For most of my childhood, I lived in a neighborhood called Kula Mala on the island of Maui in Hawaii.
All of the family-owned land was purchased many years earlier by my great-grandfather, Henry. He had founded one of Maui’s first construction companies. Along with building the 59 bridges along the island’s Hana Highway, Henry had the foresight to buy lots of valuable land before prices became astronomical. He liked the cool climate and beautiful views of Kula, which was halfway up the 10,000-foot Haleakala volcano. So that’s where his children and their children laid down roots. Our home was nestled at the topmost cul-de-sac of Kula Mala, along with the homes of several aunts, uncles, and cousins.
Living in the same neighborhood with so much extended family meant that our lives were naturally integrated together. Every birthday and holiday was celebrated with each other. We all knew each other’s business. It was typical for an aunt to call my mom, asking something like, “Did you know Larissa got in trouble today at school?” News spreads fast on a small island.
After school, all of us cousins played together. We chased each other on bikes, build half a tree house in the backyard, and got busted for eating all of the neighbor’s blackberries.
One afternoon was spent creating a large “soup” in a pot we discovered in my aunt’s garden. We filled the pot with hose water, dirt, leaves, bugs, and several chili peppers. Of course we had to give it a taste test, so we forced Jesse, our youngest cousin, to drink a spoonful. Then we all got into major trouble after my aunt discovered what we had done. Since I was the eldest, I always received the brunt of the blame.
Now, making our way into adulthood, most of us have moved from Kula Mala to other places. Some have spouses and kids, others are venturing into new careers.
The big annual trek home for all of us is Christmas. We still gather together at my aunt’s house, falling back into natural laughter and conversations, over familiar food like Popo’s Chinese pretzels and my aunt’s apple chocolate chip bread.
When we are together, it is our ‘ohana, our experience of being bound together as a family.
All of the family-owned land was purchased many years earlier by my great-grandfather, Henry. He had founded one of Maui’s first construction companies. Along with building the 59 bridges along the island’s Hana Highway, Henry had the foresight to buy lots of valuable land before prices became astronomical. He liked the cool climate and beautiful views of Kula, which was halfway up the 10,000-foot Haleakala volcano. So that’s where his children and their children laid down roots. Our home was nestled at the topmost cul-de-sac of Kula Mala, along with the homes of several aunts, uncles, and cousins.
Living in the same neighborhood with so much extended family meant that our lives were naturally integrated together. Every birthday and holiday was celebrated with each other. We all knew each other’s business. It was typical for an aunt to call my mom, asking something like, “Did you know Larissa got in trouble today at school?” News spreads fast on a small island.
After school, all of us cousins played together. We chased each other on bikes, build half a tree house in the backyard, and got busted for eating all of the neighbor’s blackberries.
One afternoon was spent creating a large “soup” in a pot we discovered in my aunt’s garden. We filled the pot with hose water, dirt, leaves, bugs, and several chili peppers. Of course we had to give it a taste test, so we forced Jesse, our youngest cousin, to drink a spoonful. Then we all got into major trouble after my aunt discovered what we had done. Since I was the eldest, I always received the brunt of the blame.
Now, making our way into adulthood, most of us have moved from Kula Mala to other places. Some have spouses and kids, others are venturing into new careers.
The big annual trek home for all of us is Christmas. We still gather together at my aunt’s house, falling back into natural laughter and conversations, over familiar food like Popo’s Chinese pretzels and my aunt’s apple chocolate chip bread.
When we are together, it is our ‘ohana, our experience of being bound together as a family.