GSIP Internship 2012 Hawaii. I get to spend 3 months in Honolulu, Hawaii this summer doing an internship for HRSA (Health Resources and Services Administration) Maternal and Child Health Bureau. This is SO EXCITING!!! Follow along as I share the experience.
The Pan-Pacific Festival is a festival celebrating the delights of the pacific region. The Japanese, Hawaiian, and other Pacific Island cultures are showcased through competitions and performances. I watched the parade this evening, which was the culmination of the 3 day festival. It was lovely to watch. I have included a bunch of photos and short video clips so you could enjoy some of it also.
Earlier I caught this Japanese drumming performance at Ala Moana Center. It was long so I only caught a part of it on video. (This video is 5 minutes long.)
This was a really neat group of older women doing this. I was delighted to see them dancing and drumming along. It is hard to see their faces, but they are not young.
This was a group of local cheerleaders. I tried to catch them on video but didn't get it. It was unique hearing them cheering in Hawaiian.
This were two unique dance type movement group. They obviously has some cultural basis but I don't know what it is. I wish the parade came with a program or some sort of instructions to understand it better.The second is part movement and part music.
These are several groups of ladies in beautiful traditional garments for their cultures.
I have two videos of different styles of hula dancers. Most of them are done by older women - not the image you get in movies and TV shows. It is wonderful to see so many older women participating in these dances. They are graceful and beautiful. There was one group who were young and lovely and in the coconut bra and scantily clad hula style, I made sure to get a longer video of them for all the folks who want to drool over mostly bare nubile bodies.
This was the third to last group. I don't really know what this is but there were a bunch of people carrying it and screaming and jumping up and down while they carried it. It is beautiful.Perhaps this is a small shrine or Kiriko (see below)?
These drummers were nest to last. The tall thing is a Kiriko carried by a bunch of people. It isn't pulled by a motorized vehicle but is carried by actually people lifting and carrying. There is a section about this on the festival webpage: "Don't miss the highlight: the return of the Noto Kiriko! In Japan, huge
Shinto-style lantern floats called Kiriko are carried around at local
festivals during the summer and autumn seasons. The word Kiriko comes
from ‘Kiriko Toro’ or ‘hanging lantern.’ These lanterns are used to
guard the front and back of the parade at night. Kiriko originally are
from Noto Island in Ishikawa and are unique to this region; there are
more than 700 Kiriko on Noto Island! Normally a Kiriko is about 4-5
meters high, but some are 15 meters tall and require more than a 100
people to carry them. At larger festivals sometimes more than 50 Kiriko
show up, making for a truly magnificent sight"
As usual, pictures and even the video don't capture the vibrancy and sound of being there in person. Hopefully you can get some idea of what it was like.
Holy cow! Let me begin by saying THANK GOD I AM HOME. Today was a very fun and busy day but I am an exhausted lump. Kathy (Scott's Mom) once said that "A Big Mac Attack takes on a new meaning when you have to walk half a mile to the bus stop, catch the bus and ride for 15 minutes, get off, walk to the McDonald's, eat, then back tot he stop, wait up to 30 minutes to catch the bus, then walk half a mile back home." I can honestly say I understand what she is saying now. I am breaking this blog into 2 parts because it is going to be so big because of all the pictures and videos. I will also post the videos to YouTube.
After catching up with folks at home for a bit this morning (Congrats Jeff on finding the house - I am crossing everything possible that they accept the offer!) I set off on the #3 bus to Ala Moana Center. Hooray for the bus pass! I had mentioned a couple of weeks ago that Lisa drove me through Magic Beach park and I wanted to go back sometime. So today seemed like a good time to do so. I unfortunately got off a few stops early and had to walk about 5 blocks till I found it, but that was ok. I passed the Yacht Club and took a few pictures.
I had slathered waterproof SPF 75 sunblock on liberally and figured I could spend a couple of hours there in the ocean and beach before I started getting crispy. My goal was to swim and play in the water as long as possible, then get out and do a cursory dry off before getting dressed and going to Ala Moana before they closed at 6. I had no intention of sunbathing despite my fluorescent white skin because I am a walking sunburn waiting to happen. I have no desire to be "People Bacon" as Frothy the Squirrel so eloquently describes. If you haven't been introduced to Frothy then click the link. You may have to play it a few times because the cartoon critter speaks very fast. If you want a few more chuckles also do a search on "Kavorkian Scarf".
