I moved to Laie to go to BYU from Manila when I was 17 and started as a Marquesas Villager at the Polynesian Cultural Center. I was 1 of 2 chosen from each village trained to take guided walking tours. Back then only tram and canoe tours were available. Tourists freely walked around to mingle with the villagers to learn about their culture. Each guided walking tour took anywhere from 1-1/2 to 2 hours and as foreign students, we were allowed 4 working hours a day. As walking tour guides we learned to do orientations where we would gather all tourists as they come in and give them the spiel about how we are all students from BYU and how the center started blah-blah-blah ending with how they can spend their time at the center. Between orientations and tours, we were also greeters. Thinking about it now, it sure was a fun job but you got to say and hear the same things over and over. My best friend back then was Elvee (who is now my step sister - my mom married her dad). Plumeria is kalachuchi in Tagalog and hibiscus is gumamela and they grew abundantly all around the center and Elvee used to call them by their Tagalog names in her tours (because she did not know the American names for them yet) when she started. I haven't been back to Hawaii since I graduated in 1979 & I sure would love to take Kevin there sometime. I digressed from my post. Look at my plumerias planted from cuttings!!!!
Friday, July 4, 2008
Plumerias and Laie
I moved to Laie to go to BYU from Manila when I was 17 and started as a Marquesas Villager at the Polynesian Cultural Center. I was 1 of 2 chosen from each village trained to take guided walking tours. Back then only tram and canoe tours were available. Tourists freely walked around to mingle with the villagers to learn about their culture. Each guided walking tour took anywhere from 1-1/2 to 2 hours and as foreign students, we were allowed 4 working hours a day. As walking tour guides we learned to do orientations where we would gather all tourists as they come in and give them the spiel about how we are all students from BYU and how the center started blah-blah-blah ending with how they can spend their time at the center. Between orientations and tours, we were also greeters. Thinking about it now, it sure was a fun job but you got to say and hear the same things over and over. My best friend back then was Elvee (who is now my step sister - my mom married her dad). Plumeria is kalachuchi in Tagalog and hibiscus is gumamela and they grew abundantly all around the center and Elvee used to call them by their Tagalog names in her tours (because she did not know the American names for them yet) when she started. I haven't been back to Hawaii since I graduated in 1979 & I sure would love to take Kevin there sometime. I digressed from my post. Look at my plumerias planted from cuttings!!!!
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6 comments:
Can Jenni & I come join you & Kevin on an adventure back to Hawaii? LOL Jenni's been trying to get me back there ever since our 1st trip there for Kristi's wedding
Penny and I are coming, too!!! Or maybe we'll just come sit in your backyard for a while and smell your plumeria plants. :-)
Yeah!! Plumerias... I have always wanted to get one and just see if it would grow in Utah. Probably not. Until then I will just have to come with the whole family too and visit.
If you are going to Hawaii I want to go too. I love just walking on the beaches and seeing the sunrise and sun sets.
If you are going again to Hawaii I want to go also. I love walking on the beaches and watching the Sunrises over the ocean.
Yay! You have a blog! I am going to read it all the time now. I think maybe you ought to try to let Cooper knit. Animals are sometimes surprising...Lucy LOVES that hat you knitted for her and has started wearing it again.
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