(Instrumental music) Kala'i Miller:# Aloha, I'm Kala'i Miller, and welcome to Home is# Here.

The ocean - for some it’s where they have## fun, for others it’s where they get their# food.

For O'ahu’s Ann Yoshida - the ocean## is comfort and healing... helping her chart# a new path after a life-changing accident.# Ann Yoshida: I think like when you almost lose## life, you start feeling that like preciousness# of what life is about.

And how mortal you are.## I had a rediscovery of who I really was who# I wanted to become, you know, I was 21 about## the time.

So I actually felt that change, that# hey, I'm the maker of my own life, like I can## mold myself into whatever I want it to be.

I was in Utah, getting my bachelor's degree## in Human Biology and I came home one night# after work, and I was a passenger in a car## and someone crashed into the side of my car,# in a bigger truck, so like a 1970s stepside## truck and I was in a Nissan Sentra.

So# the impact was pretty obvious for me,## because I was the one that stopped that truck.

I# walked out of that in that automobile accident,## actually, and went into the ambulance, and was# basically thinking that I had a left broken arm,## my left arm was broken, and didn't realize# that the impact actually kind of ripped my## aorta.

It was seeping blood and I was having a# hard time breathing.

And the doctor says, “Oh,## get her in and scan her.” They saw some blood# leaking and she picked up my aorta, and it## burst in her hands basically and so she clamped# it repaired it, put a graft in and stuff like## that.

But when the aorta is clamped off the oxygen# stops to your cells, and your nerves start dying.## And that's kind of what happened in my spinal# cord.

No oxygen went to my spine.

When I woke up,## no one really told me that I was paralyzed, they# didn't know that I would be paralyzed, actually.# It’s not like you can feel that you cannot# feel.

I felt that feeling of heaviness on my## lower body.

And even in my chest, when I was# trying to breathe.

I was like, something's## wrong with me, I don't know what's going on.

I had no experience before or with someone who was## paralyzed.

So, I went in not knowing anything very# ignorant of and almost like a new child.

And so## like a new child, I was like a sponge and I just# soaked everything in tried to learn everything I## could.

And I've never like explained it this way# before but it feels like you're a new person.

So expectations actually go very low, with people# that are around you, like my parents, you know,## they all have these huge expectations.

But now# it was like trauma came.

And they're like, “Whoa,## you're alive, what?” You know.

So it's just like# this blank slate.

It's almost like a rebirth.

I## went through this crazy trauma, I almost died,# then now there's a glimmer of hope.

Even though## there's a long road to get to that glimmer.

And# really, I didn't have expectations on myself,## either.

I knew I could do things.

But I didn't# know what I could do.

And so I discovered I went## out with a curious heart and a curious# mind, and a curious body to discover## what I could do.

And realized that it's pretty# amazing what I could do, and I still can do.# Every day I just said, I'm gonna do what I# can do one thing more than I did yesterday.# I remember very distinctly of the goal of me# being able to sit up for with my feet over my## bed for 40 minutes.

And that was like a goal# I had in my head that I didn't tell anyone,## but it was like, I just want to be able to sit# up in my bed, because laying down is exhausting.## And it's sore, you know, it's not fun.

I did# that and then it was like, oh, okay, well,## I could do that.

What else can I do, right?

I used to walk to school up this crazy hill,## it's called Suicide Hill, super# steep between my house up to## Mililani Waena, where I went to elementary school.

I was pushing up the hill, right.

And the first## day, I could like, barely get down the road, My# body couldn't handle the environmental stresses.## It took, maybe, was about a year, it took me# to get up to that top of that snake hill.

And## once I did that, I was like, “Oh, now what can# I do?” Right?

And then you're like, oh, I want## to start driving again.

Oh, I want to go back to# school again.

Oh, I want to get a job again, oh,## I want to move out of my family's house.

Oh, I# want to, you know, start surfing.

Oh, I want to## start an organization that helps people surf, who# are in my situation, oh, I want to go paddling,## oh, I want to paddle around the world.

I want to# become the best native Hawaiian adaptive paddler## in the world.

You know what I mean?

Those things# like those small little goals grow into these## huge goals.