So anyway, I am at the beach and couldn't resist taking some pictures and video. This may be boring to folks but I was enjoying it, so here you go. Don't you love the sun rays in the second photo? It really is Magic Beach. There is a coral reef a ways out that protects this bit of beach, so it keeps the undertow to a minimum and makes it safer for kids and people alone like me. Also, they have lifeguards. I can swim, but it pays to be safe. It also gets deeper very gradually. I had to go out a fair way before I couldn't touch bottom. Also, it is so clear you can see your feet on the bottom even when the water is up to your chin. Awesome.
Here are the videos linked from YouTube. And yes, the lifeguards use surfboards to save people.
After that I began to compile and compound my series of idiotic choices for the day.
Idiotic idea #1: I had worn my sandals because with the soles falling off my tennis shoes and the holes in the bottoms it was stupid to wear them to the beach. After the walk to the bus stop, then the 5 block hike my blistered and torn up feet were getting tender but ok. However, I didn't think that after being in the water for so long they would be pruney and the skin very delicate for further abuse. A problem? Oh yeah... read on...
Idiotic idea #2: So, after playing in the water for a couple of hours I pull my shorts on over by swim bottoms, and tie on my sarong over my tankini top and slip on my sandals and head to Ala Moana Center. I figured, "Hey, I'll dry in no time..." Uh huh. What happens here is that my shorts and sarong get wet and since I am walking inside they stay that way for hours. Then for the rest of my day as I walk around. Can we say CHAFED?!?! Ouch. Luckily just my inner thighs, but still. Freaking stupid of me.
Idiotic idea #3: So I walk to Ala Moana Center as I said and am looking for a store selling shoes. I figured I'd go to Macy's, Sears or something and find a decent pair of tennis shoes since I am walking so much here. (Honestly, I was going to go to Wal-Mart and get a cheapie pair but then I thought about it and decided that was dumb. I am walking for HOURS multiple days a week, and would walk more if I had decent shoes.) So I figured a good pair was worth it and set out to find some. I looked and looked but couldn't find any that weren't either over $150.00 or not at all my style or of any interest to me. I hadn't quite realized that Ala Moana Center was a mall where all the crazy rich people shop! Diamonds, jewelry, designer stores like: Hollister, Dior, Polo/Ralph Lauren, Cartier, Bvlgari, Jimmy Choo, etc. Suffice to say me (being poor) walked around in a state of drooling awe. I honestly felt no desire to buy anything, other than in the Pandora store.
However, I managed to find a Sketcher's store and looked inside for shoes. Sketchers are a good brand and I found a very nice pair of walking/running shoes for $55.00. I about dies since I don't think I've ever paid $55 for a pair of tennis shoes, but they felt GREAT on my feet and I really really needed them. Here is the link so you can see them better than my not great photo. They came with white and blue laces, so I have an extra pair :) Also a nifty carry bag, which is handy while I am here.
Idiotic idea #4: So I am in Sketcher's, in this ritzy mall, and sit down to try on these shoes. I'm all wet and squishy so I'm getting the bench all wet (luckily it is not fabric) and I lift my leg to put on the little footie sock and sand starts falling EVERYWHERE. The back of my legs, ankles and sandals were covered with dried sand. So here I sit, squishing, with literal scattered sand all around me on this black tile floor. It was like a comedy of errors. Sheesh. Can you tell I'm not from around sand??? The sales people were grinning like crazy and laughing with me. We all had some chuckles... you couldn't do anything but laugh. They brought out a broom and dustpan and swept up around me. Yeesh, I felt like a sand yeti.
