TEFIE magazine Issue 01 by Marie Meneses

TEFIE N W

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Issue | 01

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.â&#x20AC;? -Albert Einstein

CONTENT - MINI ISSUE

editorial

one day in hilo

waking up in hawaii

acai bowl recipe

big island bound

The view from the crouching lion hike o a h u, h a w a i i

(TOP) IS THIS REAL? O A H U, H A W A I I P H O T O: A N N E E D Q U I L A N G

(LEFT) HIDDEN CAVES WITH FRIENDS O A H U, H A W A I I P H O T O: A N N E E D Q U I L A N G

WAKING UP IN HAWAII 7:57 am Waipahu, Oahu The sound of a blender slightly wakes me up. My vision clears and I am looking at the only window in the room. I can see sunrays passing through the blinds. I can already feel the heat on my skin. Then I find myself doing the usual stretch everyone does every morning before getting out of bed. I turn my head to the right and I see my good friend, Anne, still fast asleep. In a few minutes, she will be awake and we will head towards her parent’s kitchen where we will chug down a fruits-mixed-with-veggies juice that her mom prepares us every morning. It is the best way to start your day on a refreshing note. Today, I’ll probably taste strawberries, pineapples, blueberries, granola, and some greens, i hope. Every day the juice taste different just like how every day is different from the day before on this Hawaiian vacation. As we sip, we will get in our typical, exciting discussion on what our day will consist of. What will we do today? The possibilities are always endless, but there is always one thing certain. Photos and water. Our days always consist of us taking artsy photos and swimming. Maybe this time we will go on a long hike, which will lead us to a secret waterfall and find a cliff to jump off. Maybe we will go shopping at the Waikiki Strip and get some new bikinis (like we need any more). Or maybe we will go back to Shark’s Cove (which has become our favorite spot to go swimming) and eat those amazing sandwiches at Storto’s for lunch. To top it all of, stop by Haleiwa Bowls for some acai bowls for dessert. Either option sounds good with me. Seven minutes pass and I feel a shift besides me. Best friend opens her eyes and the adventures begin.

big island bound Rush rush. Will we miss our flight? Today is the day I exclaim in my head. It is probably eight in the morning and we got our suitcases all set. An issue with the garbage pickup arises. There is always those things that happen before you drive to the airport. Those things that make you think you will miss your flight, but we didn’t. And we are eastbound to The Big Island of Hawaii! Just having a few days of vacation during this summer vacation. Whatever we are about to experience will definitely be worthwhile. The next day Waikoloa Village, Big Island Peeking out the window, the hotel is surrounded by a golf course. Yup. This is the life. Anne and I are assigned to pick out locations to visit during our time on this island. This photograph in a tourist magazine captures my eye. “Check this out. It’s a little undergroud place with fresh water.” Amazed, she finds the directions to this location. Okay, one sight down. Plenty more to go. * * * As we drive south towards Kailua Kona, I can’t help but feel at peace at this serene and quiet environment. This place is definitely opposite of Oahu when it comes to traffic and population size. This island feels so unreal. Am I still on Earth? Where is everyone? So empty, yet so soothing. It is going to be a long drive. Tropical music flows to my ears as I put my earbuds on and I feel my eyelids getting heavy. *** We approach the town center of Kona and my heart stops a beat. “Sasebo... Japan...” I say in my head. This place reminds me of the western part of Japan where I used to live during high school. Japan became my second home and it feels like I have returned home even though my feet stand on American ground.

q u e e n ’s b a t h b i g i s l a n d, h a w a i i p h o t o: m a r i e m e n e s e s

ONE DAY IN HILO Hilo! Hilo! Hilo! I chant. We are off to the east side of the Big Island. Here we come, Hilo. As I look out the car window, I wonder when the next volcano will erupt. The thought scares me for a moment. The Big Island still has active volcanoes as mentioned on the television this morning. I, also, have seen the postcards. One postcard with a stop sign surrounded by lava is still fresh in my mind. This culture is so foreign to me, but it fascinates me as well. I wonder what else I am going to learn during my time here. *** We arrive at our location and we meet this ten year old boy named Christian. He is a local and speaks Pidgin (a creole dialect spoken by many Hawaiian residents). His accent is heavy, so we have difficulty understanding, but we are very intrigued by his outgoing personality. Anne and I take a liking to him and we spend most of our day with him. We are taken all around Hilo from the Rainbow Falls to the Volcano National Park. Coconut island is last on our list. Once there, we see a group of guys jumping from this tall mount into the ocean. Christian begs us to jump off with him. Anne and I are thrill seekers, so it is hard to say no to this adrenaline rush. As we climb up, I look down and realize how high up we were. It did not look this high when we saw others jumping off. However, fear never stops me. Just one second of confidence and letting go is all you need. The next thing I hear is the splash of water as I sink deeper into the ocean. As I slow down, I swim back up and find myself laughing with Anne and Christian. “Again?” they ask. “Again” I answer. Unfortunately, our adventure in Hilo has to come to an end and I have a hard time saying goodbye to this sweet boy who became my little brother for a day. We get into the car and drive off into the night watching millions of stars light up in the sky.

ACAI BOWL RECIPE An açaí bowl is a thick-blended smoothie of açaí berries that is poured into a bowl and topped with all sorts of fresh fruit and crunchy granola. Here is one way out of many other ways of making it. ingredients 1. Organic Acai Juice 2. Fresh berries (e.g. strawberries, blueberries, raspberries) 3. Honey 4. Granola (I prefer Honey Almond Granola found in Sprouts) 5. Frozen berries 6. Shaved coconut 7. Chia Seeds 8. Bananas directions Pour the acai juice and all frozen fruit into the blender or juicer. Add a spoonful of chia seeds and blend until thick and smooth. Start with less juice first because you can always add more. If there is too much juice, then you will have to add more friut. You want a thick texture than a smoothie type of texture. Pour mixture into a bowl then top it off with granola, sliced fruit, coconut shavings. Last, drizzle with honey. Enjoy.

the view up here p h o t o: a n n e e d q u i l a n g

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