And, you know, my friend made this# saying of, you know, when your dreams come true,## they take flight.

Well these dreams are the# goals that I had, that I had created for myself,## and it took flight.

And, you know, there's so# much power in that.

And I think that was kind## of the process.

It didn't start with me going up# that mountain.

It started me with even looking## at the mountain or just thinking that there was# a mountain, right?

That's kind of the process.## Took years and years and years.

Four years after I was paralyzed,## we were getting back into paddling at an event# a community event with Hawaii Adaptive Paddling## Program.

And Rich Julian, Mark Marble, and a# few other people, I mean there are a lot of## us got together and we started talking about# oh, this can be done in surfing.

And I was,## one of the first participants at AccesSurf and# also slowly moved into a volunteer role and then## naturally moved into an athlete role.

And now I'm# a staff role.

I kind of grew up with AccesSurf.# I think back then we had to do a lot of# reeducating, repainting that picture of what## a person with a disability could or couldn't do.# That people with disabilities are not liabilities## in the water.

It comes down to the people# who don't know, ocean, are the liabilities,## not, not the people with disabilities.# But we had to kind of push through that.# Announcer: Finals day and the PCH,## the Pacific Coast Highway, Honolulu, Hawai'i.

Crowd:# Wooo!

Ann Yoshida:# Their picture of a surfer, it's not a person with# a disability.

And so I looked at competition in## surfing more of an educational piece and outreach# piece so that people can see one that the sport## is there, right?

There's sport, there's people# who are doing it.

It's competitive and it can be## really amazing.

And, and then that image just# grew across the world.

Now, there's a world## championships every year.

I started competing,# not because I was a competitive surfer, because## I never really was.

I just started competing# because I'm trying to build a sport with other## people around me.

And just change people's ideas# of what life with a disability can be really.

And## that's changed me too.

You know, I've, I've# also changed my personality and my vision of## what a person with a disability can or can't do.

Maybe 2006 or five, that I started getting into## paddling and realized very quickly that paddling# is a one sport that you could do around the world.## And I paddled all over the world.

There’s not a# lot of adaptive paddling coaches.

And so I moved## to North Carolina.

A friend put me up in her extra# room and I paddled with a coach that was, to me,## the best in the nation and learned a lot from# him and changed who I was really as a paddler.# 2010 to 2016 I got bronze.

2015, I got silver,# in 2016, I got gold.

And that was also when the## 2016 Paralympics was in Rio.

That was an amazing# experience.

I got there because Russia pulled out,## you know, I wasn't the best I was - In the world,# I was, you know, top 10 or top eight, or whatever## it is, a spot opened up and I was the alternate,# and they put me in.

And I paddled.

And I made it## to the finals, actually, which was pretty good.# And in the final race, halfway through the race,## I flipped in the race.

I thought that I would# be devastated.

But actually, kind of replayed## what I went through to get to that point.

And# then I realized that really, it was the process## that I went through, that changed who I was.

It# wasn't the end result of being on a podium in the## Paralympics, I mean, that would have been nice.# But it was really the process that I went through## to change, to be able to get to where I was to be# amongst the best in the world.

So the rescue boat## came to get me after I flipped in that Lagoa and# it's like, so gross.

All the poop goes in there## and everything.

And the first thing I thought# was, what a relief.

And the process really is## what changed me.

So there's a photo of me on that# boat, holding on to the side.

And I'm super like,## I just have this huge smile.

And I was like you’d# think that I'd be crying or you know something.## But no, I was just so happy and excited.

I felt# so much love and and happiness and joy for all## of us.

I use it every day really.

The things# that I learn, training for the Paralympics,## they are lessons that have been with me and will# continue to be with me for the rest of my life.# Being a water person, I feel very comfortable# in the ocean, actually, I feel more comfortable## in the ocean than on land.

I feel more safe,# really on the ocean than in land, which is,## I think it's not a way that most people feel.

I think that was just from my parents and from## their parents, and from the generational# comfort that we have as a family that## that are in the water, that utilize the water, and# that are one with the water.

My mom would look to## the ocean as a place of health and, and love and# embracing.

