A Hawaii Girl’s Guide to Brown
Hi everyone! I’m a first-year here at Brown and I was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. That’s almost 5000 miles between home and school! So much distance means a HUGE cultural difference, so I thought I would share a few things I’ve learned in my first month.
Layering clothes: I’ll have to get back to you on that one. In Hawaii, our two seasons are “hot” and “slightly less hot,” so I’ve been throwing on a random tank top and shorts for my whole life. Here, I check the weather app every morning and I still haven’t gotten it down. #ineedhelp
Poke: A classic local staple made its way to Rhode Island, both in our dining halls and on Thayer! I was a little concerned when I saw the sign for Pokeworks, but it’s actually not bad. I personally don’t believe that fruit should be mixed in with the actual fish, but each to their own, I guess. Also, they offer chopsticks as utensils, which makes my part asian self very happy.
The cool acorns: They’re actually just regular acorns, but I think they’re really cool because there’s none at home. The best place to look for acorns is in the grassy area near the dancing tinfoil guys on Waterman Street. If I was from a state that had actual seasons, I would be able to tell you what kinds of trees are there. Unfortunately I am not, so my best guess is that they are oak trees. I’ve definitely gotten a few weird looks while hunting down acorns, but it’s all worth it in my opinion. I would recommend walking slowly on the sidewalk along the tree line. That way, you can still blend in with the regular passerby. I would also suggest bringing along a bag; the first time I hunted acorns, I had to walk all the way across campus pretending that I didn’t have two hands full of acorns.
“Wildlife”: I’ve noticed that Brown is home to a variety of furry frenemies that I have not seen before. Most obviously, there are tons of squirrels. They seem harmless but the ones in Keeney have a staring problem. I have also seen three skunks! From about fifty feet away. I have never been sprayed by a skunk and I would like to keep it that way. Yesterday, I saw a cottontail bunny. I also don’t know anything about wild bunnies but the tail actually did look like a cotton ball. I have heard stories about opossums lurking near Andrews, but I haven’t seen those yet. At home, our only neighborhood animals are chickens and stray cats. Thankfully, I don’t have too many chickens outside my house but there are tons of cats. They slink around in the dark, poop in everyone’s yard, and yowl in my windows at night. They usually sound like crying babies, which is really creepy when it’s 3 a.m. and there’s no babies nearby.
In all, I think that I’ve been getting acclimated fairly well. I’m very much looking forward to the seasons changing so that I can start going on pinecone hunts as well. If that works out, I’ll keep y’all updated with the new pinecone hunting spots. Meanwhile, I’ll be trying to decipher the weather because it’s 70 degrees one day and then 40 degrees the next.
