The ongoing culture shock

The cat calls are pretty bad here. I keep thinking of a way where I could record it all, just to show people how prevalent it is. Traveling alone has definitely made me more aware of it. When I have a guy with me, even if he's just a friend, it's a break from the cat callers, because they wouldn't 'dare' step up on some other man's turf.

Mr Vitus is my shining armor right now

And not just the cat-calls, I find it hard to get men to make eye contact with me, and listen to what I have to say. Many men here, usually 'look' over women, as if they are just extras and pretty things to look at. Many women take it because it is completely normal in their culture. And it frustrates me when I am trying to gain information from someone, and they give me wishy washy details because they weren't even listening in the first place. I deal with a lot of shit from people.

Then the racism. And I have embraced it as it is an eyeopener to how black people in the mainland are treated. I'm on the same side as the people who look at me in disgust because I'm a white person that's 'destroying' their land. No I'm in the same fight, on the same side.

Keep the country country Malakehana

That's the danger of discrimination and racism. Stop dumping everyone into one group. Instead, see each person as an actual individual with a whole story behind them. I'm seen as a white tourist who is in part responsible for the destruction of their Island. Yet get honked at, almost side swiped, everything while biking along the thin bumpy roads of Oahu. I have a whole life behind me. I'm not meaningless, so I wish people would stop treating me as such.

These things happen every single day. Every day. I haven't had a day where it hasn't happened. And it's becoming quite exhausting. And also because I don't have someone here next to me to brush it off with. But also because I have noticed that I could unfortunately be in danger in certain areas, due to my being a female and because I'm obviously not local.

I am powerful, strong and can carry my own weight as a human being. Yet I'm looked at as so weak. So on top of the love additions to my daily routine, I have to fight even more just to get past it, ignore it, brush it off, confront it, make it known. Whatever is appropriate. So fuck you people who don't get it. To the men who aren't feminists.

But people don't really care. No one has the time. Or the energy. But I'm going to keep plodding, and something will come from it. I know it.