I just realized that I had not introduced you all to three things that I have learned while I have been here. Two are recurring themes in conversation and I have come to take them for granted that they are just part of everyday speech. The other is just something very different.
The first, is vog. I am going to cut and paste directly from Wikipedia here: Vog is a form of air pollution that results when sulfur dioxide and other gases and particles emitted by an erupting volcano react with oxygen and moisture in the presence of sunlight. The word is a portmanteau of the words "volcanic" and "smog". Most studies of vog have been in areas where vog is naturally present, and not in controlled conditions. Vog contains chemicals that can damage the environment, and the health of plants, humans and other animals. Most of the aerosols are acidic and of a size where they can remain in the lungs to damage the lungs and impair function. Headaches, watery eyes, sore throat, breathing difficulties (including inducing asthma attacks), flu-like symptoms, and general lethargy are commonly-reported. These effects are especially pronounced in people with respiratory conditions and children.
You won't see it other than a slight haze or possibly a slight greying of the skies but you feel your lungs, throat and nose react. The sore throat, sniffles, and slight cough I have had for a few days was caused by vog. I didn't know that at the time, but I feel miraculously fine and sure enough the vog is no longer heavy in the area. I thought it was allergies and in a way it was.
In short, vog pretty much sucks.
The second is a phrase I was introduced to at work. "Making A". When the folks here say this it sounds like "Makena" (may-keen-aye). This is what people say when they are referring to "Making an ass of yourself" such as doing something stupid. Apparently this is a phrase used commonly in not just Hawaii but around the whole area of the Pacific.
We were discussing a rickety chair and people kept saying this phrase. I asked them to repeat the word and finally they figured out what I was asking. After clarification we all got a good laugh. Making A. I am so thankful the folks at work find my curiosity about everything endearing and doing see it as me "Making A"
**GRIN**
The third thing is holidays. Here are the state holidays here:
2011 New Year’s Day ...................Dec. 31, 2010 .... Friday ....... The first day in January
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day ............. Jan. 17 ....Monday .... The third Monday in January
President’s Day ....................................... Feb. 21 ...Monday .... The third Monday in February
Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole Day ... Mar. 25....Friday ....... The twenty-sixth day in March
Good Friday ............................................ Apr. 22 ... Friday ....... The Friday preceding Easter Sunday
Memorial Day ......................................... May 30 ...Monday .... The last Monday in May
King Kamehameha I Day ....................... June 10 ... Friday ....... The eleventh day in June
Independence Day .................................. July 4 .....Monday .... The fourth day in July
Statehood Day ........................................ Aug. 19 .. Friday ....... The third Friday in August
Labor Day ............................................... Sept. 5 ....Monday .... The first Monday in September
Veterans’ Day .......................................... Nov. 11 ... Friday ....... The eleventh day in November
Thanksgiving .......................................... Nov. 24... Thursday... The fourth Thursday in November
Christmas ................................................ Dec. 26 ...Monday .... The twenty-fifth day in December
I will be here for 3 holidays. Memorial Day, King Kamehameha I Day (check this link), and Independence Day. I missed Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole Day (another interesting link).
King Kamehameha I, the Napolean of the Pacific
So, here you get extra days off for extra holidays. Hopefully you don't have to be able to spell them to get them off ;)
A hui hou. (Ah who ee ho) ("See you tomorrow", "Talk to you later", "Until we meet again")
~Melissa
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