Friday, March 13, 2009

Things I Learned in Hawaii

I'm still just a tad too jetlagged to write coherently about the two topics I've been mulling. So instead, here, in no particular order, are things I learned in Hawaii.

* Even overcast rainy-ness seems glorious at 70 degrees on a tropical island when you've left a foot of snow behind on a not-so-tropical island.

* Pineapples grow OUT OF THE GROUND. Out of the ground, I tell you! And here I was, thinking my whole life, that they grew from trees. They are bromeliads, which may be one of the coolest words, but strangest plants around.

* There is a delicacy called shaved ice. It is what I'd call a snow cone. Except way better. And you can get condensed milk drizzled on top, which at first sounds like it could be bad, but it is so, so good!

* It seems I'm on an unintentional SCBWI-Obama tour. The last one I did in '08 was in Chicago, just weeks after the election. Now Honolulu, where I got to see the condo building where Obama's grandma lived, the school he went to, and the Baskin Robbins where he worked. So I guess I need Boston and DC speaking engagements before I've collected all towns Obama has called home?

* I get lost in the middle of Hawaiian words. So getting around for five days sounded a little like this: "Oh, we need to go down Kala...mumblemumble to Lili'o... that L street...." Also, there are apparently no B's in Hawaiian!

6 comments:

  1. Oh to be in Hawaii....

    I learned the pineapple thing from watching Survivor. I had no idea the things were on bushes until then, either.

    Welcome back!

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  2. Lol. Sounds delightful. What took you there?

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  3. I was speaking at the SCBWI-Hawaii conference. Ooh la la!

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  4. To get a little nitpicky, I have to point out that it's actually called shave ice in Hawaii. No d. Unless you're from the Big Island, in which case it's ice shave.

    But I'm glad you didn't mind the rain!

    Trisha

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  5. The Hawaiian words bit made me laugh out loud!

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