Well, I have completely succeeded in creating a new persona for myself 6000 miles away. Within one week of moving to Hawaii I have become entirely unrecognizable--I'm the Carmen Sandiego you never knew with a tendency toward giving away stolen landmark locations after a few too many Bud Light Limes with limes. Seriously, though, my transformation is complete. No longer would I be suspected as a gregarious sugar-loving runner; I have switched to guava nectar and swimming (see, so tricky)! Gone are the days of tandem rides to candy picnics in the park, I now spend my days hosting formal dinner parties, wearing heels to work, and capping each night with a thought-provoking quote from a well-known author and a glass of chablis.
This is my way of saying, "Aloha". Before coming to Hawaii, I thought that aloha meant two things: "Hello" and "goodbye". However, I realized that this definition extended to dress code ("Aloha attire") as well as societal norms ("Aloha spirit"). The website
Got Aloha describes the word as
"ineffable, indescribable, and undefinable with words alone; to be understood, [aloha] must be experienced". Boy is that right! Based on my research and experience, it has become clear to me that the vast majority of Hawaiian (as well as the small percentage of non-Hawaiian "Aloha-ers") are underusing this potentious word. The options are limitless! The dual nature of aloha comes in very handy for a variety of situations. For example,
"How was the date?" "Eh, Aloha"
"Man, we went out last night and this morning was like ALOha" (akin to "Woof")
"Dude, this S#*t is Aloha"
"I was getting all these vibes, and we went back to her place, but then I totally got the Aloha treatment!"
"Did you see her boyfriend? AloooHA." (can go both ways!)
The list goes on. "Aloha" can be used as an adjective, verb, conjunction, descriptive insult, etc. I must digress for a quick second to point out the obvious Indian puns as well (I can't wait to order Aloo-ha!).
In essence, "Aloha" accurately describes two things: 1) Tyra's "
smize" concept, in which a person smiles with their eyes and not with their face-- a tricky way to bewitch an unsuspecting eye-contacter, and 2) my less tricky endeavor to create a new island persona.
While the reality is that in the past week I've completed 12 workouts, housed the equivalent number of cookies, ripped a pair of pants, broken a coffee pot, hiked 3 mountains and slammed 5 beers, 2 gin and tonics, and one "buff 'n' blue" lava flow, I still consider myself at least slightly different from the cynical Boston bid I was on the road to becoming. Try as I might to become a coy island mistress, the KTO spirit prevails, much as the Aloha spirit prevails throughout the Hawaiian isles. It can't easily or readily be changed, so it might be time to give a Hawaiian goodbye to all the 808 haters with a resounding "Aloha!".
You see, it goes both ways.
