Carly
Carly, friend of Line and Yuki
On the beautiful island of Oahu, Hawaii, Team West travelers meet their new host, Carly. Carly is a native Hawaiian who was born and raised in Oahu, and she is currently a student at University of California in Berkeley, which is where she met her friend and teacher, Line. Here, Carly gets candid about her proud heritage and her thoughts on friendship, among other things. She then sends the team to her family friend Yuki, who is originally from Japan and now lives in Mililani, Hawaii.
What is your superpower?
Oh that's a tough one. I'd like to hope or think I relate well with other people or I like to talk story and just relate with people.
What would you change in your country if you were able to?
Kind of a side-topic I guess, but the Kingdom of Hawaii was actually illegally annexed by the U.S.A. So I think in general if the Hawaiian people could get their land back, that would be amazing.
What are you proud of?
I'm very proud to be Hawaiian actually, I think that's the first thing that comes to mind. I'm proud to come from where I am from and I'm proud to be part of this heritage and this thing that goes back thousands of years to the first people that touched this land and to be connected to this land here, to be so bound to it. I'm very proud to be Hawaiian, to be able to speak the language, and to practice its culture.
What is your spirit vegetable?
I really like broccoli actually, not raw. If it's steamed and with like a little bit of mozzarella cheese, that's the best. I love broccoli.
What do you expect from a friend?
I guess friends meet all kinds of different needs but in general - honesty, loyalty, companionship and just being able to have a good time with each other and being able to share perspectives and learn something different from everybody. I think everybody in my life gives me something different in each way and that's amazing to me.
How important are friends to you?
Friends are vastly important to me. I think I've laughed my hardest laughs and I've done the craziest things with my friends and meeting new people and just forming that kind of relationship, that bond with other people is I think one of the most important and the most fulfilling things in the world. Friendship is amazing and just getting to meet everybody.
How often do you meet up with friends?
I think since I'm young and I'm doing school and besides that I don't really have much else. I live with my parents, and I have a car, I can see my friends frequently. I would like to spend more time with them, go on more adventures, go surfing more often, hiking more often but in general, I'm pretty happy. I can see that kind of going downhill though as we grow up, as we get jobs, as we get busy with lives and our families but in general I think I really love hanging out with my friends.
Is it easy to become friends?
Yes it's easy. A lot of people are very open and willing to talk to people and they were looking for that connection. Sometimes it may be hard to find someone that you really click with, but in general I think making friends and being friendly and talking story as we call it, is pretty easy and very fulfilling, very fun.
Can women and men be friends?
Oh yes, definitely. Some of my best friends are guys. They can easily be friends and I see how it gets complicated sometimes, but if you don't make it complicated and you're just in it for that friendly relationship, it can work out very nicely.
Week #14 of the Yuujou journey
