Submitted by Taylor Kligerman on the 2019 winter session study abroad program in Hawaii sponsored by the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences and the School of Education…
It has been another beautiful week here in Honolulu. This week has really shown me some of the culture and diversity that Hawaii has in comparison with the mainland. Our group went to Plantation Village and we learned all about how Hawaii became so diverse. All different people from China, Japan, Puerto Rico, Philippines, and Korea moved to Hawaii to make money working on sugarcane plantations. With all these different people trying to make a living on one island, they had to get along and find a way to communicate with each other. This is how the Pidgin language was formed and it is still widely used across the islands. By learning this history of Hawaii, it is easy to see how it still carries over into daily life. Hawaii is a melting pot of all different cultures and this can be seen in the numerous languages, cuisines, and population. Everyone is so open to diversity and loves finding out where others originated from. I cannot wait to see what else Hawaii has in store.
