Summer in Washington DC

MY GIRLS AND BOYS FROM MY YOUTH MADE THESE AWESOME POSTERS :)

For the people who are slow like me, Washington DC (District of Columbia) is in the East Coast...NO, it's not Washington state, Seattle. LOL! That was me when I first thought of DC.

Anyways, I was accepted this summer as an intern for APIAVote (Asian Pacific Islander American Vote) in DC! I am representing EPIC (Empowering Pacific Islander Communities) based in Southern California. I was blessed with the opportunity and additional funding for my airfare and housing in DC from EPIC :) Now this city girl is residing in DC for this summer!! I live in Rockville, Maryland and I take a 30-40 minute train ride to the city (our Poly term for DC). Other than that, my main transportation is my footmobile! HOLLA! (I'm definitely losing weight before I go back home.)

The work that APIAVote does revolves around trying to increase our numbers of Asian and Pacific Islander voters. Their mission is to mobilize Asian and Pacific Islander communities in voter activity and civic engagement. I work with other Asians but I am the only Pacific Islander. My mission for this internship is to learn the whole get-down on Pacific Islander votes- number of registered voters, who actively votes and what will make people implement voting. My mission for my community is to take something away from this internship and utilize it back at home. Last but not least, my own mission is to realize if this is a path I would want to take when I grow older. So far, it has been a passion for me to help my Pacific Islander people in any way, shape, or form.

The first couple of days were real kick back. I helped with recruiting student organizers and P.I. people to the Voter Registration Training in Carson on Saturday, June 23. So far, so good.

This past weekend I attended the National Election Strategy Session with General Alliance. At this conference, there were Executive directors, student organization directors, and more that represented different communities around the country. After I came out of my shell (yesss I'm very shy with new people) I came to talk to people who were down to partner with the Pacific Islander community and work with us. A lot of their work was BIG TIME organizations like National Students Bill of Rights and Hip Hop Congress which were people who promotes the importance of voter activity through the push of the bill of student rights or hip hop music. Did you know they have free campaign websites? I learned how to organize phone banking and voter registrants through NOI (New Organizing Institute). It's wayyy easier than excel.

Everything I've learned here so far is GREAT! And comes in handy with what I want to push for in my community back at home. I'm meeting very inspirational and hardworking people. It checks me to work just as hard and get my work done too. One thing that's motivated me is knowing that Pacific Islanders are not (or hardly) represented out here. A lot of organizations claim API (Asian Pacific Islander) but they were not able to deliver when I asked them what were they working on within Pacific Islander communities. To a lot of them, we're the UNKNOWN. It's unfair! But at the same time, I can't blame them...it's hard to get all our Pacific Islanders to realize the importance of civic engagement. Soooo...this is where I came in...if they have no information on Pacific Islanders, what can I do to bring forth my community? What do they need me to do to push their efforts to the Pacific Islander community? This brought up a lot of discussion but people were really looking into it. My plan now is to just bug them until they can't take it anymore and finally do something about it. :)

I haven't had time to go out but hopefully this weekend I'm able to go out and do some sight-seeing. Going to work everyday has already been quite the adventure but I want to go to the main headquarters, the White House!!!! :) Excited for what's in store for me! Just praying it all goes well and I take more out of this experience than I can amount to think of! Stay tuned!! :)

P.S. I'll be posting more (pix and all) about my roomates, Faaputu Vaafuti and Norah LeDoux! And my wonderful family host, the Fa'amuli's! :)

PRESSING TOWARD THE GOAL (note to self)

SO WHAT'S YOUR GOALS FOR THIS YEAR? IN OTHER WORDS, WHAT IS YOUR NEW YEARS RESOLUTION?

How are you going to reach those goals? Plan it? Work harder? Study more? Eat less? (that's me) lol

To kick off the new year, we wanted to have bible study with "setting goals" for 2012!
So if you have the chance to read...read Phillippians 3:12-21.

Whatever is in the past, is in the past. Look forward to the future & SET YOURSELF SOME GOALS...God has intended it! And in ALL YOUR WAYS, do not fail to acknowledge Him.

Phillippians 3: 13
"Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,"

Keep a clear conscious of what you want to achieve...if at anytime you feel a change of heart, let the Lord show you... :)

STAY BLESSED

Lessons For Life

So I'm reading this book, Lessons for Life by Sylvia Browne.

