Mango Languages

Travel Tuesday: Mahalo, Hawai’i!

My wife and I recently had the privilege of traveling to our 50^th state, Hawaiʻi.  While every state in the contiguous United States offers its own unique slant on what makes our great country what it is, Hawaiʻi and Alaska in particular have long held an allure due to their geographic remoteness and utterly unique histories as compared with the rest of the nation.  Having visited Alaska back in March (yes, it was cold, but having grown up in northern lower Michigan and my wife having grown up in eastern Ukraine we’re used to this stuff) it seemed to make sense to hit Hawaiʻi next.  And so we did…

Hawaiʻi holds the distinction of being one of the most naturally awe inspiring places on the planet.  While the exotic nature of Hawaiʻi may seem obvious due to its location and climate, for some reason what we were in for didn’t really dawn on me until I began researching all the spectacular things to do and see once we got there.  With many different islands to choose from, each with its own unique scenery and history, it was challenging to fit so many exciting experiences into a 4 day trip.

I’ll spare you the brutal details of the flight in.  It’s probably obvious how one feels after spending 12 hours on multiple airliners traversing a country and an ocean (we flew out of Detroit).  Upon landing and exiting the plane for the concourse I was immediately struck by the flavor of the “island” lifestyle.  This includes open-air hallways, warm breezes, tall palm trees swaying in the wind, and comfortably humid air.  Being notoriously un-well traveled, I had never been in the tropics before.  I’d been to the Bahamas once, but this was something different altogether.  I was prepared for scorching hot temperatures and scalp-frying sun, but the weather was actually some of the mildest, most beautiful I had ever experienced.  I don’t think it ever got warmer than 85 degrees the entire time we were there and the temperatrure averaged around 75 degrees.

Anyway, what we did while we were there:  Since we’re not really “touristy” types, we chose to do things that gave us the opportunity to experience Hawaiʻi as authentically as possible.  Sure, there were the occasional “tourist traps” (like the lava tube on Maui), but generally it was a lot of being outdoors and enjoying nature.  For the most part, our trip was confined to the island of Maui.  We had discussed the possibility of making a trip to Oʻahu to see the Pearl Harbor Memorial, Diamond Head, the beaches, and so forth but decided it would have probably been more difficult than it was worth to charter a plane and all that.  However, Maui proved to be so chock-full of amazing things to see that we didn’t feel like were missing a thing.  A brief list of what we did includes a flight-seeing tour of the island of Hawaiʻi (known locally as “The Big Island”) which included amazing waterfalls, coastal valleys, the caldera of Kilauea, and a flight between the two big volcanoes Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea before returning back to the airport in Maui, a drive up to the top of Haleakala (the dormant volcano which makes up ¾ of the island of Maui) to view the Martian-like terrain inside of the crater, a drive on the Hana highway which is known worldwide as one of the most scenic stretches of road anywhere, visits to several coastal towns for snorkeling, sailing, and a variety of on-foot activities, and fresh mahi-mahi and pineapple for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day we were there.  There are few things I enjoy more than fresh fish for a meal.

A note on the Hawaiian language.  Something else I thought was kind of neat and wasn’t quite prepared for was the degree to which the local inhabitants recognize, respect, and embrace their ethnic Hawaiian roots.  Many signs in local businesses (like Burger King) were printed in English AND Hawaiian and being greeted with the ubiquitous “aloha” and thanked with “mahalo” was a pleasant surprise for somebody who was used to hearing very few languages in day to day life other than English and Russian.

In summary, Hawaiʻi is a fantastic place to visit for anybody who’s looking for an exotic vacation offering a different climate, geography, culture, and language, but who isn’t quite prepared for the need to learn a new language to get around or who doesn’t want to be tethered to a foreign language phrasebook the entire trip.  Plus, because it’s in the United States, there is no visa required!  I’m convinced that there’s something there for everybody and we hope to make it back at some point in our lives.

Been to Hawaiʻi?  Got any experience learning or speaking the Hawaiian language?  Tell us about it.

Travel Tuesday: Aloha, Mickey!

