Unamusing Musings!

the endeavors of a pseudo-artist in physical therapy school

[nathanface]

Biking up to Kōkeʻe

This was something that I had talked about with my clinical instructor, Gregg. He had asked a couple times if he thought I could do it - if I could bike all the way to the end of Kōkeʻe Rd. I had driven up a couple times, and I knew it was a long, steep, winding road to the top. This morning, before the ride, I was giving myself lots of excuses to not go: “Too dangerous, not worth the risk,” or “What’s the point really? It’ll take a long time.” Even during the first few miles I was still at it: “Ah... my back kind of hurts. No shame in turning around now.”

Here’s what the trip looked like, courtesy of Google Maps:

Two roads lead up to Kōkeʻe; one comes from Kekaha (where I live) and the other comes from Waimea (where I work). As you can see, I started in Kekaha, went to the top, and came back down towards Waimea.

And here’s what the elevation gain was like one way (almost 2 miles):

The first half of the trip was a pretty grueling. The road just keeps going up, rarely giving you a break in the form sweet, sweet level road. Sometimes the grade was pretty steep, and I got off and walked my bike on several occasions. As I would say on the heavier inclines, “I’m dismountin’ for dis mountain!”

Because of how winding and narrow the road is, safety was of extra concern. So I fashioned a flag and wore a bright blue shirt to maximize visibility. The flag was MacGyvered out of a defunct fishing pole, a tattered bandana, and three zipties.

I packed a bunch of peanuts and a 1.5L bottle of water and headed out. A couple miles in I heard something in the distance that sounded like gunshots. I saw a figure down the road swinging something around. Turns out he was whipping his whip around. Actually, there were about 5 of them, just.... whipping away. I got closer I could feel the shockwave from the whip, and the sound was unforgettable. The video (as usual) does no justice for what my ears were experiencing. Naturally, I pulled over to ask the ring leader if I could film him.

You probably noticed that it wasn’t just whipping the same way over and over; these guys were practicing whip tricks. He was showing off a behind-the-back move afterwards. These were homemade whips. It’s one of those things where you realize, “Huh. Of course that’s a hobby.” Of their hobby, one whippersnapper explained that it was a good exercise and that it allowed them to vent.

I hopped back on Pam (bike’s name) after my newfound friends cheered me on and sent me off, unaware of how difficult the trek ahead would be. But you just keep pedaling. Maybe you dismount and walk for a few minutes, but you always get back on.

There’s something quite pleasant about doing something like this alone. It’s probably not as safe to go solo, but setting your own pace and spending time thinking while you’re on your bike is just great. Although I didn’t realize how encouraging it was for drivers passing by to gesture something motivating to me, like a shaka or a fist up.

After about 2 and a half hours of basically nonstop ascending, I had reached the end: The Puʻu O Kila lookout. A vibrant double rainbow appeared.

All that was left now was a rapid, downhill ride that I will not forget. It was exhilarating! I could feel all the potential energy from the first half being released - such a rush. I must have topped out around 40mph at least. Some sharp turns at the bottoms of hills required forceful braking. On the way down I remember thinking that the fastest trip would be “no breaks up, no brakes down.” Both are bad ideas.

And, eventually, it ended, emptying me out onto the highway - the same one I use to commute every weekday. And soon I was back home, alive. Took a shower, ate a bunch of food, did laundry, and proceeded to chill. Fun day.

[nathanface]

Language in Hawaii

We speak English in America. But in Hawaii, many people speak English as a second language. You’ll hear Filipinos speaking Ilocano, or Japanese speaking Japanese. Sometimes you’ll hear the native Hawaiian language being spoken. That’s an interesting one! But what’s this pidgin people are speaking? Does it have anything to do with pigeons?

Here’s the deal: Hawaiian is a dying language (maybe it’s more accurate to say that it’s on life support due to concerted local efforts to preserve the language). On the island of Ni’ihau, about 17.5 miles northwest of Kauai, the Hawaiian language is all you’ll hear. But that island deserves a post of its own.

Hawaiian pidgin is like a type of slangy English. I thought pidgin was just a Hawaiian thing. But a “pidgin language” is basically a simplified means of communicating. The word “pidgin” itself is a product of pidgin, and is said to come from the approximate Chinese pronunciation of “business”. Pidgin. Business. Pidgin. Business... eh, I kind of hear it. Nothing to do with pigeons though.

