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Author Archives: Kumu Noël

About Kumu Noël

I teach Foundations I: Physical Assessment (Labs) to Sophomores, and Medical-Surgical Theory & Clinical to Junior Nursing Majors at Wesleyan University. During the May Term, I teach Transcultural Healthcare in Hawaii (Travel course) or Abuse in America (On-campus course) to students of all Majors. I love to travel, see the world, and develop relationship with people of all cultures...

Incredible views and memories at Mauna Kea…

There have been many highlights throughout our travels for this course, but I think if you asked the students (or me and Kumu Lisa), we had our most impressive excursion yesterday (our last full day in the islands). We loaded into two, 4-wheel drive mini-buses for the drive up to the summit Mauna Kea (“White … Continue reading »

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Venturing from Hilo to Kona… and seeing the sites along the way!

Early in the morning on Tuesday, May 27th, we loaded our bags onto our Roberts coach and started off for the “dry” side of the Big Island… and our last setting for the course.  We had a full-day of site-seeing before arriving in our destination – the city of Kona (coffee anyone?!). First stop: The … Continue reading »

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Visit to Hawaii College of Oriental Medicine (HICOM)

On Sunday, May 25th we walked back to the Hawaii College of Oriental Medicine (HICOM) for a lecture on acupuncture from Ruthie Moss, LAc (Dean of Academics).  The students learned about the history and evolution of the practice of acupuncture and oriental medicine, and a bit about the curriculum and training offered to students at … Continue reading »

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Saturday, May 24th: Learning ancient chant and hula

Kumu Lisa and I are still trying to get caught up with the blog… On Saturday, May 24th we walked about 30-minutes to the other end of Hilo town to the Lilikuokalani Gardens where we had a class in ancient Hawaiian chant, and hula from Kumu Hula Ehulani Stephani.  I’ve  posted some still shots from … Continue reading »

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Learning about LomiLomi (Hawaiian healing massage)…

Yesterday (Friday) morning, we walked to the Hawaii College of Oriental Medicine (HICOM) where our group met with Nerita Machado to learn about the art and practice of LomiLomi massage. Nerita is the daughter of Auntie Margaret Machado and carries on her tradition by sharing the story of her mother’s life and legacy, and her … Continue reading »

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Moving on to the Big Island…

Our Roberts bus picked us up bright and early (very bright and early) this morning to take us back to Kahalui Airport, where we boarded our Hawaiian Airlines flight for the Hilo, on the Big Island.  We reached the Hilo Bay Hostel, where we will be for the next four days by 10:00 a.m.  The … Continue reading »

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Last lesson in Lahaina…

Wednesday was just “chock-full-o-learning”!  After the student-led presentation was finished, the students had the opportunity to hear from Pat Podack, MD (An IWU alum!).  Dr. Podack is an OB-GYN physician who practiced on Maui for many years, and recently retired.  She described the demographics and statistics of the patient population she served, her experiences practicing … Continue reading »

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Learning about La’au Lapa’au

Today we boarded our Roberts coach to go to the Kalepolepo Fishpond (Koʻieʻie Loko Iʻa) in Kihei. This is an ancient Hawaiian fishpond, estimated to have been built between 1400–1500 AD.  In 1996, the ʻAoʻao O Na Loka Iʻa O Maui (Association of the Fishponds of Maui) began renovating Koʻieʻie, working closely with the Hawaiian … Continue reading »

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Out to the Iao Valley for class today…

We flew over to Maui yesterday afternoon.  Today, we went out to the Iao Valley, and hiked the trail up to the Iao Needle, which has an elevation of 2,250 feet. It was warm, and clear today so the students had a great view of the ʻĪao Needle (Kūkaemoku) which is a famous landmark in … Continue reading »

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Learning about the culture of homelessness…

This year we added a unit of content on the culture of homelessness to the course.  On Sunday, May 11th, Collin B., Natalie S. & Sarah V. led a discussion on the topic. Today (May 14th) we took the Bus downtown to the John A. Burns School of Medicine, and then walked a short distance … Continue reading »

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