I want to call it a book of salvation. I'm not saying it's a substitution for the Bible but it's more like a guide book of how you should identify yourself spiritually.

I worry a lot (mentally) and I think that's what has affected me physically. It's all about plucking those bad roots of your past and harnessing your weaknesses into strengths. This is the first 8-week program I have ever done and it has already made a drastic change to how I should think (positively). I'm on my first week. LOL. Don't judge me but I can't get my mind off of this book (hence why I'm writing about it).

I guess this can be a little pre-test to how I'm feeling about it now. I guess I'll write about it after I read it too.

For anyone who feels me on this post, I highly recommend reading this book. Whether it's reading it online or having to go to the bookstore for it. It's a mind-blower!

Shoutout to my older cousin Kulaea Falevai for hooking me up with it. I'm sitting here thinking, "If only I had this book sooner, I would've handled situations a lot better!" LOL. But I guess that's how it goes, ya take the test first than learn the lesson. Much love and respect to Sylvia Browne. You've helped a lot with what I'm going through (mentally)...haha.

Back to reading :)

What's Up Yall!

Haven't been on here for a while. But life is good and I can't complain.
Kind of got the hang of tumblr so you can catch me on there. hehe.
Things have changed drastically within the last few months and I can't say anything more than "God has been good to me!"

A lot of things has been happening within our Tongan community, especially here in SoCal. We've upgraded on a bill called AB1088 proposed by assembly member Mike Eng which allows Tongans, Fijians and more Asian Americans to be recognized as separate communities. This allows more disaggregated data for our communities! YAY! Thank you Mike Eng for voicing our communities! Much love to you!

I've found my niche to work for the community and that's my lovely potungaue talavou at Lennox United Methodist Church. Love helping our people and what better place than to carry it out at church?--the center of our culture.

Still schooling it but I don't know what to major in. I apparently like EVERYTHING so I don't know what to pick. haha.

Anyways, I'm gonna end it here. Might be posting some more fo'free things later. So stay tuned. Much love & stay blessed. Tu'a 'ofa atu!

HIGHER EDUCATION

JOIN THIS EVENT!!! Especially for high school students AND COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS to promote HIGHER EDUCATION!

POLYNESIANS NEED TO KEEP IT MOVING!!! Watch the link below to find out more...K'Nova and more Polynesian artists will be performing too! :)

SAVE RAPANUI

Our Pacific Islander MOVEMENT...

Pacifika Voice in Los Angeles.


DECEMBER 23,2010--Los Angeles, Wilshire and Fairfax.

Ta'ahine 'O Moana had the opportunity to join this cause to SAVE RAPANUI! Our Polynesian people are joining this movement to help free our endangered people of Rapanui. Thanks Pacifika Voice! :)

EASTER ISLAND
I fail in life to just have learned about Rapanui. Rapanui is the Easter Island located just off of South America near Chile, but is considered one of our Polynesian islands. Their language is very similar to Hawaiian. So way back in the 19th century, Chileans took over Rapanui. They forbade their culture and for years, the indigenous people of Rapanui couldn't even speak their own language in public. In the present day, the Chilean government are starting to evict people from their OWN HOMES! These people are being kicked out of their own homes that they have owned for generations. Chilean law says that no one is allowed to take property without a legal warrant, and now it seems that they're going against their own word.

Imagine getting kicked out of your own house that you OWN! I can't imagine my families back in Tonga being put out on the street from their own house because the government wanted their property. To me, that's just not civilized. It's unfair!

Now our protest on Thursday was a GREAT START! Shoutout to my Pacifika Voice and all my community leaders coming out & showing support! We stood out in the street protesting against Chilean government harassment and spreading the word! We need to help our brothers and sisters in Rapanui. Our voices speak louder than anything! We got to fight and stand up for our rights!!

LEARN MORE!

--www.saverapanui.org
--join the facebook page & stay updated->> http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Save-RAPA-NUI-USA/126262820769194

DON'T LET IT END HERE...JOIN THE CAUSE!! LETS MAKE IT HAPPEN!!

Lennox CENSUS 2010

My youth and I entered the PSA contest for Census 2010 and this was our product!
The message is important! EVERYONE SHOULD BE COUNTED!
The boys and Lupe put the song together! & I never get tired of listening to it.
Thanks Lupe for putting it together! I LOVE iT!