Yesterday, Dave and I attended the 'newcomer's briefing' at Hickham AFB. Included in the briefing was a tour of parts of the island on a tour bus complete with our guide 'Cousin Dwight'. He was a great ambassador for all things Hawaiian, and included a little lesson in Hawaiian for us haoles (foreigners).
The Hawaiian Alphabet:
A E I O U (pronounced as they do in Spanish)
H K L M N P W
Some words we learned:
- Aloha - hello, good-bye, & I love you - depends on how you say it
- A Ole Ha - hello with foreigners - literally means 'no breath'. Hawaiians would greet each other by touching foreheads with 'aloha' thereby sharing a breath. Foreigners shook hands, so no breath.
- A'ina - Land
- A'i - Yes
- A'oli - No
- E Komo Mai - Welcome
- Ala - Path, Road
- Moana - Ocean
- O'ahu - The Gathering Place
- Honolulu - Calm Bay
- U'a - Rain
- Wai Kiki - Water Fountain
- Ka'Pu - Sacred, No Trespass
- Mahalo - Thank you
3 comments:
Mahalo!!
Nice! You'll be speaking Pidgin in no time!
Missing you guys back here in The Promised Land. :o) Amy is especially feeling sad these days. 2 and a half years in, and we may be nearing our limit. Scott
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