Chacha
Last month, I visited my fiancé, Kaena in Tkaronto (Toronto). Since July, she’s been rehearsing for musicals for the Disney Cruise Line. We’ve done this long-distance things numerous times before, but it never gets easier. The week we spent was much needed for our relationship, but more on this later. My relationship with photography is what I’ll focus on in this post.
I arrived in Toronto on Friday, September 13, 2024 and was staying ‘til that following Friday. Fast forward to Thursday, 9/19, a day before I need to leave. I walk to work with Kaena, drop her off, then walk a couple miles up Spadina Ave., exploring, playing tourist for once. Every day, it’s been lattes in the morning, so I switch it up and I’m looking for some fresh fruit. As I pass through what seems to be the beginning of Chinatown, nothing quite catches my eye. It’s all familiar to me and feels like I’m back in Chinatown, Honolulu.
Chayote, 合掌瓜 (hup jeung gua in Cantonese) or 佛手瓜 (“Buddha hand squash,” fo shou gua in Mandarin) - Via healthy nibbles by Lisa Lin
Tomatoes in Chinatown, Toronto
I take a left and walk down a side street filled with boutiques and cafes, nothing yet. Following my street intuition, I hit a right and walk straight up Kensington Ave., and as I approach the adjacent street, an all too familiar and comforting sound calls to me. Reggae music fills my soul and a bright yellow building comes into view. It reads House of Moses Est. 1992. to the right, as juice bar and a photo of the beloved Bob Marley leaning against the wall.
“Fresh Coconut”, just what I was looking for. Some wai niu (coconut water), reggae music, and island vibes to start the day - just what I needed! “Good morning!” I start up a chat with the man out in the alley, behind the juice bar cutting sugar cane. He tells me to go inside to purchase the fruit and come back with my ticket. When I return, he has a fresh green coconut, so I know the water is going to be perfect. We start up the small talk again.
“I’m from St. Vincent, people automatically think Jamaica when they hear the accent. They don’t know St. Vincent.” the man explains.
“I’m from Hawai’i and it’s my first time in Toronto.”
“Ah Hawaii! I’m going there one day!” He says as he chops one end of the coconut.
“Hey, what’s your name?” I ask.
“Chacha.”
“Chacha, could I please take a photo of you?” I ask politely.
“I don’t like cameras… people take the picture and I never get to see it.”
I nod and tell him I understand. He then goes on to say…
“Take the photo.”
“What was that?”
“Yeah, c’mon, take the photo.”
A jolt of excitement suddenly rushes within me and I proceed to take the action shots. I forget that I’m only on jpeg mode, so I won’t have much flexibility in post… who cares. It’s all about the moment and working with what I got.
We talk a little more, and he tells me about his home in the Caribbean, about going back someday. I express that, though we’ve just met, the island spirit is what made us connect today and I’m grateful for it.
“Alright Chacha, thank you so much, blessings to you, brother. I’ll get you the photos, even if I have to send it to you.”
As I walked away, I made my way up Spadina, and slow down a bit as I reach the University of Toronto. I began to think about this interaction and how Chacha didn’t have to let me take the photos, yet he graciously did after talking with him for a little. It was aloha, it was kindness that is still found shall we open ourselves up to it. Both giving and receiving.
“I need to get some prints to my man,” I thought to myself. I had just been to Downtown Camera on Queen St. East a day before. I check their website and it shows that they have print services, one of them being via kiosk with really affordable prices. With no time to lose, I make my way to Downtown Camera. I make some 4x6 prints of the photos of Chacha shown above and print an 8x10 of this photo shown below.
Chacha at House of Moses, Toronto - September 19, 2024
Later that day, I had lunch with Kaena and returned to House of Moses with the prints I had made for Chacha. I was afraid he may have left, however, when I returned, there he was making a smoothy.
“Nah, you didn’t go and do that for me that quick!” Chacha turned to me with the biggest smile on his face. “I respect you for honoring your word, brother.” He said as he took the envelope with photos and gave me a big handshake to hug.
We went on to talk a little more and I expressed my gratitude for letting me take the photos. He made sure to tell me to stop by anytime I’m back in Toronto and hopefully he can make it to Hawai’i one day.
In some sense, I wish I got him to look at the camera. It’s in our nature to want more or over critique our works. To this one, I echo my kupuna, mahalo i ka mea loa’a - be grateful for what you’ve got. Sometimes we don’t have 30 minutes or an hour to make a photo, but always having a camera means we get something.
It’s as genuine as can be. To me, his eyes glancing down at the coconut makes it less about him, and more about the action of providing.
Chacha is a provider, a giver, a healer, a good neighbor, a caretaker for his community.
To me, that’s the islander mentality… and then some. His expression can also possibly represent his hesitance in having me take the photo in the first place. If you look closely at his mouth, the ends curved up ever so slightly as to show the pride of his labor and providence for someone in need of ola, of life, of sustenance. For that, the man in need is forever grateful for the coconut and for the friend who provided it, and then gave me more when he didn’t need to.
A flame rekindled for painting people, places, and life in a positive way with the paintbrush that is my camera. It is a gift and a key that unlocks a multitude of doors, perhaps the greatest of which, being the one that leads to the space of shared aloha. The giving, the receiving, the blessings that is our relationships and all that they come with - what a camera can capture for us to remember the things that matter most.
Mahalo e Chacha i kou aloha, i ka launa pu ana me a’u, a me kou ano - ke kane waipahe a St. Vincent.
- Makali’i Ki’i