Disneyland, one of the happiest places on Earth, already boasts a pretty impressive resume. With attractions in areas such as Paris, Florida, and Japan, the timeless brand can now add one more exotic location to its list: Hawaii! Though I have never visited the island, it has always been a dream to bronze my increasingly pale skin on one of Hawaii’s many exotic beaches (which, obviously, would include attending a traditional luau…food is never far from my mind). While I must admit that much of Hawaii’s appeal was inspired by the Saved by the Bell episodes that took place there years ago, the addition of a brand new, state of the art Disney resort is just the icing on the pa’i palaoa (Hawaiian for cake)!

The 840 unit resort and spa is located on the island of Oahu, just about an hour from Waikiki. Most notable about the resort is its strong ties to the Hawaiian culture. Even its name, Aulani, comes from a Hawaiian term that means “messenger of a chief or higher authority.” While Disney influences are strewn about the hotel (for instance, each room has a custom lamp featuring Mickey Mouse with a surf board), the main focus in both design and function is celebrating Hawaii. As a language learning advocate, one thing that stuck out to me was the adherence to the Hawaiian language. The Olelo Room lounge has all items labeled in the native language, including chairs (noho) and floor (papahele). Anyone working in the Olelo room will be fluent in Hawaiian and be able to speak with other staff members and other employees of the resort will undergo language and cultural training to keep the experience authentic for guests. You think they’re offering training with the brand new Mango Languages Hawaiian course?

Every last detail, including the landscaping (inspired by an ahupuaa, an ancient Hawaiian land division system that extended from the mountain to the sea) pays homage to its Hawaiian roots. The main theme of Aulani involves canoes and an overall maritime theme, inspired by the Hawaiian voyaging canoe Hokulea. Joe Rodhe, head of Aulani’s creative crew, says the focus on canoes represents the “whole sense of arrival, journey, and … canoes are this sort of quintessential Hawaiian art form.” A Honolulu native, he recognizes the importance of a focus on the Hawaiian culture and recognizes that guests visits Hawaii “first and foremost for everything Hawaii has to offer” (The Oakland Press, 4 September 2011).

Aulani opened its doors yesterday to guests seeking an upscale experience and is expected to serve clientele from the West Coast and Asia. Free of most of Disney’s popular attractions, the resort seeks a different type of visitor, while still holding true to Disney’s sense of whimsical imagination. Though Hawaii will always hold a special place in my heart as the backdrop for my favorite television series, Lost, Disney’s new Aulani resort may now come in as a close second. So grab your Mickey ears, a lei, and be sure to book your stay at Aulani! Until then, aloha (yes, it means “hello” and “goodbye”… thanks, Miss Congeniality)!

What other locations do you think Disney should consider for future attractions that could offer a similar sense of language and culture?

Linguistic & cultural brief on the Hawaiian Language

Kelly, one of our rockstar linguists shares loads of linguistic and cultural information on our new Hawaiian course with the Mango Elves. There is even a really cool picture of the owners in hula skirts! VERY funny!

Have you been to Hawai’i and learned some of the local language? Please share some tips!

Announcing our new Hawaiian Language Course

We are so excited to announce our new Hawaiian Language Course. What an interesting native language.

Here are a few fun facts:

1. Does Hawai’i actually have two official languages? Yes, English and Hawaiian.

2. When did Hawai’i officially become a state? Hawaii became the 50th state on August 21, 1959.

3. Which culture brought Hawa’i the ukulele? It was Portuguese laborers who brought the ukulele to the islands in 1879.

4. Where did the hula skirt come from? It was introduced from Micronesia by laborers from the Gilbert Islands in the early 19th century. More traditionally, Hawaiians used their own native materials such as long, shiny, flat ti leaves threaded together in a similar fashion.

How did you do on the quiz? We learned a lot when researching for this language course and thought you might too.

How can you use Hawaiian?
Whether you’re chatting with professional surfers or learning how to Hula on the island of Maui, your conversational Hawaiian skills will help you connect with new experiences at every turn. Hawaiian is a Polynesian language and was developed on the “Big Island” of Hawai’i. Before having any Western contact, Hawaiian was not a written language; it was developed by American Protestant missionaries. One of the unique qualities in the Hawaiian languages is that words only end in vowels and must always be immediately accompanied by a consonant. From coconut drinks to crystal blue water, your knowledge of Hawaii will provide you with an experience of a lifetime.

Have you ever traveled or wanted to travel to Hawai’i? Please share!