Cindy left full-time daily newspaper work so she could homeschool her son, a computer whiz and defender of furry critters and other underdogs who thrives with independent learning. A former middle and high school teacher, she found it difficult to say no to his request.
Cindy has experienced Hawaii as a visitor and resident (10 years between Big Island (Hawaii Island), Oahu and Kauai, but mostly the Big Island) and currently makes her home in Hawaiian Paradise Park (HPP) on the Big Island. HPP is a large, agruclutural subdivision located about 15 minutes south of Hilo in the Puna District.
In the late 80's, Cindy taught at Waiakea High (in Hilo on the Big Island) where her ninth grade English students gave her a sink-or-swim course in Hawaiian Pidgin, and then as an educational therapist at a residential treatment center where she taught a variety of subjects including Hawaiian Studies.
While teaching on the Big Island of Hawaii, she had the opportunity to learn with her students from volunteer kupuna (elders) who taught their skills, such as poi making and lei making at the center. She also accompanied her students on a YMCA Wilderness Program three-day survival hike across Volcanoes National Park's Kau Desert on the flanks of Mauna Loa.
As a single parent of three children in Hawaii in the 90's, she quickly learned how to make her dollars stretch. This wasn’t too difficult because if you look in the right places, Hawaii offers a great deal for very little: beautiful beaches, waves that gave birth to the sport of surfing, fragrant blossoms year-round and waterfalls that rest and inspire the spirit. But it’s the people and their culture as much as the natural beauty that draws her back again and again.
Cindy’s connection to Hawaii is a gift from her grandparents, Wilbur Harr and Jeanne Bassett Harr. Her grandmother’s aunt lived in Hawaii in the 1940’s and her grandmother’s cousin was born in Hawaii and lived out most of her life in Hilo. Cindy grew up in the San Grabiel Valley (Covina and El Monte) surrounded by her grandfather’s photographs of the islands and hearing her grandmother’s stories of the people there she loved so much, the legends, and the hula.
Check out the latest edtion of her downloadable ebook:
The 100% guaranteed guide combines the best of Hawaii eco adventures, Oahu nature tours, culture, A& E and dining with Hawaii budget travel.
Jordan, enjoying the view from a lookout point off Kalanianiole Hwy, between Hanauma Bay and the Windward side of Oahu.
