Kahalu’u provides a tranquil refuge
By: Charissa Porter
30 October 2020
Located in a Kahalu'u neighborhood (Charissa Porter)
<< Transcript >>
Diverse agriculture thrives in the humble neighborhoods of Kahalu’u. There are no streetlights on this long winding road, just overgrown grass, and tropical flowers. Most backyards lead to the rugged and vibrant green Ko'olau mountains. This neighborhood became our safe hideaway during the government enforced lockdown. Kehau Lee, one of the newest roommates within our COVID-19 bubble, jokes about her fears of living back here while commuting to work on her moped.
“I think it’s really safe; it’s kind of remote, everyone is really respectful of each other. itʻs safe in terms of people but if you start work at four in the morning when it’s pitch black and there are no lights. I get really scared to hit somebody’s dog,” Lee said.
In most cases, outdoor activities haven't been something that everyone can enjoy during lockdowns. I spoke with Hannah Smith, a neighbor who has taken full advantage of this extra time to appreciate this neighborhood while working from home.
“I have a lot of friends that live in apartments and — not that they went a little crazy — but I think itʻs harder to cope when you can’t go outside, and especially when the stricter measures were there when you couldn’t go to the beach. I think that’s kind of hard for a lot of people. But for me, it was super helpful and I feel like I went around the neighborhood more. like I wouldn’t normally just go walk around,” Smith said.
Sterling Peterson, a local security guard and another member of my covid bubble, has been deemed as an essential worker. He shared his experience of working throughout the pandemic and how living outside of the city has been beneficial during this time.
“Good! itʻs really good being over here. Oh, boy at work — you know what I mean? At work Iʻm like in an area where I'm surrounded by-just-you know-where normal people would live. You know what I mean? And you know having to deal with all of those people. There are so many personal problems going on right now that if you know — with the whole covid thing it amplifies that problem and being here is like-away from it all,” Peterson said.
While many of us await the end of this extended government lockdown, most of us here have taken this time to reflect and upgrade our living conditions to better prepare ourselves for the uncertain times post-pandemic.
A view of a neighborhood aquaponic system. (Charissa Porter)
