Throwback Thursday (on a Wednesday): Ohana in Hawai’i

[nanila]

I grew up in Honolulu. I was one of the youngest of a large group of cousins, most of whom are male and Filipino, apart from my mom’s sister’s son, who is white. We spent a lot of time together since we all lived pretty close, and my Filipino grandfather (and, until three days before I was born, grandmother) owned a large house that always seemed to have at least two or three aunties and hence vast quantities of delicious food in it (chicken malunggai! pancit! lumpia! suman!) .

I haven’t seen these cousins very frequently since we all became adults. Two of them were in the military for many years. They came to visit us in Monterey on our recent trip to the USA. So before I share the photos from the meals we ate together (because of course there was food, lots of food), here are the photos my parents brought of us as children. Most of these were taken at Waimea Falls on the north shore of Oahu.


I’m on the left. The two cousins in the middle came to Monterey over Labour Day weekend. On the far right, holding the camera to his eyes, is the cousin I shall refer to as Big Keiki, because Little Keiki is named after him. Please note matching bowl cuts. Niiice.


The same set of cousins and me with our grandfather. I have to admit, I’m rather surprised to see myself on my grandfather’s lap. He wasn’t exactly an involved grandparent.


Me, my mom and a very excited Big Keiki at the front, walking out of a car park. Same two cousins and my grandma behind.


Me, cousins and my mom, peering into a pond containing an enormous lily pad.


Me and my cousins standing in a pineapple field. The pineapples have already been picked so these are just the dessicated remains of the plants.


Me and one cousin with my other grandfather next to a creek. Some funny child poses going on here!

Comments

[alatefeline]

Wonderful photos.

[nanila]

Thank you. My dad took most of them. He used to dabble in photography. He had a pretty good eye, I think.

[whereisirisnow]

This is unbelievably cute. Great that you have these pictures!

Out of curiosity: do you still (feel the need to) visit Hawai'i sometimes? I think I deduced from your journal that your parents don't live there anymore, but it must be a place with lots of nice memories for you :)

[nanila]

Thanks! Yes, I'm glad my dad took them. Also that he never got angry and chucked them out, as he is wont to do with stuff.

I would love to visit Hawai'i with the children and the bloke, but it's a long journey and it's expensive. I haven't been there for a long time and that's mostly down to my parents not living there any more.

[redsixwing]

These photos are so sweet.

I think it's delightful that Big Keiki has a namesake. n_n

[nanila]

Thank you. I'm really glad to have them.

Big Keiki is highly unlikely to have (human) children himself. I think he was really touched to have Little Keiki named for him.

[silveradept]

Seeing yourself when you were younger is always interesting. And my goodness, yes, of course there will be food at reunions.

[nanila]

Food is an essential reunion element. Sadly none of it was Filipino food because of lack of cooking facilities, but we managed to do all right!

[gwendraith]

Wonderful family photos! It looks like a happy childhood :)

[nanila]

Thank you! It was, indeed, a happy childhood. :)

[davidgillon]

Little-you looks kind of adorable.

[nanila]

I like how my clothes are all a bit too big. Also, we were all so gangly and scrawny. All three of those cousins grew into really big guys - over 6'!

[soliano]

What great pictures and childhood memories. Growing up in the islands must have been an adventure.

[nanila]

It was a delightful place to be a child.

[rmc28]

I love the matching bowl cuts :-)

[nanila]

It was quite a look, wasn't it? We talked about trying to recreate one of the photos at the reunion but all the cousins shave their heads now so it wouldn't be the same...

[rmc28]

You could join the shaved-head look? :-P