I love Hawai’i. If I were independently wealthy, I would live there.
Tessa’s condo is based on the Royal Mauian, a very real place. It’s older, and it doesn’t have the amenities of the newer complexes, but the beach and view are spectacular. Hana is gorgeous, and Tessa’s house is based on several in the area.
The cousins in the story are Mak and Kai, Kalahiki’s twin sons. I don’t identify them specifically, because I hadn’t named them when I first wrote this story.
Here are some translations:
kama’aina- native born
mahalo- thank you
keiki?”–child
menehune-little people, the mystics who lived in Hawaii before the people arrived.
Kolohe keiki!”-naughty child
makua opio – young adult
Mahalo, ka’ u keiki – thank you, my child
A’ole’pilikia – no trouble, you’re welcome
Ohana house – guest house. Most “real” Hawaiian houses have them.
Ohana – Extended family, network of friends and relatives treated as family.
“Aloha, Keiki, aloha one hanau.” –welcome home, child.
“Aloha one hanau, ipo,’oe one hanau.”-welcome home, sweetheart, welcome home.
kaikaina. – little brother
Kai’nehe – Sarah’s Hawaiian name means calm sea, or whispering sea. In Beginnings, her mother gave her that name in hopes that her life would be less tumultuous than her beginning (conceived during a tsunami, born during a series of rainstorms and floods).
ipu’ -a gourd used as a drum
ukelele-a four string musical instrument resembling a small guitar.