And so I grew up with those concepts## that going into the ocean is where I could get# balanced, where I could feel helped, where I could## feel renewed.

And when I lived outside of Hawai,# I was not in the ocean.

And there was like always## this part of me missing.

And when I got into the# mountains, it almost kind of filled me up, like## the ocean did.

And so I realized that there was a# correlation between the mountains and the ocean.# Nature was created with spiritual power.

We# were created with spiritual power.

And when## we go back to these places, we're able to heal# because our spiritual power is being connected.## I don't understand it all.

But I understand# that when we spend time in these green and## blue spaces, we change, we get recharged.

I was always looking for a place to kind of## carry out the childhood dream of living off grid# in the mountains, sharing a community center with## that.

I was open to that opportunity and it came# to me and I said, yes.

It's not easy.

Of course,## there's a lot of work behind it.

But I you# know, there's reason in everything you do.# What I've learned in AccesSurf, it's not# really a disability thing.

Accessibility## to the ocean there could be barriers, not# only physical, it could be knowledge wise,## it could be community wise, it could be# support system wise, there's a lot of barriers## that stop you from getting into the ocean.

I'm realizing that people don't understand## really what accessibility is.

And all we're doing# is trying to expand what accessibility looks like.## I did all these things in the ocean, there wasn't# anything in Hawai'i for accessibility in the## mountains.

And I realized it's not a disability# thing.

In this case.

It could be that you don't## have money to or access to land.

You don't know# people who have land.

You don't know someone who## would let you be on land, in natural environments.# It could be a lot of reasons.

It could## be an internal thing.

It could be a community# thing.

It could be a socio-economic thing.# A lot of these barriers are across the board.# People have barriers to get into nature.

We have## become so seperated from natural environments,# we've become disconnected to the old practices## of being one with nature, right.

And so being# able to have a place to become connected,## in nature, be connected to the mana to the# spiritual power that is in the creation,## it just brings us back to being connected.

And# then as we are connected, we become restored.# I continue my work in the ocean, of course,# and, and as people learn, and as a community## gets bigger, I have to do less, really, and# it's been nice to see that.

And now, there## are opportunities that open people that I meet,# that could benefit from being here at Holomua## Farms.

And so my vision is one, to have a place# of connection, right?

A place of restoration,## and a place of being able to share.

I believe# that the nature will teach us.

I'm just here to## facilitate if that's possible, and sometimes I# facilitate well, and sometimes I don't, but I'm## learning as I'm going.

But I have a willing# heart and open heart and open mind to learn.## And I see the vision.

I think I was prepared my# entire life to be able to carry this work out.# Kala'i Miller: What is small in size but have an enormous impact## on just about everything we eat?

I’m talking about# honeybees, which are vital for the pollination of## many crops.

Over at the UH Hilo farm in Pana'ewa# on the island of Hawai'i, students are getting## hands-on lessons in beekeeping.

The program is so# buzz worthy, a renowned chef is helping to foster## this next generation of beekeepers.

(Instrumental music)# Lorna Tsutsumi / UH Hilo Entomology Professor There is a great deal of communication that goes## on between bees.

It's tactile, it's chemical, it's# audio.

So they can hear, they can smell, they can## feel and this is how they orderly manage a hive.

I'm Dr. Lorna Tsutsumi.

I'm a professor of## entomology at the University of Hawai'i at# Hilo, College of Agriculture, Forestry and## Natural Resource Management.

I offer several beekeeping## courses at the University of Hawai'i.

This particular beekeeping certificate## is only offered at the University of Hawai'i# at Hilo, as well as the hands on beekeeping## courses.

And this is tropical beekeeping.# So it gives students background in how to## manage honeybees within a tropical environment# as opposed to temperate beekeeping, which you## find elsewhere in the United States.

Jake Rodrigue / UH Hilo Farm Manager# I was born and raised in Lahaina.

And, there# used to be a lot of bees in my neighborhood,## just in people's rock walls, and things like that# or washed up on the beach, and I'd step on them.# I used to dislike bees so# much.

I got stung all the time.# And then I took the course and after the# first semester we had, it 180.

