1-minute interview with Delsa Moe, Vice President over Cultural Presentations

Introducing another of our Polynesian Cultural Center’s 1-Minute Interviews. This week we called Delsa Moe, Vice President over Cultural Presentations who has been working at the Center for 41 year. Delsa was born in Samoa. She and her husband attended and graduated from BYU-Hawaii. Her first position at the Center was as a Demo Guide – Maori Village. She and her husband have 5 children and 7 grandchildren.

1. Delsa, thank you for taking my call. How are you filling your days since the quarantine was enacted?

My work load has actually increased so I’m very busy trying to track current employee status: who’s here, who’s gone, what work is identified as essential so we can continue to maintain our facilities and equipment. I am making sure that our areas are properly secured, and I am catching up on a number of reports

2. What do you do to keep your spirits up?

I love that I am spending more time with the family. There is also Facetiming and staying in touch with extended family. It really helps to read everyone’s sunny memes. It’s hilarious how they can make funny situations out of these serious times. I’m comforted knowing that I am not alone. Everyone is experiencing this. I enjoy everyone’s creativity and what they’re doing to keep positive.

I was looking forward to doing a lot more reading, but it hasn’t happened yet.

3. Can you tell us about another time in your life where you may have utilized your Polynesian cultural and practices to guide you through challenges?

I was raised that you always help others around you. When I first got married in 1982 we were attending school here at the BYU-Hawaii (it was already BYUH when I arrived) when we were hit with hurricane Iwa. We had no water, no electricity. We happened to be living in an apartment with a gas stove. Many of the apartments were already electric. It was around Thanksgiving time. We all had these turkeys and for many there was no way to cook them.

One of the Polynesian values is that you always take care of the community. No matter what you have, you share it. You do it happily, because you know that you will be abundantly blessed. So, we did. For those of us with gas stoves, we opened our kitchens. It was really fun.

When the Army came by with safe drinking water, we all helped with containers. Because of being raised in the islands, as remote as we are and as small as we are, you have to share with one another

4. What are you looking most forward to doing once the Polynesian Cultural Center reopens?

Eating at Pounders. I’m ready for some Boneless Kalbi Shortrib with Ulu Mash.