Much Ado About Nothing

A poster I made for the kids, last semester, in my attempt to explain to them how the electoral process works. It was interesting to try and break something down for them in a way they could grasp, and it's always fun to draw these things.

Kaimuki starts up again next week, and I am excited. The curriculum last semester covered 3 main topics: Megacities (and their environmental issues), the Presidential Election, and then Aquaculture (fisheries etc).

But this semester, get this - the three topics: 1) Sustainability, 2) CHILD LABOR and 3) REFUGEES. It's like, stuff right up my alley, and there's so much I want to do it blows my mind. These topics are always of course in the context of Asia as it relates to Hawaii, so I'm really hyped about being able to do this with the kids. That combined with the trial and error results I was able to take from last semester, makes for a sum of, well, Candice is looking forward to this.

From talking to folks and working with some of the kids whenever I can get volunteer time at or around the prison, I'm just kind of baffled at the whole prison system in Hawaii. I'm not too educated about the PIC as it relates specifically to Cali, but out here it's, I dunno. There aren't even words.

And the system works for some kids, but mostly, these kids are so in and out - doing time and trying to finish their sentences when they've already done some time earlier for whatever. The thing is, some of these kids are good kids, they're just in tough situations and don't have the resources or the guidance to stop the cycle. I guess that's a no-brainer, but it's one of few observations I've been trying to take away from all this.

Of course taiko has been keeping me busy so it's been hard to do as much as I'd like, but I can't complain about taiko either. It'll be exciting to tell my kids and my grandkids about my days in Hawaii, studying taiko and pursuing the passion, at least for a little while. It was a revelation that crossed my mind, mid-odaiko lesson.

Been keeping up on a book Dawn gave me as a Christmas gift, a book of poetry by Nikki Giovanni. Not usually big on poetry, but this is really cool. All on an African-American woman's perspective, circa Civil Rights and on. About everything from love to loss to community to politics.

I grew up too spoiled to have to cook for myself most nights because I can't afford to eat out. I think I will either need to fix that, or come into some money once I've finally settled down. haha like that will happen.

Okay this post is going nowhere really, but it's always fun to ramble, blog-style. If you haven't listened to Sweet's Ballroom Blitz lately, do it. It's just too good to pass up.