Changed my mind## completely.

I went from disliking bees to thinking# they're the coolest things on the planet.

That's## one of the main reasons I got into it.

And after# learning more about it, and some of the collapse## of honey bees, as well as just pollinators is,# you know, kind of a duty to learn how to do it.# Lorna Tsutsumi / UH Hilo Entomology Professor Interestingly, honey bees are only one of## two insects that have been domesticated# or cultivated by man.

The other one is## silkworms.

And both insects were cultivated# for the products primarily honey, pollen,## royal jelly.

But what has become more important# as we talk about food security is that honey## bees are one of the most important pollinators# of agricultural crops.

And therefore, we are## very dependent on honey bees for our food supply.

It's really, really important for students to not## only understand the organism, but to understand# how to properly manage honey bees so that they## can maximally produce the products that we are# interested in, but to maximally pollinate crops.## So they work really well in agricultural settings.

They forage basically within a two mile radius.## So here at the university, we have 110 acres,# and our crops on the farm are pollinated by## the honey bees that the students use.

'Iliahi Tancayo / UH Hilo Beekeeping## Certificate Student Aloha.

My name is 'Iliahi## Tancayo and I come from Moloka'i.

I am very interested in agriculture## and seeing how important it is for my island# back home.

I thought that beekeeping would be## a necessary tool to use and get acquainted# with so that one day I can probably start## that on my own, as well as be a farmer.

I haven't been up close to a bee ever## in my life prior to this class.

So being# able to be properly suited and you know,## the safety gear and procedures in place like# just being up close in the apiary gave me more## actually interests of the bees.

Because I got# to be in their environment instead of being## on this outside looking at a tiny little# bee.

I got to be up close and see exactly## what their nature is like.

Adam Vasquez / UH Hilo## Beekeeping Certificate Student So, we have three different boxes## in our hives in our Langstroth hives.# And so, the top box is typically your,## your super honey super.

And then your bottom# two boxes are your broods.

And your broods## typically have your larva, your eggs all have# like the maturing process of these and then## your supers will have honey.

And so, when you're# looking at the top, you're kind of just looking,## for that honey seeing how much is kept.

What# color it is.

When you're getting into the broods,## you're looking to see if your queen is laying# eggs.

If those legs, eggs are progressing,## and just seeing for life.

'Iliahi Tancayo / UH Hilo## Beekeeping Certificate Student The smoker, I learned, is used to## calm the bees.

So kind of when you interrupt# their daily cycle, their routine, they get## a little agitated and aggressive because things# are kind of out of order for them.

And they are,## they are insects of order.

And so the smoke is not# heat, it's more, it's a cooling type of smoke that## is used to soothe them.

And you can actually hear# the difference from when they start to buzz kind## of loud and just they sound really aggressive.

And# when you kind of smoke them out a little bit, you## can hear kind of like the peace within the hive.

Adam Vasquez / UH Hilo## Beekeeping Certificate Student When I first went into the hives, I would say like## that nervousness, that fear kind of was there.

And# then the more that you work with the same hive,## the more I've been able to see what that queen# is doing, see what how that hive is working.# Jake Rodrigue / UH Hilo Farm Manager What's really neat is that the certificate## for the beekeeping program kind of brings it# all together from learning about the bees,## caring for them, harvesting, learning what# you can do with the material that comes out.# Alan Wong / Chef The Adopt a Beehive program started in 2010.# Lorna Tsutsumi / UH Hilo Entomology Professor Chef Alan Wong approached me, the University## of Hawai'i at Hilo, to see if we could do a# collaboration where we could adopt hives to## the community and have these hives taken care of# by the beekeeping students.

And it's because he## understood the importance of honey bees in the# food chain that gets all the way up to the food## that he serves to his customers.

Alan Wong / Chef# For me as a chef, I'm worried that if# your food supply changes, my menus change.## And so, we decided to like, go all in and just# bring about awareness on the plight of the bees.# And so that's what the Adopt a Beehive program# is.

