talk about. Taking us from the airport when we arrived, driving us to the HIMB, inviting us to a parade, letting us be the opening performance of a festival, and driving us back to the airport. I am not exaggerating when I say that this trip would have been almost impossible without the help of the Taiwanese residents of Hawaii. With them taking care of the little things in our lives, we were better able to focus on planning our trips, interviews, and school presentations. Without their help and resources, we would have definitely not been able to accomplish as much as we did.

While I really don’t want to compare the Taiwanese hosting us as a parasitic relationship, I cannot help but to draw parallels between the two. They didn’t get any sort of reward for helping us, and yet they helped. All of this just goes on to reinforce the amount of kindness and hospitality that they showed us.

I think it was out of pure kindness for a delegation from their home country that they displayed so much affection to us. Their kindness actually got me thinking of why couldn’t I be nicer to other people? Here I was, under the hospitality of total strangers, only one of whom I had met before, they had nothing to gain, yet they were sacrificing their own time to help us.

Mrs. Flora was kind enough to arrange for our transportation to the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology and arranged for our performance and parade at the Taiwanese center, allowing us to experience what it was like to in an actual parade (and also what it was like to be in a really heavy bamboo and cloth god figurine).

The kindness of the Taiwanese really did get to me, and it will be a level of kindness and hospitality that I will wish to emulate in the future.

HIMB in Coconut Island- Research Paridise!!!

Alan Lee

The Coral Reef Ambassadors take on the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology. A suitable name for our adventures on the one and only Coconut Island. The Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, or HIMB for short, is an institution located on one of the smaller islands near Oahu dedicated to the research of Marine conservation and protection. There, they host tourists through providing walking tours and labs examining the wonders of the oceanic species, all under tight regulations to preserve their integrity as a governmental organisation and natural preserve. Here was what happened in an objective view, the gang woke up around 7:00 A.M. got cleaned up the homestay, ate breakfast, and gathered at the garage at 8:00 A.M. Our homestay host and a few members of the Taiwanese Association in Hawaii drove us to the port accessing Coconut Island in the morning to maximise our time at the Institution. We arrived around 9:30 A.M. and started our first lab, examining zooplankton we’ve caught fresh on our boat ride from Oahu to Coconut Island. Afterwards, we engaged in our second lab, sorting marine organisms from the bay. Sorting, as much as it is painful to do, is imperative to maintain a healthy ecosystem in ecological equilibrium. By documenting the numbers of each type of species, we gain the understanding of what the environment may be potentially good for, or detrimental to, contributing to the proper use of the surroundings. Afterwards, we embarked on a walking tour guided by the brilliant tour, Ariana. We learned the major mechanisms that helped mould this island into the ultimate marine biology worklab. On the island, they conducted long term experiments in attempt to combat global warming by developing “super corals,” through examining some natural advantages corals had in response to the rising sea water temperature. In our eyes, if not for our trip to HIMB, our “Coral Reef Ambassador” name would be a sham. Before our visit, we were aiming to protect a world we did not understand, aiming to save a domain without little to no knowledge regarding it. Yet, after going through the mechanisms revolving the studies and discussing what potential questions we could ask the Hawaiian government regarding their methods of marine conservation, we were shown a direction to achieve our original meandering goal. The modern community emphasise learning outside the classroom, not only memorising the facts in your textbook but also seeing the bigger picture in life. Well, HIMB is the perfect classroom without walls. Without any sense of dread that is commonly associated with “learning” by high school students, we were able to be enlightened by the gears involved in protecting the ocean and how professionals translate this solid, scientific knowledge into a public conscious. As much as it sounds painful to walk around an island under the hot Hawaiian sun, listening to a guide talk about tanks, salinity, genetic variation, it wasn’t the slightest tedious. Perhaps it was our own interest in the aquatic ecosystem, or the manner in which HIMB made the experience gracious, we felt for the first time a derivation of joy out of “class content.” Imagine listening to a math professor talk about equations, this is entirely different. Words fail to serve justice to the adventure we had on Coconut Island, but this is the best representation we could manage for this episode of our trip to Hawaii.