“Simplified means of communicating”... like what, for example? Instead of “she’s mean,” you might hear someone say “Oh mean her.” I’ve heard it. Another example: instead of “Can you try to lift your leg?” (something I ask my patients fairly often) it might be, “Can try for lift leg?” (note how “to” is replaced with “for”) A lot of sentences end with an upwardly inflected “yeah?”. Like, “He come later, yeah?” And people refer to women older than them as “auntie” and men older than them as “uncle”. There is a “closeknit-ness” of Hawai’i (especially Kaua’i) that is reflected in referring to strangers as family members.

And then there’s the versatile phrase “da kine” (as in, “the kind”). “Da kine” is used to refer to pretty much any concept at all. It’s like how people use “thing” or “thing-a-ma-jig”, but it can also be used like “whats-his-face” (i.e., for a person) or for a thing. It’s nonspecific. For example, “I had eggs and da kine for breakfast dis mornin’,” or “She went to do da kine after work.” I’m just scratching the surface. But don’t think of it the way that smurfs say “smurf” for everything. Or like Squanchy. (Fun fact: the brand “Dakine” is named after this phrase.)

Interestingly enough, pidgin English comes in other flavors. It’s basically any attempt another language makes at speaking English their own way. The Chinese, of course, have their Chinese form of pidgin English, and Native Americans do as well. Think, for example, the way you’ve heard Native Americans speak in Peter Pan. Is that cartoon racist? Sure. But is the portrayal of Native American pidgin English accurate? Actually, I don’t really know. Yes?

And you probably speak pidgin English as well. Have you ever thought about how incorrect the grammar is with the phrase “long time no see” or “no can do”? Likely you haven’t because these phrases have seeped their way into our everyday language and we don’t think twice about the grammar. But they are results of the Chinese communicating with English speakers using their own simplified approach to English: pidgin.

The last thing I’d like to say about this topic for now is that not everybody here speaks pidgin. There are lots of people living on Kauai or other Hawaiian islands who did not grow up here, and there’s something that goes against the grain with adapting pidgin as a means of communicating. Pidgin is such a colloquial and relaxed way of expressing yourself - that is, for those who grew up speaking it. So turning it into this contrived means of sounding more local or getting on the level of the locals is... well, it’s at least a little weird. But people do it, and it’s not a big deal. Some people don’t like when people “pick up” pidgin. Me? Ho, I no try for speak pidgin.

[nathanface]

This here is a taro paddy field. Came across it on the way to hike up to Hanakapi’ai falls (photos soon, promise). Here’s what it looks like. Taro turns into poi when you smoosh it enough. It also turns into taro chips.

Taro, known in Hawaiian as “kalo”, is sort of a hallmark of Hawaiian crop, like corn in the Midwest. There’s a popular song that plays on 98.9 Island Radio called “Plant a Seed Today” where Ryan Hiraoka sings,

“Plant a seed today, watch it grow tomorrow, show the keiki love and they will grow up strong, just like kalo.”

Kyle Kurashima, the other student at the hospital with me, pointed out that it’s basically saying, “let the children grow up strong like corn.” Taro isn’t even tall, as you can see. Catchy tune though. Island Radio is becoming something of a soundtrack to this trip.

[nathanface]

Seven bucks for a box of plain cheerios. Honey nut will cost you $8, and it’s a smaller box. The grocery store may be a sea level, but the prices are not.

A word to anyone considering a trip to Kauai. Figure out a means of transportation and get a Costco membership (or access to one). The prices are pretty much the same as any other Costco, which is incredible.

I’ve been living off of bulk buys at Costco, although fridge/freezer space is a cold commodity in this house. Joanne, my landlady, accidentally accepted another PT, Charisma, into the house because she thought I was arriving in November, not leaving. Gotta read those emails carefully, Jojo. So fridge space is tight, and there’s more to consider in general with a third person as you could imagine. I’ll tell you all about Charisma in a future post. Bottom line: she cool.

All in all, we’re making it work.

[nathanface]

[nathanface]

Been a while. Hi friends.

These here are a photos I took of Waimea Canyon. Refer to the map from my earlier post to see where this is. If you’ve ever been to the Grand Canyon, you’ll have an idea of this place looks like. The layers, however, are formed from various volcanic eruptions laying down layers upon layers of lava throughout the millennia. Some estimates put Kauai at 6 million years old, making it the oldest main island of the Hawaiian chain. Pretty neat!

