Movement By Lydia

Every year on Memorial Day, Lantern Floating Hawaii is a ceremony that is held to remember and honor loved ones who are no longer here with us. Nearly 50,000 people make their way to Ala Moana to observe and participate in the ceremony, with many more watching on TV or live stream from home. In addition to the sending and floating lanterns, there is a beautiful ceremony featuring prayers and Hawaiian chants, hula, community leaders coming together, Buddhist and Western sounds, and other traditions. These all create a loving, supportive, and harmonious environment. Reporters from Japan There are countless lantern festivals that take place around the world. I had always wanted to attend one, so when I heard of the Lantern Floating Hawaii Ceremony, I knew I had to go. I had only been in Hawaii for about a week and was eager to experience everything Oahu had to offer. Some of my coworkers shared a similar mindset, so we decided to go down to Ala Moana on Memorial Day. Many ...

"Taste of Hawaii" is a new series of blog posts highlighting some of my favorite places to eat/drink in Oahu. To read more posts from my "Taste of Hawaii" series, please click here. ITCHY BUTT The name of this restaurant immediately catches your attention. Whether or not the words "itchy butt" make you hungry, they certainly pique your interest when seen as a restaurant name. If I had to take a guess, that's what the owners of Itchy Butt were going for. The name is definitely what drew me in... but I stayed for the food. Located across from Cartwright Neighborhood Park on the corner of Keeaumoku and Kinau, Itchy Butt is a hole in the wall place that serves Korean fried chicken in the Makiki area of Honolulu. When I say it's a hole in the wall place, I'm not kidding. Itchy Butt is super tiny and take-out only. You walk up to the little window to order, and everything is made-to-order. While you do have to wait (and there is no seating un...

This is the backpack I carried in Korea In Korea I ALWAYS had either a backpack or purse with me, and there were certain items that I ALWAYS had in those bags. This is just going to be a short post of things I found necessary and/or helpful to have with me while going around Seoul or going to school during NSLI-Y. In My Backpack:   Books: Kind of a given, but I always had my books (on school days). We had four books from Sogang, and I also carried two small notebooks and a folder I used for class and notes!  Pencil Case: Korea has some super cute stationary and pens  Planner: I use this adorable little planner (can be found in Korean stores) to keep track of my daily schedule and week/month/year/etc... Program Phone: You get a program phone, which should be with you at all times Personal Phone: I brought my Galaxy to use off wifi and for a camera (many people did too); it didn't have any data T-Money Card: Subway card. Carried that everywhere and kept ...