Where you can adopt a beehive at multiple## levels and students in turn, receive# scholarships to continue their education.# I just think it's cool because as, as# culinarians, as chefs, we used to go at## least once a year to Hilo, if not more than that.# And we would always go see how they raise the,## the bees and take care of the hives, and we# will participate in some of the honey producing.# Cooks don't understand that you got so many# different kinds of honey.

If the bees are## pollinating this flower, well, it might take# on a little bit of nuances from that flower,## or the environment.

That's why I call it terroir.# You know, terroir is taste the land.

And the bees## are doing that, and we get to taste what they# do.

Some honeys are light, some honeys are dark,## some are full bodied, some are light bodied it,# you know, they have all different kinds of smells## and aromas.

When you take your restaurant staff# to the beehives and they can see their environment## to see how its raised and produced.

And# they taste that, then they understand.# Lorna Tsutsumi / UH Hilo Entomology Professor So what happens with the honey that the beekeeping## students extract from the UHH hives, gets# turned into value added honey products,## and these are given to the adopters, as well# as different culinary institutes.

We've worked## with Hawai'i Community College.

We've worked# with Kapi'olani Community College to produce## honey inspired dishes.

Alan Wong / Chef# I look at cooking a little bit differently.# I put things in boxes.

And so, you have a## sodium box.

You have a heat box, which is all# our chili pepper things.

I have an acid box,## a sweet box, and a bitter box.

So, the honey# falls into a sweet box.

So, anything you## use to sweeten a dish like white sugar, brown# sugar, maple syrup, molasses, whatever you do,## you can just take it out and add honey.

Lorna Tsutsumi / UH Hilo Entomology Professor# What's cool about the certificate is you don't# have to be getting a four year degree from the## university.

You can get it as a private citizen,# apply to the university as an unclassified## student, and still get a beekeeping certificate# that can help you either in a business or in## some jobs.

And we do that for several# different areas in agriculture.# Jake Rodrigue / UH Hilo Farm Manager Beekeeping in particular, something about the## appeal of this foreign thing to most people that# attracts not just ag students but pretty much any,## any trade, any, any interest.

Adam Vasquez / UH Hilo## Beekeeping Certificate Student I like how easy it is to get## lost in a hive.

There's times where you'll have# .. bees will start crawling around, and you kind of# feel like little vibrations, you feel them buzzing## kind of speaking to you, if you will.

Or even# just like looking into combs, you just see just## a window into their little lives.

'Iliahi Tancayo / UH Hilo## Beekeeping Certificate Student I think the biggest lesson I've learned is that## bees are not harmful.

They, they react in response# to being threatened by humans who are not really## familiar with their, their personalities.

So just# learning that they are actually very beneficial## for our entire world, entire food system has# been probably the biggest lesson for me and just## learning to appreciate them instead of kind of# hush them off because I don't want to get stung.# Lorna Tsutsumi / UH Hilo Entomology Professor My passion for bees comes from understanding## how important they are to agriculture.

There# you can go to the internet and look at pictures## with and without pollination.

And you can see how# that affects our food choices, our food supply.## And knowing that it becomes absolutely essential# that we not only encourage beekeeping for the## products, but we encourage bees for pollination.# And when we do so we do so with good practices,## good solid beekeeping practices.

And that's what# we teach our students so that they in turn will## teach other people how to do good practices.# And this perpetuates a better way of looking at## agriculture and looking at beekeeping.

Kala'i Miller:# Mahalo for joining us.

It is because of the# generosity of viewers like you that we are able to## share these stories.

If you would like to support# our mission to advance learning and discovery,## please visit pbshawaii.org and click on# the donate now button.

For Home is Here,## I’m Kala'i Miller.

A hui hou.

Ann Yoshida:# That first time we didn't really know what we're# doing.

We knew the we knew that adaptive surfing## could happen, but we didn't know how it would work# for us, how it would work in our Hawaiian waters## and because it's a different beast, Hawai'i waters# are different from anywhere else in the world.# Lorna Tsutsumi: The downside of beekeeping, which most people## find as a deterrent to taking up beekeeping, is# that they also sting.

And when we work in hives,## we teach our students how to work with them with# the least amount of agitation so that you don't## get stung.

And after 30 years that equates to# about 1,000 stings per person, including myself.