New Journey From The West
Korean International School , Sun , Apollo - 13
Last summer , my family emigrated to the Hawaiian Island – Oahu . We boarded the Star of Honolulu on a beautiful Sunday at the Hong Kong International Cruise Terminal . Every day of our voyage , I could see dolphins and whales jumping and swimming along the cruise ship . On the 14 th day of our journey , the magnificent Oahu island finally came into view . I could see seagulls flying in the air waving at us . As the cruise ship was moving further into the pier , we could see the Pearl Harbor Memorial and the navy base . We were thrilled to start our new life on this wonderful island . At the same time , my mother was offered a teaching job at the University of Hawaii at Oahu . My sister and I were looking forward to meeting with the native Hawaiian people and watching the Hula dance . Dad also suggested that we made some welcoming gifts for the Hawaiian children . Grandpa and Grandma were excited too , it was their very first journey to the west . They wondered if the west is a lot different from the east . We were not sure about the customs of the native people and the local food .
Dad told me the Pearl Harbor Memorial marked the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7 , 1941 . My heart saddened after hearing dad ’ s comment . I planned to visit the Memorial someday . We disembarked at the Aloha Tower Pier no . 4 . A chauffeured limo picked us up and drove us to our new home . There were over thousands soldier ’ s name on the memorial and some red flowers lay next to the plaque . I also saw some navy officers prayed to them . There is a battleship called ‘’ USS Missouri ’’ next to the Memorial . There were many dead bodies in the battleship and they could not be pulled out . According to one of the naval officers , the retrieving of the sunken battle ship might adversely affect the surrounding environment .
Our new home was a two storey single family house located on the Hilario Street near the Honolulu Park . It was huge when compared to what we had in Hong Kong . We lived in a cramped apartment in Hong Kong . Although our old home had three bedrooms , it was nothing when compared to the new house . Dad bought the house a year ago , when he was on business trip in Honolulu . He thought it would be ideal for kids and our grandparents . On the first floor of the house was a 1000 square feet living room , a study room , two full bathrooms and a spacious kitchen . There was also a three cars garage and a backyard with several pear trees . My sister and I were thrilled to live in the spacious house . We checked out all the rooms and spaces . On the second floor of the house , there were six bedrooms overlooking the Hilo bay . I had the bedroom with extra close space . My sister was not happy about it . My bedroom size was 4 times bigger of the one in Hong Kong . I wonder why people have so much space in the West . Space is not issue in here . My sister and I spent days to explore every corner of our new home . Grandpa and Grandma started to grow produce at the backyard . I never came across the backyard back at the home . We had lots of skyscrapers instead . In the west , backyard is a place where people barbecue , have fun , grow their own fruit and trees . Maybe I could celebrate my 14th birthday at our own backyard .
We had our very first Hawaiian meal at a local restaurant . Dad asked the waiter to recommend some traditional food . Our waiter ’ s name was Joey . He had worked in the restaurant for five years . He recommended us to try poi , Laulau , Kalua Pig and Lomi salmon . Poi is a thick paste made for taro root that is either steamed or baked or pounded . My sister and I looked at the greyish purple paste in our bowl without much appetite . Mom tried some and said it did not have much taste . The local people eat poi as a traditional filler starch dish . It does not make you fill very full . Poi did not look too appealing . That was so much about poi . The Lau Lau bought everyone ’ s appetite back . In Hawaiian , Lau Lau means leaves , because it was made of layers of taro leaves wrapped around pig or fish . The entire package was then cooked in an underground oven for an extended period to make the meat tender . Mom said she would build her underground oven at the backyard . The Kalua Pig tasted a lot like our Chinese roasted sucking pig . The Hawaiian people baked their pig flat while we roast our pig in a vertical position in Hong Kong . By having the pig in a vertical position , most of the fat will drip into the collecting tray underneath the head . It is a lot healthier our way . To our surprise , the rice is also very popular on the island . A bowl of rice comes with each dish we ordered . The waiter explained that around 30 % of the local population are of the Asian ethnicity . Pineapples are local produce which grown on red volcanic mud . It is super sweet with a tingle of tropic flavor . Macadamia nuts is another favorite snack on the island . The nuts are full of minerals and vitamins . The locals make many healthcare products from the Macadamia nuts , such as lotion and lip balm .