Practice Aloha

It’s not that I had forgotten this aspect of traveling, and in fact I expected it, but the sting of being a kook in a new place is probably the least fun aspect of traveling. Call it what you will – the finding one’s feet, the getting the lay of the land – can be a bit rough, even in one’s own country. While I haven’t done any major cultural faux pas (yet), I’ve still had the humbling experience of feeling like an outsider.

Although I’m still in my own country, and have only been here just over a week, I have felt the sting of embarrassment more than once, just living life. Maybe I’m too sensitive, but after living in one place for a long time and having the place wired, that out-of-place feeling of embarrassment is foreign. But that’s why we travel, right?

(Side note, my gecko roommate just pooped on me from the ceiling. They are not as tidy as they initially made themselves out to be.)

It’s been a long time since I paddled out at a surf break and did not catch one wave, paddling back in with my tail between my legs. Alas, it has happened twice since I’ve been here. I’m trying to be gentle and patient with myself, but I’m used to paddling out to the peak at my favorite waves and picking off the best wave I see within minutes. I guess the humility is good for me.

So long as you don’t drive too fast, don’t park too close to the old uncles, don’t post up on the beach too close to the people next to you, don’t paddle out to the peak before it’s your turn and never, ever, EVER drop in on the locals, it’s all good. But we all make mistakes.

That said, people around here are generally pretty nice. You just have to smile and say hi first, so says Monica. She makes friends with everyone. It isn’t my natural tendency to be nice and friendly and outgoing with everyone who crosses my path, but in my travels, it has been these outgoing people who have made my experiences so special. Whether it is the guy in the lineup who tells me to paddle deeper and he will block for me, or the bartender who says he likes my vibe and buys me a beer, those small acts of kindness go along way. It inspires me to be a kinder, more patient person with those who I can tell are trying to find their way, instead of honking and swerving around them.

I know that it is a lot harder to feel the aloha when you are late for work and sitting in traffic, or experiencing any number of ways our capitalistic society tries to crush our souls, but on behalf of all the kooky tourists out there, I ask you to be patient and kind with us.

This also applies to refugees and immigrants, who have been forced to leave their homelands. I can only imagine what it is like for someone who has no resources, doesn’t speak the language, doesn’t understand the culture and is just trying to get by. My heart goes out to all of them, and I will do my best to practice aloha with everyone who crosses my path.