Polynesian Cultural Center

Jelisa, Jen, and Shellee on our way to PCC

Samoan guy weaving a basket for the night show

Jelisa and Shellee

This guy climbed the tree with bare feet

Tahna, Shellee, Jelisa, and Jen

Jelisa and Jen at PCC

Samoa show--he's teaching us how to crack a coconut

Learning to play the Uke

Jelisa, Tahna, and Shellee outside of our Luau entrance

Fake tattoos:)

Boat show--Tonga

Waiting for the Luau to start

The Polynesian Cultural Center was amazing! We got to be involved in everything and we got hooked up with a 50% discount because of Tahna which made me very happy!  We decided to take off around 12:45 so we went to the bus stop to wait. All of a sudden, a charcoal Honda pulls up and this guy says, "Are you the girls that live in 74?" We were a little taken off guard by that so we said, uh...yeah. He said that he was a friend of a lady that lives in Turtle Bay that had shown us around. He asked us if we wanted a ride to the PCC and Tahna said, "You're not going to kidnap us right?" Then Jen turns to me and says, "It's ok, he's skinny--we can take him." Haha, we all got a kick out of that conversation! Grant (the guy who gave us a ride) dropped us off at the PCC and we started our adventure. It was so neat to go see the different cultures and lifestyles (i.e. Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, Tahiti, Aotearoa, etc). It was incredibly hot outside and we were all just dying; however, we got involved and saw all of the happenings. We tried some of the games (which I failed miserably at) and watch some shows, one of which was one of the best shows of the day, but we thought we were going to die of heat. It was the canoe show and each different place would do their native dances and perform on canoes. There is a movie clip above of a small part of one of the dances. The Polynesians are incredibly talented and it was so amazing to watch them! Their movements are so crisp and powerful and they have vocal cords like you wouldn't believe!

We had the opportunity to learn the hula and I tried learning the Uke which turned out to be quite fun. The guy made me sing You are my sunshine with him which I felt ridiculous doing, but it was all a part of the experience and I enjoyed it:) Tahna and I got fake tattoos and we all went on a canoe ride where our guide was from New Zealand and about the only white guy working there. The canoes are so neat because one guy stands on the back and pushes it with a long stick and they can maneuver them quite well. At the Samoa show, this guy ran and jumped on a tree and just started climbing like a mad man! I think he had guards on his feet, but other than that he was barefoot and an amazing climber! We also learned that a coconut has a face which helps you know where to crack it. We then learned how to make coconut milk out of the coconut shavings and it was fun to watch.

The luau was great! We walked in and they put a necklace on everyone which I was excited about because I was wanting to buy one so thank heavens I decided to hold off. We were seated and a show was presented while everyone ate. They had these delicious purple rolls which we were in love with. I have no clue what they're even called but they were literally purple. After the luau, we walked around for a bit and then it was time for the show which is called Ha meaning Breath of life. We weren't allowed to use cell phones, cameras, or video cameras throughout the entire show. They were sticklers about it too! The night show was the best part of the entire day. There was a ton of dancing with colorful costumes and lots of different cultural performances. It was crazy because towards the end, the men come out and perform a fire show which we were completely impressed by. The main "fire guy" held fire on his feet for like 10 seconds! I have no idea how he did it and am still amazed by his talent. They are all very talented. The girls make these super loud noises which at first I thought was really cool, but by the end of the day it started getting annoying because it's so loud and they do it so often. The employees there are very friendly and make it a great experience. We learned that 70% of the employees there are students at BYU-H. The Polynesian Cultural Center was created to help students go to college at BYU and there were a lot of people from different cultures working there. The PCC was a really great experience! I've always wanted to go there so it meant a lot to be there and to experience the amazing talents that people have.