Idiotic idea #5: So anyway, I got my shoes and headed out. I figured I'd walk to the street the bus dropped me off on and I could catch it there again. Wrong. It was going the wrong way. OOOOKKK. So I started walking towards Waikiki thinking I'd run into a bus stop, yeah? Wrong. So I'm walking and walking, still in my sandals because I don't have socks for my new shoes. And I realize I'm clueless as to where to find a bus stop to get me home, and my feet are bleeding from multiple areas. So I find some shade and stop. I try to look up some directions on my phone and can only get directions to walk or drive. I don't WANT to walk and am not driving, I want to take the BUS. Why can I get google maps with BUS directions from my laptop but not my phone?!?!? I finally break down and message Scott at 6pm, midnight his time, and wake him up to help me get directions to a freaking bus stop. (Note to self, look up RETURN directions before leaving home, not just directions to get somewhere. ) Feel like an idiot much? Yessirree.
Idiotic idea #6: As we are trying to figure out where the hell I AM and where the hell I need to GO to catch the elusive bus I am walking. Feet still bleeding and hurting, getting crispier by the minute because I hadn't reapplied the sunscreen I brought with me to the beach after I left the water. I figured, I'll be inside shopping, then on the bus... not int he sun... I am a moron. However, I am somewhat lucky that I try to stay in the shade so managed not to get too burned. Still not smart though.
So I'm trying to find my way to a major street so we can find me a bus that can take me home and lo and behold, I stumble upon.... a parade. I kid you not. So... the streets are blocked off to traffic. So no buses running. I give into the inevitability of fate and decide to stay and watch the parade and at least enjoy being out and about. There is nowhere to sit so I get to stand on pavement. At this point my feet are a lost cause, and the feeling of spikes being jammed into my spine is becoming the norm for this jaunt, so I just ignore it and enjoy the parade. The photos and videos from that will be in Part II of today's blog because there is so much.
The parade ends, I call Scott back and he helps me find a bus stop for the #23 bus a block away. Thank god again for the bus pass! I have seriously got to figure out how to find this on my phone. So I thank him profusely and send him back to sleep, catch my bus and ride to my stop. Which is of course about 4 blocks from my home. Including a hill. At this point I'm just giggling like a crazy woman, because I just have to laugh. I'm hiking across KCC campus, up the hill, shuffling my feet like an old crippled lady, giggling with tears of mirth running down my face. One of the KCC security guys in a golf cart stops to ask if I am ok and I set his mind at easy. I ask if he can give me a lift in the cart to the KCC gate across from my house but he can't. Of course. So off I trudge. I finally make it home and just drop everything on my bed and grab my towel. I go get in the shower and strip off all my salt encrusted, still damp, shorts, sarong and tankini top and shorts in the shower under the running water. I scrub myself clean of salt and sand (FINALLY), rinse everything out, hang it to dry, and get everything put away.
Idiotic idea #7: I am STARVING. I didn't have enough money to get my shoes AND food, so I'm about to chew my own arm off. I didn't think I'd be gone more that 3 hours so I didn't eat before I left home. It is almost 9pm and somebody in this house is making bacon. I fear for their well being. Before I post the parade pics I'm going to find some food before I go primal on my housemates and steal their bacon. So I was an idiot for not eating first of all, and again for not eating before I started posting this blog.
So that is it for this part. I seriously need to find and insert my brain before tomorrow, when I plan to go out walking and do more exploring. After eating something. With sunscreen. In dry clothing. Wearing good shoes. Knowing how to find a bus home.
Aloha lolo no au keia la, (Goodbye, I am feebleminded today)
~Melissa
SATURDAY! That means Farmer's Market. Rob was telling me about making red sauce the other day so I am getting ingredients to make a hybrid red sauce/salsa variation. So I got roma tomatoes, a red onion, and a rosemary baguette. Then I went to the community herb garden and got some rosemary, marjoram,cilantro and sweet basil. I saw two things I wanted to share today. The first is called a "mountain apple". They looked really neat but I didn't get any. The second was a flower called "red torch ginger" and is edible.
Due tot he Pan-Pacific Festival going on in Waikiki the crowds were significantly less today so I was able to try a couple of things that usually have a REALLY long line. First was the Thai Gingerade made with thai basil, calamansi limes, thai ginger syrup and water. It was very good! The second was Heo lat hot from The Pig Lady. This is mostly Vietnamese style food. Heo lat hot is ground beef and pork with Vietnamese spices (I don't know which ones) wrapped in a betel leaf and coked. It looks a lot like a stuffed grape leaf and has that texture. However, it tastes very different. the betel leaves have a flavor that is hard to describe but yummy.
