In my right place

Every day I am realizing more how exactly the community in Hanapepe matches my own interests and needs. To begin with, the boys I'm living with are so sweet and inclusive. Blu calls me Auntie and loves to show me each and every toy he owns. Darren is kind and generous, letting me tag along on almost daily trips to the beach with him and Blu. Erica (Blu's mom) brought me to a birthday party today of one of Blu's buddies and introduced me to her friends and fellow mothers. She's also invited me on a grand tour of the north shore tomorrow, complete with snorkeling, hiking, boogie boarding and camping.

Synchronicity governs the ebb and flow of my days. Yesterday, I rode the bus into Lihue just to see what the ride looked like and where all the stops were. On the way home, I noticed a woman board the bus with a mid-sized harp. I wanted to talk to her right away, but waited until we got to Hanapepe and sure enough, she got off at my stop. I introduced myself and asked about her harp. She said she found it on eBay and had been playing for about 6 years. I mentioned that I saved up for a particular harp once that was designed by a craftsman in Washington and named Eve. Mentioning that name stopped her dead in her tracks. She just stared at me and said, “ My harp is named Eve!” We laughed and I asked if she was playing for Hanapepe's Friday evening Arts Walk. Anela said no, she had brought her harp to play at a women's gathering that was also happening that night. I laughed and replied, “The New Moon gathering? Oh good, because I'm missing the arts walk and I didn't want to miss hearing you play. I'm also going to that gathering!”

Backing up a little... On Friday of last week, when I was still in Waikiki, I found an ad on craigslist offering a room in Kilauea in exchange for childcare. The woman's name was Luna and I called immediately to find out more, even though I knew I had a room with Darren already. Her daughters are Leilani, 4, and Naia, 1. We agreed that I would call once I got to Kauai to set up a meeting. Well, I didn't call right away once in Kauai because I was happy with my room and didn't want to move, but she called me on Thursday. I told her I was all settled in Hanapepe already, but we could still meet and discuss the situation, so she asked if we could meet Friday. It turns out she, her daughters, her friend and her friend's daughter were already planning to drive down to Hanapepe to go to a New Moon women's gathering, so she invited me along. I accepted gladly, feeling excited about getting to meet so many women and to hang out with more kids!

So yesterday, after meeting Anela, I went home to get ready for the gathering. When Luna picked me up, I crawled in the back of the full Subaru and cuddled with the cooler full of chocolate. (The reason why Luna needs childcare is because she makes her own fair trade organic chocolate and sells it at a local farmer's market.) So we arrived and unloaded the little girls and the chocolate and met a beautiful group of elegant crones. After trading and sampling chocolates, we headed out to the fire in the backyard and commenced smudging, singing along to Anela's harp, and sharing gratitude, tears and laughter. Closing the circle with oms, we went back inside to enjoy desserts and tea. The little girls and I played while the older friends caught up and debated the hot topics on Kauai, like the Superferry and the sanity of certain politicians. Luna invited me to stay with her and the girls if I ever want to explore the north shore for a while. Angel, Luna's friend, asked me to call her if I want to explore anyplace that I would need a car for because she's also new to the island and wants to see more. Char, the woman who led the circle, was excited to hear I went to Evergreen. She said the “Hanapepe telephone” said someone from Evergreen would be at the circle, but she didn't know if it was me or Angel, since we were both new that night. Char knows one of my faculty, Yvonne; has taught at Evergreen as visiting faculty in the past; and has exhibited her art on the campus, too. We finally rounded up the tired girls and Luna drove me home, stopping briefly to gather wild aloe from the hillside next to the road and strap it to the roof of the full Subaru. I fell asleep slowly that night, full of nourishment and belonging.

Today, I went to town early because Anna had invited me to the board meeting of Storybook Theatre. We had a tour of the building, the garden-in-progress in the back, and a delicious luncheon. I met Mark, the executive producer; Stan, the board president; Joanne, a former board member who told me about some Hawaiian immersion schools to visit; Henri, who invited me to a Kauai Burning Man meeting, and I saw Anela again! While listening to the meeting, I learned about the organization of Storybook Theatre, it's goals and projects, and I decided to volunteer some time to running the gift shop on weekdays. I am excited to give my time to an organization that dedicates its energies to cultivating the talents and expressions of young children and to get to know the kind of people that spend their time working to enrich the lives of children. I think it will be a wonderful way to meet more of the Hanapepe community.

I am so grateful for this magical place and the ohana I am discovering!