The word “aloha” is the most recognized of all Hawaiian words. In its simplest use, it means “hello”, “welcome”, or “goodbye”. But the word, to many Hawaiians, can also be used to convey a much deeper and richer feeling, one that encapsulates a way of living, being, and most of all, treating others. This Spirit of Aloha inspires us to do what we do and influences every facet of every tour we offer at Polynesian Adventure Activities.
We wanted to delve further into this particular meaning of Aloha, so we asked Mark Guillermo, one of our awesome Call Center Agents, what the Spirit of Aloha means to him, as well as some of his favorite things to do, see, and eat on the islands of Hawai’i.
Hi, Mark! How long have you been a member of the Poly Ad Ohana?
I have been working at Poly Ad for 2 months – going on 3!
What does the Aloha Spirit mean to you?
The Spirit of Aloha is how we appriciate EVERYTHING here on the islands. Family, friends, food, work – everything! We show love to everything we do and everyone we meet here, and it don’t matter if we all came from the same or from different cultures, Aloha is that special thing that brings locals and visitors together, that’s the Spirit of Aloha.
All of our beaches are amazing. It’s where I usually spend most of my time on my days off. Nothing better than hanging with friends drinking couple of beers and just watching the sunset, the waves – enjoying the view.
Who is your favorite Hawaiian musician?
Oh man the best singer in the Island is BRADDAH IZ – In This Life, Somewhere Over the Rainbow… ALL of his music is special to me because he made me appreciate Hawaiian music and it gave me more of a better understanding about how life really is and what it means to live that life.
