Day six was where work got done.
Yes, despite all of my postings about fun and relaxation and good dining and hanging out with my sister, the trip to Honolulu came about because of a work trip. You may recall (or not) posts from 2023 wherein I visited the College of Micronesia. An excellent trip, that one. Well, this trip was for a similar purpose: participating in a peer review team at Windward Community College.
I started the day off by myself, though. The team was due to meet in the lobby at 7:15 before the drive over to the college (and if you've never been to Honolulu, let me tell you that there is some awful traffic there). That meant a nice but not too-long walk,
once again over in the nearby Ala Moana Park, once again capturing a few photos of the brightening morning
before returning to the hotel
to get ready.
Six of us crammed into a small van and headed over the pass to the wetter side of the island, arriving at the college well in time. It's a handsome campus, the old site of the state mental hospital, if I remember correctly. That means that most of the buildings have heritage designation as do the grounds, which is great for preserving the look and feel of the place but not easy for the facilities maintenance. Still, it was a fine setting at the foot of a mountain, lush a green all around.
We waited in the parking lot a short while until the staff liaison to the team let us know that all was ready. Every Monday, members of the college community gather in "the quad" to come together, sing, and start the week. The song they shared was in honour of the mountain, and it served as a welcome to us. There were introductions all around, and we were presented with leis that they had made themselves.
That was an especial delight. I love the tradition of leis, and I wore mine all day while there.
The scent from them hit me every now and then, a sweet fragrance that was so very welcome. A tiny distraction from the work, but not a bad one by any means.
The college housed our team in the library, a new building rather than a re-purposed old one. I was a little envious to see its pristine, modern interior,
and its one wall of windows gave onto a great view of campus and on down to the ocean.
The college has integrated a Hawaiian perspective into so much of its work, and this was reflected in many places, such as in the naming of buildings.
That was also evident in the artwork on display in places.
All in all, it was an honour to be there and to do the work with the team.
As the afternoon drew closer to an end, we collected and headed to the van.
Once back at the hotel, we had time enough to refresh ourselves. Night fell over the city,
and we headed to the restaurant at the top of the hotel to have dinner together, bond a little further, and end the day successfully.
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