What makes hiking Koko Head memorable

Be determined in achieving your goals, fuelled by passion and sacrifice,
no matter how difficult it might look as long as you have perseverance
 there is nothing impossible. 

View from the parking when we arrived at the Koko Head Park.

Before you raise your brows and ask if I was able to really survive, let me just first state that it was difficult and it took me an hour and a half to hike Koko Head which has 1,048 "torturous" steps and this mountain is 1,200 feet above Hawaii Kai. The weather then was so fine and not sunny so the heat was bearable. 

Looks so minute from this view but
totally opposite when you're hiking it. 

It was almost 7 o'clock in the morning when we arrived and started our hike. We passed by these cables wherein these shoes are hanging onto. Some of the shoes are clean, do look like new ones, and what made it unbelievable is the fact that some shoes hanging here are all brand-new. Accordingly, those who were able to survive hiking Koko Head started a tradition of just throwing their shoes above and leaves it on these wires if it gets on to it.  

Ate Den-Den who was here during our hike on her 7th time at Koko Head, led the trail. She was prepared and got her belt bag on and got water tumbler.

On our first set of photos are fine- we can still put a smile on our faces and everything seems okay. 

Tito Rey walked this part of the trail which served as a bridge- totally no land but huge rocks on the bottom, but not for me. Auntie Belen took this photo as I literally crawled going up this part. Some tourists also crawled while others used some trail walking poles- just like that lady at my back with yellow walking poles. 

I have to stop for twenty or so times to rest because aside from the steepness of the trail, what made it more difficult is a number of people passing by. Some are fast and that they were going down already while others just started. Both though were fast except for us.  

 It took me an hour and a half to reach the top! While Ate Den-Den, Ate Pam, Robie, and Uncle Roland hiked for only 40 minutes! Perhaps, being a first-time hiker is a good excuse!  

Accordingly, Koko Head was used during the war to combat attackers. 

Train rails which we passed were used to deliver bombs and other artilleries for air-to-ground weapons. 

Overlooking Hanauma Bay.

The view from the top is breath-taking!

I am grateful to this Filipino family, Uncle Rey and Auntie Belen, Uncle Roland and Auntie Virgie, Ate Pam, Robby, and Ate Den-Den. This is also a chance to reconnect with them since the last they saw me was when I was still little. My mom grew up with Auntie Belen and their family as neighbors in our community.  

With Uncle Roland.

Uncle Roland, Uncle Ben, and Auntie Belen proved that they can still hike this far and this difficult despite their age! Salute! Note that we did not even have stretching first prior to hiking. (BUT for safety purposes, before going and doing physical activities please do stretching first.)

Auntie Belen and Uncle Roland

We stayed on top for 20 minutes to rest, drink water, take photos, and eat pandesal!

Pandesal! 

Check out this Facebook live video.

 Going down the mountain was easier! It took me only 30 minutes to trail down. Of course, this part which is the "bridge" still made me crawl though I tried walking I failed when my foot slip.

See this gap between the rails?

Yeah, that's my haggard face. LOL!

I think that this hiking journey does not only give us the view of nature. It gives us moments to ponder on our life goals. It teaches that no matter how difficult the problem or situation may look, as long as we are determined and passionate about the things we do, we can overcome every obstacle. We can take pauses, but we should never give up. 

  

Survived Koko Head!

How Public Participation and Transparency is observed at Hawai'i BOE meetings

Hawai'i State Board of Education during their General Business Meeting
 yesterday. Photo taken by the blogger. 

I had the opportunity as a professional fellow placed here at the Hawai'i State Department of Education to witness how education policymakers work and conduct session which was held yesterday.  

The Hawaii State Board of Education formulates policy and exercises control over the public school and library systems, according to the Hawaii State Department of Education website. 

During the Human Resources Meeting in the morning, the Hope Street Group, a national non-partisan, non-profit organization, presented some of their various teacher empowerment and positivity initiatives such as the Hawai'i State Teacher Fellows Program yesterday. 

HR Committee Chairman Brian De Lima presided the meeting. 

Kelly Miyamura, the Director of the Hawaii State Teacher Fellows Program said that this could address teacher retention in the state. 

"Teachers are the best teachers for teachers," said HR Comm Member Pat Bregin after congratulating the effort of the group on their fellowship program. Another HR Committee Member Bruce Voss said that the fellowship program for teachers is a way that turn teachers into leaders. 

 The second session in the morning was the Finance and Infrastructure Committee Meeting wherein they discussed the supplementary budgets of the State Department of Education and the State Public Library System for Fiscal Year 2018-2019. Both were approved but it underwent interrogation from some members of the Board.

The BOE website links to live audio of what's happening in the
meeting and also all the agenda and presentation in the meeting. 

Public Participation and Transparent Governance

Another factor I liked in the meeting is the transparency and how public participation is observed. The website publishes all the agenda for the day's meeting and also links to the live audio streaming of the meeting for public to be informed on what's going on or what's being discussed. 

Public testimony is also published on the website of BOE.

Moreover, public can share their sentiments by writing a testimony and deliver these testimonies during the meeting. According to some people I got to ask why is this observed is because the Board wanted to hear the views of the public before deciding on various policies being implemented in the education sector here. 

In the Philippines, government offices also observe good governance by being transparent, however not all meetings which concern the public is broadcast for public. I do hope some offices in the Philippines open not only its doors for public but also its doors online by opening meetings which concern the public via live audio streaming, live broadcast, or other platforms. 

As Committee on Education Chairman in our local legislative council, it is an opportunity to witness how these education policymakers work, decide, and conduct meetings on various issues concerning the public school systems here.