I had already missed the start of the parade in Waikiki so I went back to the house and watched some of it live online. It was interesting but I am ok with not being there in person. Then I took a nap. I have been very tired and I really love sleeping at that time of day. It is warm enough I am not in pain and cool enough I am completely comfortable.
I woke up in the afternoon and started making the hybrid red sauce/salsa. I diced the red onion and sauteed it in a deep skillet with juice of half of a fresh lime squeezed in and a bit of water. I didn't use any butter or oil in this dish. I wasn't going for carmelization, just wanted them to start cooking a bit while I diced the roma tomatoes and added them into the skillet. I used about 10 small romas and about 5 med to large romas. I didn't have any fresh or powdered garlic so I added a bit of garlic salt. I sprinkled in about a tablespoon of ground black pepper. Then I threw in a couple of stalks of rosemary, 1 of marjoram, and did a rough chop on a handful of cilantro and a handful of sweet basil then added those. I remembered I had some corn to use to I cut the corn kernels off the cob into the mix. I turned it to about 4, a little hotter than a low simmer but not enough to boil the water coming from the tomatoes, covered it and went and read my kindle in the sitting area next to the kitchen for about 3 hours, stirring every 30 minutes or so. This is what it looked like when finished. I used it to top the rosemary baguette slices, much like a bruschetta. I shared some with some of the other ladies here who wanted a taste of this mixture they had been smelling for hours.
After this it was dark already so I talked with the other ladies here for a while then went upstairs to my room. I curled up with my book and read for a bit. I finished Hyena Moon by Jeanette Batista and started a new book. I had downloaded this a while ago. It is Grave Witch: An Alex Craft Novel by Kalayna Price.So a bit of reading then sleep. Not a super exciting day, but a pleasant mixture of enjoying the outdoors, cooking and resting.
I woke up and headed into work today early, arriving about 7:15. The morning I spent entering cases into the HSDVFR. I entered the LAST case right before lunch! WOOHOO! Ann and I will go over the qualitative data on Monday to look for trends and code the barriers and recommendations. Then I will enter those and the data entry is finished! Just as I finished and was heading out to go look for food and loosen up my stiff muscles Ann got out of her meeting. So we walked together to talk about the project as we went. We stopped at another building to talk to one of the epidemiologists and I saw this room. I couldn't resist a photo. Data storage:
We were looking for the Subpreme food wagon but it didn't come today. We were thinking sandwich so we walked over to KCC to hit up the Subway there. On the way back we walked to the community herb garden there and I saw some wonderfully neat plants. I had to take some pictures to share.
Herbs, herbs, herbs! Wouldn't this be great to have available to pick fresh herbs anytime?
These are some sort of flowering spiky cactus. The second pic is some sort of lime.
Nothing special about my sandwich so I didn't take a picture. Just a turkey and bacon with avocado, lettuce, tomato, cucumbers, spinach and cheese on italian herb and cheese bread. However, I only ate half because at work April (I don't have a picture of her) had brought in yummy food too. So I tried beef chow fun (beef stewed noodles). It was very tasty. I had a small piece of the beef which was very tender and good. It also had beef tendon which I didn't try - I can't wrap my brain around wanting to eat that. Sorry but just no.
Alice (SO SORRY!!! I don't know why I put your name wrong!) also had brought in a big container of pickled mango that she had made herself. Now I know this sounds odd but it is DELICIOUS. It is a sweet and sour crunch. It is not the ripe squishy mangoes, you make it with unripe mangoes that are still firm and have a crunch to them. It has the texture of biting into a crisp apple, but with a delicious sweet and sour blend. I can't describe it but it was delicious. To make it just peel and slice mango (or substitute apple, firm peaches, etc). Heat apple cider vinegar to boil and add equal sugar (1C to 1C), stir till the sugar melts. Add to the sliced fruit. Close it up and let it sit overnight. Voila! Done. Easy and delicious. Lori helped me get a bowl together to bring home to enjoy more of it this weekend. Thanks Lori! And thanks April for making such yummy food and sharing!
The afternoon went quickly with getting the barriers and recommendations data organized to code on Tueaday. In addition, Ann and I are tweaking the demographics questions for the Sexual Health survey (my project) and starting to look at tweaking some of the other questions. basically I got a lot done and set up to hit the ground running productively on tuesday when we come back after the long weekend.
