NAWILIWILI — The tune was familiar, but the words were all in Chinese, Monday night. That was the first time in several weeks that Carol Yotsuda was able to collect all 10 Chinese college students in one place at the
NAWILIWILI — The tune was familiar, but the words were all in Chinese, Monday night.
That was the first time in several weeks that Carol Yotsuda was able to collect all 10 Chinese college students in one place at the same time, and they were able to sing “Happy Birthday” to one of their own.
The students — six from different provinces and cities in China and four from Taiwan — have been spending the summer working at three Kaua‘i McDonald’s as part of a work-travel cultural exchange program.
Arriving in two shifts, the first group arrived on Kaua‘i on June 2 and the second group landed on July 2, Yotsuda said. The group leaves at the end of the month.
“McDonald’s is everywhere,” said Samantha Yang, one of the girls who left Tuesday. “We’ve never worked at a McDonald’s, but everyone knows about the Big Mac, Filet of Fish.”
Yotsuda, a Nawiliwili resident, befriended the girls when she noticed them waiting at a bus stop near the Anchor Cove Shopping Center.
“Do you know that it takes some of these girls two hours to get to work?” she said. “Five of them work at Lihu‘e McDonald’s, and the other five are split between the ‘Ele‘ele and Waipouli McDonald’s.”
The girls walk from their Kaua‘i Inn residence, catch the Nawiliwili shuttle up to the Big Save bus stop and transfer to either the Kapa‘a, or ‘Ele‘ele restaurant, Yotsuda said.
“Each girl is wonderfully special and different and interesting in their personalities and interests,” Yotsuda said. “Their career goals run the gamut from psychology, something relatively new in China, to finances, fashion, entertainment and English. While here, one of their goals is to improve their English as well as gain as much cultural experiences. They would also want to meet people in the professions they are interested in.”
Yotsuda said in order for the students to get here, they apply at their respective college, and following a screening program, are accepted into the work, travel and cultural exchange program.
Yang, who just found out she was accepted into a university in Ohio, left early to return to Taiwan and collect her belongings so she could relocate to the continental U.S. in time for school to start, said a supervisor from the ‘Ele‘ele McDonald’s.
“The girls love their managers,” Yotsuda said. “Samantha spent her last precious afternoon to catch the bus all the way to ‘Ele‘ele, and then to Waipouli, just so she could say goodbye to her co-workers and managers.”
Since becoming friends with the girls, Yotsuda said she and some of her friends have tried to take them to as many cultural experiences as they could possibly manage.
“They’ve been to the Hanapepe bon dance, the Banana Poka festival where they made baskets and helped work with kids in the Van Go!, the Peter Kater Piano Concert, the Kaua‘i Hospice ‘Concert in the Sky,’ and hiking the 88 shrines at the Lawa‘i International Center,” Yotsuda said. “We’ve also had many other informal quickie parties in between.”
Monday night was one of those quickie parties to celebrate Rita Hung’s birthday on Aug. 1, as well as bid aloha to Yang.
“The girls’ work hours are long and demanding, and the travel to and from work is so long that they have little time to get around the island to see things,” Yotsuda said.
“It would be nice if they could meet more local folk to take them to places, but they have so little time to play outside of their jobs.”
Lauren Brennan, one of Yotsuda’s friends, took the girls to Hanalei and Ha‘ena, one day, and Yotsuda said they loved Hanalei Bay so much they caught the bus to revisit the bay that same weekend.
Melanie Okazaki of the McDonald’s Restaurants of Hawai‘i said there are several organizations that work with McDonald’s to place students in the restaurants.
“We cycle through students several times a year, but it depends on the need, and a lot of that coordination takes place between the McDonald’s Operations and Human Resources departments,” Okazaki said.
“Right now, we have students working on Kaua‘i, O‘ahu and Maui restaurants.”
Ralph Kouchi, Carol’s brother who was at the Monday night “quickie party,” said, “This is all grass roots. We don’t have a grant to do this, but it works!”
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@kauaipubco.com.