The exhibit is a 3D model of the canyon carved from a solid piece of wood and donated to a small museum up in Koke’e. It gives you a better idea of what you’re looking at from the viewpoints. Well... sort of. A “you are here, looking this direction” would help even more.

I’ve hiked into the canyon along the ridges. Stay tuned for photos. It was probably the best hike I’ve done here so far, which is saying a lot.

[nathanface]

QuickTale #1 - A Spooky Ghost in Room 113

Yesterday, my CI and I went to see a patient in acute care. As soon as we entered the room, things quickly turned surreal. The patient spilled coffee all over herself and says “oops” almost nonchalantly. Huh.

Then I heard some mumbling on the other side of the room, but it wasn’t quite loud enough to make its way to my conscious mind, and I passively dismissed the sound. But then I heard it again, and I couldn’t ignore it any longer. I walked over to check the bed - no patient, nobody... Ok, maybe I can ignore it.

The voice appears again, quietly, but undeniably. What is going on? Gregg is also confused, but keeps his hypothesis hypothesis to himself. I go silently inspect more closely, and behind the curtain (which is up against the wall) stands a nurse on a phone call. Why he on the phone behind that curtain I am not entirely sure, but it confused me before I knew where the sound was coming from as well as after.

Gregg and I leave the room for a moment to grab a new gown for the patient (one without coffee on it). We were both a little freaked out before we knew the nurse was behind the curtain, and he explained A) he believes in ghosts, and B) that at first he was convinced there was a ghost in the room and only he could hear it (because nobody else was reacting to the noise).

We go back into the room, change the patient’s gown, and watch her almost immediately spill more coffee on herself after imploring her to be more careful. Fool me twice? I blame that spooky ghost in room 113 👻.

[nathanface]

Here’s a reference. The distance between home and work is about 4 miles, which takes about 15 minutes on bike.

[nathanface]

Outside the front entrance to the KVMH

[nathanface]

Naturally, one of my first purchases on the island was a bike off craigslist. Her name is “Pam.” This is my main means of transportation while I’m on the island.

This is my simple room. Ants perpetually patrol the perimeter of my room, and I wake up each morning with new bites on my body, presumably (hopefully?) from mosquitoes. Roosters greet me on a regular basis throughout the day/night. Usually I don’t wake up from their cock-a-doodling, but it’s a little startling when you hear it right outside the window in the midst of relative silence.

[nathanface]

The Place: Where I live

Of the few dozen options I had for my second clinical rotation, I picked one of the few out-of-state options: Kauai Veteran’s Memorial Hospital (KVMH). Seemed like a no-brainer. I like traveling - especially for 3 months at a time. I arrived on the August 14, and I will be leaving on November 7.

Kauai has a fairly small population, with only about 70,000 inhabitants. Much like the relatively low prevalence of Native Americans living in the continental US (which residents refer to as “the mainland”), the percentage of actual Hawaiians living here is about 9% (Native Americans comprise less than 2% of the population on the mainland).

I live in Kekaha, a town whose name literally means “The Place” (hence the title of the post). It is the westmost town in Kauai with a population of about 3,100. I live with a friendly elderly woman named Joanne Watanabe. She’s a local resident who’s lived in Kauai her whole life.

On Kauai, there is one main highway (named Kaumauli’i Highway) that’s shaped like a backwards ‘C’ which encircles most of the island. You’re either traveling clockwise or counter-clockwise. The next town over (heading east, or counter-clockwise) is Waimea. Its population is about 1,800, though it has a nifty little downtown area and a high school. The KVMH is located in Waimea. I figured the best way to get to work would be to bike, so I bought one on craigslist. It takes me about 15 minutes to bike to work.

Without a car, there’s not much else I can do besides bike to work or bike back home. Fortunately, an employee at the hospital, Gary, rents out his car for cheap.

And that’s about where I am so far. My first of twelve weeks is finished. I’ll keep you posted on anything of interest that happens during my stay. Thanks for reading. I would say “mahalo” (which means “thanks”), but I feel a bit out of place using Hawaiian words at this point. Maybe in a few weeks?

Aloha for now...

[nathanface]

Genesis

Hello friends and family. On this blog you will be able to see what I’m up to. You can read about my experiences and look at images I upload. Come stop by every once in a while.