I came home and thought I'd go to the Pan-Pacific Festival that started today and goes till Sunday. Tonight was the Ho'olaule'a from 7-10pm. That is like a street party that goes on for about 4 blocks with performers, craft and food vendors. I thought I'd go walk around there but I decided not to for a few reasons:
1) I found today that I have HOLES in the soles of my tennis shoes. I have literally walked holes in them since I've been here. This goes beyond duct tape to correct. I need new shoes.
2) I have a long weekend ahead and don't want to overdo it on the first night. I need new shoes so I don't make my blisters worse and then can't walk around without serious pain for the rest of the time.
3) Farmer's market at 7am tomorrow. Then catch the bus or walk (probably bus since my shoes are falling apart) to Waikiki to catch the parade at 9am. I will then go buy new shoes. Then I can walk around and enjoy all the performances at the 6 different areas set up for drumming, hula competitions and folk dance performers. I will also wear my swimsuit so hopefully i can find a shady spot near the hula competitions on the beach and watch that from the shade while I relax. I can go cool off in the ocean and then catch the bus back home whenever I'm ready.
4) Waikiki after dark can be a bit alarming for a woman alone. During the day it is very safe and I feel completely secure but at night there have been some crime against tourists (pursesnatching, etc). I'd likely be fine and if I was really really wanting to go I'd find a way to do it safely but I am TIRED.
As a side note I was talking to Rob online and we were discussing the Cracked Seeds from yesterday's blog. I was trying to explain that in the Crack Seed stores they sell more than just the li hing powder covered dried fruits. So I found this photo to describe it better. In addition the info below the pic reads: "More commonly known as Crack Seed. A number of these can be quite tasty. Others will cause you to
uncontrollably eject (spit) the substance from your pie hole.You can read the labels by viewing the massive size."
LOLOLOLOL. Uncontrollably eject the substance from your pie hole. Freaking hilarious.
So anyway, I thought it was funny and wanted to share my chuckle. I think Rob and I got grins and giggles for hours with that.
So a good night's sleep tonight, then enjoy the festivities tomorrow. I'm heading off to read a bit before bed. I'm currently finishing Hyena Moon by Jeanette Battista. It's the 3rd book in the series. A relaxing read, young adult, light and enjoyable. So I'm off to read and get some sleep.
I went to work a few minutes early this morning so I could enjoy the coolness and look at the pretty plants. I seen to put a LOT of plant pictures up here, but that is because there is such a huge variety and there is always something new I haven't seen. So this morning I took these pictures. There is this blooming cactus where the flower looks like a fabric/netting starfish or something. I posted the picture of it a while back but this morning I saw an unopened one. I wanted to put pictures side by side of the unopened pod and the flower. luckily, the cacti this morning had both!
Debbie-I took this picture specifically for you. I don't know why, but I just thought you'd like it. I was walking and I looked over and saw the moon still visible between these tall palm trees whose fronds were blowing in the breeze. It just seemed like something you'd like so I snapped this picture for you. I hope you can see the moon in the sky between the palms.
So I got to work early, a bit before 7am. The place was nearly empty so I had a few moments to take some pictures. This is on the floor below me, where there is a table with several plants.
I went into my office and turned on the light. I was pondering whether to just leave the door open for the breeze off the lanai or to turn on the a/c. I looked over and Susan had an empty coffeepot on her desk she uses for water. Sure enough, we had a guest. Rob-it is another leeezard! I don't know if it's a lizard or gecko, I don't know the difference and honestly don't care... It is some variety of lizard-critter.
So after saying good morning to the little lizard I got to work and entered more data into the HSDVFR. I am up to 38 cases out of 50. So I should be done tomorrow entering the data. Ann came by and we worked a bit on the demographics portion of my project survey. I'll make those changes tomorrow morning. All in all a quiet morning. Then we went to lunch! Let me say, one thing Hawaiians do extremely well is FOOD. Lisa had her car today so we went out to Zippy's. It was recommended that I try the Zip Pac. A zip pac has a slice of teriyaki beef (it was very tender and tasty), a slice of fried Spam (oh yippie... I did try it and it wasn't bad, needed to be a bit crispier on the outside for me to be happier) a piece of fried chicken thigh (good but not KFC level of yum) and a piece of hoki fish with a crispy panko breading (my favorite part - it was utterly delicious). Everything served over rice with furikake (seaweed powder with spices) sprinkled on top. It was a tasty lunch. I LOVED the fish. It comes with tartar sauce but I enjoyed the flavor too much to overpower it with tartar sauce. The yellow is pickled daikon.
