This year, my first year living in New York City, I got to see my home state's Na Koa Ali'i Hawaii All-State Marching Band perform in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Needless to say, it was something I was extremely excited for.

No matter how far away I've distanced myself from the islands or how absorbed in my education in the city I've become, Hawaii is always with me. The connection isn't always explicit, but it's there. Prior to Thanksgiving break, it had been a while since I felt close to home. So when I found out that students from my island of Kauai were coming to march in a New York City parade, I counted down the days.

It was definitely a breath of fresh air and a warm feeling to get to see some of the underclassmen I've come to know and love in the big city that has now become my home. No longer did I need to do things to compensate for the missing pieces of Hawaii. I didn't have to check the time at the corner of my laptop screen that I leave unchanged from home and pretend it's Pacific Standard Time. Or order takeout from the Hawaiian food place a couple blocks away. Or simply sit outside with nature and try to ignore the busy streets. (Yes, I've done all those things). But during this break, I didn't have to. I had over a hundred locals (the biggest group in Macy's 90th Thanksgiving Day Parade) from Hawaii physically present in my city.

Hanging out with the crew from Hawaii allowed me to slow myself down and be genuinely myself again. Barnard College has definitely made me feel comfortable being who I am, but sometimes it gets tough when everything around you is so different. I could finally speak Pidgin English again and not feel weird calling adults "Aunty" or "Uncle." I got to sit at a dinner table with some new faces but coincidentally know either friends or family of all of them (Kauai's a relatively small island, we know everyone). I could listen to the band play familiar songs and share Manhattan Island with people from the Hawaiian Islands. Best of all, I got to feel what real Aloha-filled hugs feel like again.

After swiping a bunch of them into the subway station from South Ferry to 42nd Street and watching them excitedly shop at the NY gift stores, I wish they didn't have to leave so soon. It was really nice spending time with Hawaii again, though. As one of the lovely chaperones hashtagged it "local Kekaha girl helps her own." That's why I chose to travel all the way to the East Coast to study in New York City: to be able to share this experience with those from back home in the islands.

I'm so proud to belong to Hawaii and that Hawaii belongs to me. Soon, I'll be home for the holidays, soaking up the warm Hawaiian sun. But until then, I'll have to snack on local treats from care packages and attempt to survive city / college life. Less than a month left. ALOHA!