The Tree Giants of Hawai’i, A Memoir
Immigrating to Hawai’i Through the Eyes of a Child
The Tree Giants
Looking up into the lush green, I see the thick branches cover the orange black sky. The smell of fresh rain atop the canopy of the forest overwhelms my little nose as the rays of light shimmer upon me, glistening in between the various foliage. It is a new environment, yet similar to my old home. Faint memories emerge of giant green stalks sprouting from the earth below, walking in the village with worn out sandals, and a dusty old tank-top.
But that’s not here.
Here, I experience a new sensation. As I look above my short horizon line, I discover beasts of all varieties. Most noticeably, the Tree Giants roamed the forest of rivers and stones, creeks and sticks. Towering high above the land, the giants posed in differing forms. Some sat defensively, branches intertwined in a meditative position. Others more offensive, having branches raised in front of the trunk, standing on visibly split roots. Several others sat more regally, as if on a throne of leaves and vines, looking down on you. I momentarily back away, intimidated, returning to reality.
The Ballerinas
My grandmother pushes my sister in a baby stroller. I opt for walking instead of being carried. My grandmother is old and frail. She needs to maintain her strength. It is Springtime. The pink and violet blossoms are in full bloom. Soft and stretchy, but still able to be torn. The petals fit in the palm of my hands. The center where the flowers are pollinated sticks out. My grandmother lifts a petal close to her nose. I too, smell something pleasant in the air. I draw the flower near my face and inhale deeply. It smells beautiful, but not overwhelming. It smells lovely, but not sweet. It smells as the entire island smells, except intensified, as if its scent traveled around the island upon the backs of ballerinas. In fact, upon closer inspection, they appear to have done just that. Large, but thin, dancing trees line the path before us. A gust of tropical breeze lift the fallen petals. I shiver slightly as I witness an elegant ballet among the trees occur right before my eyes. Gliding smoothly along the flow of the wind, the thin branches shift and dance in place. And as the gust rises, so too does the branches, and the petals underneath them all. Surrounded by floating petals of bright pinks and purples, I feel entranced, sucked into a sleepy realm where time has halted and the petals never fall back to the ground. Literally feeling uplifted by the aroma, direction of the wind, and the performance of the trees, I return to reality and smile, taking one last deep breath in before we begin walking further along the path.
The Playful
I lie in some grass after school. My brother rides his bike with friends, pretending to look for me so we can eventually go home. Instead, I rest, hiding on the hillside of a tiny little mound. Surrounded by wonderfully watered but not moist vegetation, the dew of yesterday’s rain persisting late into the day, I feel cuddled and protected by nature itself. I turn around, off my back and onto my stomach. “Hello little guy!” I proclaim under my breath. I gently pet the tiny yet plentiful leaves of the plant positioned below me. Quickly, the two sides of the larger stem clasp together. At first I think, “Venus flytrap?” But no, this looked nothing like the scary creature I saw in picture books. I grazed another, and again they closed. I certainly didn’t feel any pain, so I continued. By now, I realize the trove I discovered. Dozens, no… hundreds! These little plants may be small, but like their individual leaves, they came in large quantities! Quick to experiment with my new entertainment, I pluck one by the stem to see how it would react. Sure enough, its sides slowly stopped reacting to my touch. No longer able to move, I feel guilty. I ended the life of one of my friends. I made what once moved no longer able to. I disrupted the very nature of the island. I sat down, more conscious of where I sat. I looked at the active plants before me. I slowly ran my fingers across the tops of several, sweeping left to right, trying to activate the function of as many of these unusual, vine-like, bush-like plants. I try to get them to play. My brother calls my name in the distance. I try to keep a mental note of where my new friends live in relation to my school as I am, once again, forced back into reality.
The Protectors
We pack our bags. After several years on the island, we prepare to leave. Slightly older than when we first arrived, I am able to once again look to the sky, missing the blues and opting for the greens and browns. “Goodbye Tree Giants. Protect this island well!” I think to myself. We walk towards the nearest bus stop. I touch some of the dancing trees along the way. I pluck one last hibiscus flower and take in its scent for the last time. “Goodbye Ballerinas. Protect this island well.” We reach the bus station, ready to depart. I do not bother looking down. Not because I won’t miss my little friends, but perhaps because I will miss them the most. Perhaps because I know they will be here when I eventually return. Perhaps because they are not mine to miss, but rather, are friends for all the children of Hawai’i who lie on the grass, unexpectedly discovering something they never thought would experience right in front of them. “Goodbye my friends. Protect the children of this island well.” We hop on the bus. We hop on the plane. We leave, forever.
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I immigrated to Hawai’i with my mother and older brother in 2000. My younger sister was born on the island. We lived in poverty, and thus times were tough for many years. To escape from the second-hand stress that I obtained through my worried mother, I would go into my own mind. I would create stories with the nature around me, personifying the tiniest plant to the largest, oldest trees. However, in 2005 my family moved to Nevada, leaving the mystical flora found uniquely in Hawai’i behind. I have yet to visit since, although that is high on my list of travel locations. Ever since moving, I have been fascinated by new vegetation wherever I go. Experiencing the different wildlife and vegetation found all around the country is such an amazing and beautiful adventure. Currently, I have been up the Pacific Northwest, through the Sierra Nevada Desert, all within the forests of California, and the swampy, fully-planted Southeast, in Florida and South Carolina. Truthfully, I attribute my love of nature greatly due to my short but memorable upbringing in Hawai’i, one of the most beautiful places in the world. Despite living in an impoverished situation, the plants around me were able to let me feel invigorated every single day. For that, I will always keep Hawai’i in my heart.