While eating I learned from Lisa that panko should actually be pronounced like pahn-ko with the accent on the ko part. It is a Japanese work that basically means small bread crumbs. Pretty cool. I'll try to remember. After food we headed to the dessert area of Zippy's - Napolean's Bakery. I was amazed to see a jello cream pie. Seriously? I couldn't believe it so I took a picture.
The guy behind the counter was kind enough to give us a taste of the haupia cake. I took a picture of the guy holding the cake. This prompted a discussion in the car about what haupia is and means. I linked the Wikipedia answer but I'll explain it here. Haupia is a common dessert here in hawaii. It is a coconut milk pudding, though it is often served in gelatin-like squares similar to blancmange. It originally was made with coconut milk mixed with arrowroot, but the arrowroot is harder to find now so people use cornstarch. It is very often used on white cake as a frosting, which is cool and very light and fluffy, yet not overly sweet like most actual frostings. It is often then sprinkled with shaved coconut. To make the squares, just add more arrowroot or cornstarch and it firms it into a more solid texture than can be eaten more like jello. All I can say is this cake was fabulous. Looking more in depth of the actual word components hau means cool or chilled and pia means arrowroot. So this is chilled arrowroot dessert - haupia. Anyway, here is the nice guy and the cake!
I also took a picture of the chantilly cream puffs, because they looked amazing. I didn't try one though. I need to go back and get one sometime!
Lisa got custard filled long john's for us to try. We have long johns at home, but not like these. The custard filled pastry is delicious. They weigh a LOT because they are filled to bursting with the custard. The doughnut pastry is very light and fluffy, sprinkled with powdered sugar. It isn't greasy or heavy at all. The custard is not overly sweet, but very cool and creamy. It isn't too heavy but has a smooth and delicious consistency. It was so incredibly good.
We went to Don Quixote's quickly to pick up a few items for me to send home to folks to try. No, I'm not spoiling the surprise by saying what I got. We also stopped in at what is known as a "Cracked Seed" store on the way back to the office. That is where you get the rice crackers and snacks, dried fruits with li hing mui, etc. Li hing mui is a very salty red powder, but it also has a sweet and sour tang to it. The lady in the store had samples and I tried several things. It is hard to describe, but it is tasty.Ann almost bought a bag of dried cuttlefish legs, I should have taken a picture! They are little dried squid tentacles. (Jeff - I can just imagine you turning green at the thought.) I don't know why it is the Cracked Seed store but I'll try to find out.
Lisa got a few different snack items and I tried a few different kinds
(just a bite of each one) and then had a long john (see incredibly yummy
description above). I am so stuffed I can't imagine eating anything else
today! I didn't just eat all afternoon though, Lisa and I were discussing the survey questions and actually working on the survey. She had some excellent ideas and suggestions. I think we need to get some more input and work on fine-tuning the survey for a bit. Ann agrees it is only a draft but we are eager to get it sent off to the IRB and get the process going. It is important to put the brakes on and make sure we have a good quality survey. I have many things swimming in my head tonight to think about regarding some survey questions. Good to ponder them and let my brain percolate a bit.
So a quiet night tonight, I'm going to relax and give my blisters a rest. I had many band-aids and neosporin on today, as well as socks and tennis shoes. That helped. However, the soles on both my tennis shoes are falling off! I need to figure out how to glue them back on or get some new shoes in a serious way. The ladies at work think I should use the tie-dye duck tape Rob sent and just tape them together. Real classy and so work appropriate. We may dress casually but I think that is a bit over the line. Rednecks R Us shoe repair, at your service ;)
Aloha!
