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December 1st, 2008
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A taste of the Tropics

Around Town

By Benjamin Thomas Cunningham
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
August 13th, 2008 issue

Pick at random two places on opposite sides of the globe with almost nothing in common historically or culturally. Then imagine some sudden act of God combining this formerly alien pair.

On Aug. 5, the hypothetical became reality as the trade winds blew a burst of Hawaiian culture into Malá Strana. With the U.S. Embassy as a facilitating higher power, the American Center Prague hosted a “Hawaii night” against the backdrop of a well-manicured courtyard and a warm, but thankfully nontropical, evening.
As attendees were greeted by a shirtless sarong-wearing man distributing macadamia nuts, it was clear things were taking a turn to the Pacific. An initial unofficial survey of the scene found this: Exactly one Hawaiian shirt, a plethora of leis, one grass skirt, one Celebrity Cruise Line backpack and enough pina coladas to buoy up a Pearl Harbor battleship.
In what may or may not have been an off-the-record conversation, the embassy technology guy confessed that it was only his second day on the job, before moving off to punch up a thing or two on some laptops. I couldn’t help but wonder what all the computers were for.
Pavel Váně — a rocker with long, graying hair that could easily belong to some sage surfing guru — played a Hawaiian tune for the crowd. He then recounted several gigs of old fashioned Czech rock ’n’ roll on his own jaunt through Polynesia.
“They liked it. It was more exotic for them,” he said.
“How does ‘Pu Uwai Pumehana’ translate into Czech?” I asked of the song he played, unsure myself if I was serious.
As the evening moved forward sadly lacking in tiki torches, I noted the occasional “hang 10” hand gesture, several pairs of Ray Ban sunglasses and at least one reference to Elvis Presley’s “Blue Hawaii.” Having never been to the islands myself, I supposed this was as close as I could get — the irrationality of this idea only occurring to me now as I note that Prague and Honolulu are more than 12,000 kilometers apart.
This was the first American Center event in an ambitious plan to host events for each of the 50 states. Noting that Hawaii was a fine place with which to start, I hoped such events would occur in reverse chronology of the granting of statehood status. A celebration of the 50th state, full of tropical flowers and fruits, is attractive, but I would prefer to put off honoring the first state — Delaware — as long as possible. “Spend an Evening with the Blue Hen State,” lacks the same caché.  
A fountain turned reflecting pool in the courtyard’s center became an impromptu wishing well, with pink flower petals tossed into the water in lieu of coins. One toddler made enough wishes for the rest of us, and I can only suspect that most were longing for a trip of their own to Maui or Kauai as they cast blossoms afloat.
The evening took a sudden turn — my tech acquaintance took center stage and a slideshow of vacation pictures began. Just when I thought the evening was beginning to resemble something endured after Aunt Sally’s latest visit to the Ozarks, I noted three key differences: voluntary attendees, genuine interest and smiles.
What was taking place was that elusive thing called cultural exchange, though a group hula lesson could have gone a long way toward completing the circle of thorough immersion.
Short of a roasted pig, I could think nothing missing from the evening and headed home, happy to surmise that all went well tech-wise — with the embassy’s newest employee ostensibly living to see day three. I never did find out how to translate ‘Pu Uwai Pumehana’ into Czech — or English for that matter — but some language discrepancies were resolved.
Mahalo means thanks, and aloha means good bye.

Benjamin Thomas Cunningham can be reached at bcunningham@praguepost.com


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