Sticky Rice

Unsurprisingly, there have been a few surprises over this past week: someone hit my car, then the car battery died, my bank forgot to tell me they reported my card as "lost," then my car got keyed...things like that. (One particular day felt quite defeating, to say the least).

Today's surprise came when I couldn't find a pumpkin large enough to carve. People keep telling me they are out there, but I went to multiple stores, called a couple others and found none. What happened to Publix's 3 dollar ones or Ralph's 5 dollar ones? Guess I'm not on the mainland anymore! Scratch dinner in a pumpkin.

The other thing that struck me today happened just now, deciding what to be for Halloween. No, I don't still trick or treat, but I think it's fun to be something else for an evening; I'll never really grow out of dress-up. I like gaining new perspectives from seeing the same view at different angles. And on Halloween, you have to dress as something you're not, else it doesn't qualify as a costume.

Even though my plans for tonight include passing out candy, baking something with pumpkin in it and talking to Nate, I still want to dress up! So to the closet I went. And what did I see, but a beautiful Kimono-inspired bathrobe from Japan (compliments to my parents). Costume found!

...Or not. See, recently I saw this meme on the internet saying: "This is not who I am, and this is NOT okay," and then it shows photos of people dressing as different ethnicities for Halloween. Having also moved to a place with a high Japanese demographic, the cultural ambassador in me started backpedaling. Maybe my neighbors would find it offensive seeing as I'm not Japanese and I wouldn't be able to completely reproduce Japanese traditional dress accurately. Obviously, unless you have the wallet to fund exact replicas, a Halloween interpretation might look a tad bit different from history.

What if I dressed Hawaiian? Maybe my neighbors would find it offensive coming from a haole like me (slang for mainlander). Or maybe they would feel complimented that I want to get to know a part of their history, a part of who they were and perhaps still are. Imitation can be the sincerest form of flattery...or mockery.

So here is my conundrum: Do I view Halloween costumes (specifically ethnic ones) as negative stereotyping or as a costume representation of something that exists or existed?

To be on the safe side, I suppose I should just dress as Waldo; I don't think the red-and-striped fellow bears any ill-feelings towards his impersonators over the years. ;)

Everyday Pioneering

Sticky humidity with no air-conditioning. Clothes hanging outside on a line, air-drying. Leftovers warming on the stove, water heating in a kettle. Dishes stacked high, dripping lightly with soapy water. My first week here and I almost think I'm in Korea.

But I'm not there at all; I'm in America, in Hawaii, in my new home. 

Now that I have a bedspread, a bookshelf and my bags (mostly) unpacked, I'm able to take a breath and reflect on how changed my life has become in the last week. Well, I should say how it's been changing these last few months as I transitioned from Fulbright Korea to life back in the states to now, a new adventure. 

As I catch up with friends post Korea, the question/comment I get the most is: "Wait, where are you right now?" followed by, "You're all over the place!" 

I realized I hadn't thought much about this small talk until I had my life-is-changing-like-crazy breakdown and sobbed my heart out to my mom as I paced the living room and she calmly stood behind the kitchen counter two weeks ago. In that moment, I was suddenly faced with the very real and vulnerable question of,  "Where am I right now?" built out of other questions...where have I been and where am I going?

Yes. Korea was a grand adventure, full of more frontiers than I could have imagined and in moving to Hawaii, I've accepted a new adventure. However, the title of this blog reflects two beliefs of mine. The first is that I believe every day brings with it an invitation to new landscapes and new players. The second is that pioneering can be so ordinary that it seems everyday and commonplace. Like the movie UP! quote, "Adventure is out there!"...in all shapes, sizes, and lengths. Every day challenges me be it moving across the country, searching for a new job, or being that awkward person who sat right next to you in church instead of leaving a space.

While I'm convinced my family would have destroyed the Oregon Trail had we been born back then, I know that God is still placing frontiers in front of us to be uncovered, studied, and recorded. His consistency is highlighted against the inconsistency that comes with change. 

So while I know where I've been, have a hint of where I'm going, and am at times, insecure of the where I am now, I am convicted that when God calls you to go, it's time to pack up, start walking, and watch Him move you through. Trust can be the biggest frontier of all.