Hawaii
I could not imagine a life and career for us in Hawai'i, on one of the tiny specks of islands in mid-Pacific. Certainly it was a beautiful spot, with lush scenery and welcoming people, but wouldn't I be cut off from the world? Soon, however, I began to see Hawai'i in a different light. Hawai'i combined its Polynesian roots and Polynesian identity with a strong American impact. Far from isolated, Hawai'i was a crossroads of the Pacific with good access to communications and news. I was soon attracted to Hawaii's multiethnic population and its diversity of cultures representing the Pacific region. Rather than a clash of civilizations, Hawai'i embodied for me a coming together of ethnic groups, with the welcoming spirit of the host Polynesian culture creating a family union, an ohana, the Hawaiian term for family and for a spirit of community.
Despite its often turbulent history, ranging from Polynesian chiefdoms to the unification of the islands under the Kamehameha monarchy, the overthrow of the kingdom and annexation as a territory of the United States, leading eventually to statehood, Hawai'i remains an example of social harmony, an island community where different cultures coexist peacefully and where diversity can be embraced.
