Submitted by Sarah Zuk on the 2018 winter session program in Hawaii sponsored by the Department of Biological Sciences…
I still feel the excitement I had on the day I learned I would be studying in Hawaii this winter. Our first week has been extraordinary, exploring all over the island of Oahu. We first toured the Honolulu Zoo, which of course showcased classic zoo animals such as the giraffe and penguin.
However, our class was able to view a plethora of life that is endemic to Hawaii, which therefore can not be found anywhere else in the world. Hawaii is an extremely interesting place to study because the islands were created by volcanic eruptions in the most isolated place on Earth, the middle of the ocean. Life adapted for new creatures and plants never seen anywhere else thrive here. I was later further amazed to see this adapted life even more closely as we snorkeled the Hanauma Bay. The Bay is one of the few designated preserves in Hawaii and is actually a crater from the time of the volcanoes creation of Oahu. As you can see in the photo, the bay curves along the coast line, making a great environment for marine life. I was amazed at the size of the fish and how colorful some of them were. I also found it interesting that we found different marine life on the sides of the bay, as opposed to the center of it. Everyone in our class took note of the different types of fish we swam with and how prevalent each was in the coral reef. Later on in our program, we will explore many more reefs on this island and on the big island, and will compare the life we saw.
Even though my courses are focused on the scientific studies on the island, I also wanted to learn about Hawaii’s rich culture while I visited. I explored the Iolani Palace, the only palace on United States soil, with my roommates on our day off. We learned about the past royal families of Hawaii and the influences they had on the world at the time. Each of their stories was extremely interesting and I loved how even though the Hawaiians were the most isolated in the world physically, they seemed to be the most advanced in technology. The palace was lit up by electric, elegant lights and had incredible plumbing with working showers throughout. Some of the rooms even included telephones to phone other parts of the island. At this time, both Buckingham Palace and the White House did not have this advanced level of technology.
As I learned more about the royal family’s focus on learning and appreciating culture and the arts, I felt a sorrow for the little Hawaiian culture many visitors are exposed to while they vacation on the islands. The massive amounts of tourists that travel here usually stay within their resort and the scenic beaches. Unfortunately, they are unable to understand and appreciate Hawaiian culture.
I feel lucky to have been able to travel around the island of Maui with my family before my program began. On Maui, we traveled the famous Road to Hana, which is one of the only places in Hawaii that has essentially not been touched for hundreds of years.
The flourishing wildlife and wonderful locals I met along the way introduced me to the amazing culture Hawaii has. I met one woman in Hana, Puanani, who has lived there her whole life. She told me about how important it was to the local people to leave the road to Hana as untouched as it is today. The small one-way bridges and extremely curvy road that leads to Hana help decrease a flow of traffic from visitors. Many tourists wish to “improve” the road by widening it and creating less turns, however from Puanani’s perspective, this would increase the ability to build-up the area and decrease the amount of cultural representation the land has. I am excited to learn more about Hawaii not only through my formal course work, but also by learning more about the culture by meeting more locals like Puanani.