~Melissa
P.S. - Debbie - in response to your comment from yesterday -
1) I had no idea you worked with SAS! We used some SAS in my biostatistics class. I find that SPSS is very user friendly compared to SAS. SAS requires that you enter nearly computer programming to get your data outputs. SAS is very much like using Excel in the ease of entering the data, but with more complicated data analysis options (at least in my little knowledge of it so far). It seems like SPSS is a great took for people who want to analyze data without the more complicated SAS procedures (and capabilities) that the Statisticians and Biostatisticians employ. That is just my thoughts so far.
2) I have used Survey Monkey a bit. I used REDCap for my big Komen project last summer. As a student at UK I was able to get access to REDCap and I was much happier with both the survey set-up and design and how easy it was to export the data into SAS or SPSS. I don't know if you're familiar with it but REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture) was designed at Vanderbuilt University. UK is a partner and so students, faculty and staff who are doing research can apply to utilize it at no charge. I linked to the website so if you're not familiar with it then I definately suggest reading about it. A VERY handy bit of software. However, for this project we're using Survey Monkey. The Hawaii Dept. of Health has a license, so I am interested in seeing how it compares. The limitations on the free Survey Monkey account made it difficult to use but I should have more options with the paid account options.
3)I never really knew WHAT you did for the State, just that it had something to do with computers! Wow. Since I read your comment earlier I've had this response milling around in my head. I didn't know if anyone else reading might have some thoughts on SPSS vs. SAS or Survey Monkey vs. REDCap or other survey options so I included it here instead of as a comment. Thank you for sharing that, it has given me food for thought and helped me learn more about what you have done.
Aloha wau ia 'oe, malama pono (I love you, take care)
~Melissa
Very productive day today. I woke at 6am and headed to work. Every day I pass by a tree (other than my happy mango attack tree) that has these odd shaped things hanging. I haven't been fortunate enough to find one on the ground until this morning. Luckily this morning there was one laying there so I scooped it up and took it to work to see if someone could tell me what it was called. I asked Noella and found out it is a kamani nut. The kamani tree is Calophyllum inophyllum. That link will take you right to the tree so you can see what it looks like, the flowers it produces and learn about it. The site is also very handy for looking up trees found in Hawaii.
After my nut finding and identification was over I settled in to work. I drafted a consent form for my project and went over that draft with Ann. We edited it and I made changes. The consent form is finished.I entered more cases into the Hawaii State Domestic Violence Fatality Review (HSDVFR) database until lunch. Before we had lunch Ann brought out an artichoke crab dip she had made and heated it up to share. It was artichoke hearts, cream cheese, some chopped greens from the garden, crab meat (not canned), herbs, and parmesana romano cheese. It was very tasty.
I have many blisters on my feet so I didn't want to walk far for lunch. Today is Wednesday though, which means the Leahi Hospital Thrift Store was open. Noella, Ann and I walked over there and looked through the store briefly. They got a few items but I didn't buy anything today.
On our way back we stopped at a food truck. Here they call them "lunch wagons" and they are all over the island. This one sold sub sandwiches and was called Subpreme. The owner of the truck was there and telling us about his food. He doesn't use any processed lunchmeats. He brines and smokes his own turkey for his sandwiches. He prepares all the meats and smokes or cooks them himself. I ordered a sweet and spicy pulled pork banh mi (top picture) which comes with pickled daikon and carrot shreds, cucumber, cilantro and siracha aioli. It was very good and pretty cheap for food here at only $6.50. Ann got a turkey pesto BLT (bottom picture) which comes with macadamia nut pesto aioli, bacon (lots of bacon), lettuce, tomato and provolone for $7.50. Both came on a mini french baguette. The pictures don't do these sandwiches justice.
After lunch Ann and I went over the National Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS) from the CDC. We narrowed it down and selected questions to ask on my project. In addition, we had a college based domestic violence survey that the University of Hawaii had used in 2000 that we looked over also. We decided on our questions for our draft and which demographics we wanted. I used the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) demographic variables, combined with some from the UH survey, and some from the NISVS to determine our demographic variables. I put it all together into a draft survey, along with some basic coding for the survey for when I turn it into an online survey later. Ann and I will go over it tomorrow to do a bit more editing. Once we have done that and I have the formatting a little nicer we will send it to the UH Violence Prevention folks to get input on any suggestions they may have. We will also work with them for recruitment for the survey, mainly drafting up a paragraph or so to use in e-mail and social media to invite students to participate.
