LIHU‘E — Inflation has hit Belgium hard, said Puhi resident Steve Soltysik, who was invited to teach at a Waldorf school in Brussels recently.
Stirred with the inspiration of the Hawaiian star compass designed by Nainoa Thompson of the Polynesian Voyaging Society, students in the fourth grade were introduced to the canvas star compass delivered by Soltysik in French, a second language of the 37-year Kaua‘i resident.
The day of teaching made the month of September extra special, with excited students chattering in French, gaining a simple sense of direction with the rising and setting sun, just like in Hawai‘i.
The young students could hardly contain themselves with questions and interest about life on the tropical island. The idea of never having to heat homes is as foreign to them as snow on the beach in Hawai‘i is to Hawai‘i residents.
The students were truly amazed how very different life is on a tropical island, Soltysik said in an email.
The trip was also an education for Soltysik, as he discovered the country in the grips of inflation as much of the world is experiencing.
Store shelves are fully stocked, a gallon of gas is around $8, and the fragile situation in Ukraine makes for deep concern for escalation, he said.
Utilities for a average home built of stone and brick have jumped from roughly $200 a month to $700, sometimes as high as much as $1,000 a month.
Inflation for services and goods are up more than 50%, causing a lot of financial difficulty. The challenge and concern for working families is how they will simply stay warm this winter, and feed the keiki. “Tough days ahead as the cold winter months approach,” he said.
“My good fortune to live with families with the cold winter months arriving made for a month of awareness how very different life is in the little country of
Belgium.”
Travel was a challenge, too. The Paris and Brussels airports are overwhelmed with people, making for a stressful experience, with long, crawling lines — two hours at one checkpoint just to get through immigration.
“Patience and calm acceptance of an arduous airport experience were required. This was so very different than what we have in Hawai‘i.”
“On a positive note, hope for the future can be seen in the faces of young students. Their joy and laughter, the smiles and bright eyes, brought encouragement for me to teach for a day, and teach our children well,” he said.
Soltysik is an outreach educator and crew with the Polynesian Voyaging Society and state Department of Education.