Few Sleep + lots of work= Growth

Angela

Returning from a trip like this, the Mirst thing people ask when they see you is, “How was Hawaii? What was the best part?” When Mirst faced with the question, my mind went blank and I couldn’t remember a thing. Then thinking about it, I came up with an answer: the bonding time. Honestly, I think the best part of this Hawaii trip, wasn’t the site seeing that we did, most certainly wasn’t the shopping, but it was the people that we were surrounded by, and the time we spent with one another. Not only did I get to bond with my fellow IBSHers and get to know them even more than I already do, I feel like after this trip with them, our relationships became different. It wasn’t just plain friendship anymore, it was something like a revolutionary tie. We’ve been through so much, laughter and tears, we’ve been living under the same roof, and we’ve literally seen each other for 11 days straight. And of course, getting to know the students from Chao Chou Senior High and Heng Chun Middle School, Flora, Selina, and Vicky, was also eyeopening. Being from a Bilingual/ International School I always thought that I knew what school life as a local student was like. Especially being involved in MUN and church services, I always felt like there wasn’t as big of a gap between us and “them.” But I was wrong. We were different on so many levels. I’m not saying this in an offensive of negative way, but we truly are different, and I appreciate it. Our whole lives we’ve pretty much always had it our way. As bad as this sounds, we never really had to take what other people said that seriously. With teachers or adults, if we saw something that we deemed was incorrect or we didn’t understand, we would immediately point it out and expect an explanation. We would always hesitate before we did anything we were told. We expected a reason behind everything we did. They weren’t like this. When told A, they would execute A, to a T. They wouldn’t question why. They wouldn’t bring up anything, even if they thought it was improper. Throughout the whole trip, us IBSHers always had a lot to say, but they were quiet the whole time. They were obedient to everything they were told; we weren’t. We were skeptical. About everything. I appreciate learning this, though. They exposed us to a whole different world that we were previously unaware of. Compromise, obedience, respect, are just a few of the various things that we have to learn from them. The time we spent with each other was the most valuable part of the whole trip. An experience like that is not something that money can buy. The recurring “theme” of the people we met in Hawaii like I’ve mentioned multiple times previously, is also something that struck me as meaningful. All the adults that we’ve encountered throughout the trip all had something in common: passion. From Dr. Fan, Mrs. Wang and the other adults at the Taiwanese Association, Ariana, Mr. Randy and the project manager, Ms. Kim Lin, Ms. Winnie, to the Chao Chou teachers, what they all showed off was their heart, passion, and dedication. The adults at the Taiwanese Association put everything they have into spreading the culture of Taiwan and creating a bridge between Taiwan students and the global platform. Their ultimate goal is to bring recognition to Taiwan. I am not here to discuss the complicated politics between Taiwan and China, as I have my own beliefs and I appreciate other opinions as well. However, what I respect the most of these adults is their non-dying Mire in their hearts and their driving will. Ariana, Mr. Randy and the project manager, were all so sweet and welcoming. They didn’t treat us like “kids” that are full of nonsense and unimportant. They treated us like legitimate adults and people that are interested in their respected Mields. Just by the way they spoke and introduced us to their domain, you could tell that they genuinely feel strongly about what they do. Out of all, I’m the most thankful for Dr. Fan, Ms. Kim Lin, Ms. Winnie, and the Chao Chou teachers. Although at time they’ve been “strict” and had a few “demands” from us, but at the end of the day, they’ve all given up their spare time, their vacation, in order to bring us abroad and experience all of this. They’re not getting special recognition, special cheques, or special promotions. They’re voluntarily doing this for us. It is from the people around me that I think I’ve learned the most from. To future Coral Reef Ambassadors, it is not about the fun, it is not about book knowledge, it is the experience that you’re going to live and the people you’re going to be surrounded by that truly makes it an unforgettable experience. Throughout the trip you would have experienced all the emotions: anxiety, frustration, excitement, joy, despair, exhaustion. By the end of the trip, you would have been through laughter, anger, blood, sweat, and tears. But, it is all worth it, because you’re surrounded by wonderful people, and you’re achieving greatness. Mahalo. Aloha