We basically also have the IRB paperwork done. Consent form is done. Recruitment letter/paragraph will be developed within the week. We are editing the survey itself but that is well on its way. Once we have the final draft completed of the survey we will put it all together and submit it to the University of Hawaii IRB. It should only take about 2 weeks to run through since it is all anonymous and the nature of the survey makes it exempt. YEA for fitting into the easy category! So the project is moving along splendidly. While we are waiting on IRB approval I can start entering the survey into Survey Monkey to get it ready to go. We can make any changes necessary for IRB consent if hey deem it necessary. Otherwise, as soon as we get consent it is ready to go.
While we were in the conference room earlier today Lori (our invaluable administrative assistant) was eating some sort of soupy noodles with shreds of greens from the garden out back. She put a packet of liquid into the broth for seasoning. Apparently this is some sort of Japanese noodles (other than the Ramen we have at home). I always ask about food people eat here that I am unfamiliar with and she was describing it to me. Before the end of my workday she came to my office and brought me a package of it so that I could try it myself. She is so incredibly sweet and nice.It is apparently a Ramen type noodle but with a liquid seasoning packet that contains chili oil and the seasonings. It looks very interesting, I'll have to try it soon! I can't read most of the package, but around here usually if you look on the back there are instructions in English somewhere in addition to Japanese and other languages.
Everyone here has been so generous and helpful. They seem to think it is
really fun that I am eager and willing to try the foods here that are
new to me and go all sorts of places to really maximize my time here. I
keep telling them that to them it may be a boring pack of noodles they
see every day but for me it is new and exciting, so I'm the lucky one
that they are willing to share their knowledge with me.
I finished my day and left to come home. Along the way I saw this interesting plant. I think it is just a weed of some sort but it looked really interesting so I took a picture.
A little farther on I smelled star jasmine. If you have never smelled it then try to find some. It is an incredibly wonderful fragrance. I haven't seen any here before this. Star jasmine is Trachelospermum jasminoides and you can go to the Wikipedia link I used there to see more pictures of it.
I came home, changed clothes, and sprawled on my bed to get off my feet. I chatted with folks from home and got caught up with Kate (BIG hugs and so good to hear from you!). I had a small cup of corn with lemongrass soup with the last of my roasted garlic baguette from the farmer's market last Saturday.
I put on a Netflix movie and found myself increasingly annoyed. The movie is a 1941 film called A Yank in the R.A.F. with Tyrone Power and Betty Grable. About a hotshot American pilot who wants to win the girl and in the process figures out how not to be an ass. However, he is constantly following her, pressuring her to go out with him, grabbing her by the arm and jerking her around, and kissing her forcefully even when she keeps telling him no and to leave her alone. I know it's a movie and all but I keep wanting to yell "STALKER!!!" and "Get your hands off her!!!". So it's really diminishing my enjoyment of the film.
I have actually noticed these things a lot in the old films I have been watching of late. The combination of the "gentlemanly" way to be around ladies with the chivalry, politeness and protectiveness is mixed with a dose of manhandling, treating them like ignorant children, and flat out lying to "protect them". The ones with physicians are even worse, where they don't even tell women what is wrong with them or that they are dying or ill. I know from researching medical ethics that this was all too common. As a female, I am thankful I was born in the here and now instead of the past.
As for the manhandling and whatnot in the movies I keep reminding myself:
It was a different time and they had to make things obvious for the camera. Though if this was the example of what was supposed to be romantic with all this manhandling then it is no wonder we have had and continue to have such domestic violence.
"Playing hard to get" was a little different in that time period. Today, I'd punch a guy in the nose who grabbed my arm, dragged me around, followed me home and pushed his way into my house, and kissed me against my will. Actually, he'd be lucky getting off with a punch in the nose. Felony charges more likely.
I am working with violence data, especially intimate partner violence and sexual violence. This makes me notice things like this a lot more. It just makes me shudder to think that this sort of thing was ever portrayed as a perfectly fine way to treat someone.
So that is it. I will get off my soapbox and get myself to bed. Another busy day tomorrow.
