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I read the Hawaii thread every once in a while, even "paradise" seems to have its problems.
Brian went back for a few months. When he left I told him I was sure he'd be back, cause he just plain fits here. He wasn't so sure, and said he'd take it as it comes.
He got off the airplane one day, and was sort of laughing all the way, saying "You were right! I got stuck in two traffic jams, and when I realized I was sitting there thinking that in Barrow this would never happen... it was time to go back to Barrow." Or words to that effect (that is, he may not have said that, and he may not have wanted to say that, but whatever it was he said, that's the effect it had on me).
He's no longer talking about ever really leaving. Just taking vacations.
That's cause every place has its problems, it's just that different places have different problems. It's no great trick, me thinks, to find places with a given set of problems or a lack of a specific problem. Nope, the trouble most people have is understanding which problems they absolutely cannot live with, and the accepting the other ones as inevitable when they find a place that doesn't have the unacceptable ones.
Indeed, many of the people we talk to on C-D who want to relocate to Alaska don't have a clue as to what they are running away from, much less what they should be running towards. They just think a big enough change will do the trick. Then they burn out and (like Stiffy with Barrow) blame it on the place they went instead of their own inability to understand themselves.
I was having dinner tonight with a friend who has lived in Barrow most of his life, who wants to retire somewhere else. He pointed out that I could live in the Philippines, or in Thailand, or even in a few places in the US much cheaper than here, and have more money for toys. I pointed out that while true, I chose here because this is a place that fits what I like. I'm happy with what is here! Anywhere else, and I'd spend all my time wishing I was somewhere else. Here, I spend all my time being grateful I am here.
I never can understand why people want to uproot themselves drastically from someplace that has become their identity for most of their lives. Do they really want to become an anonymous person in a place where they are not known and loved? I know a woman who has spent almost all of her life in a small town running a business, and she wants to retire to Washington. As bubbly and as friendly as she is, what is the value of ending your days among strangers? Maybe on the surface it may sound appealing, but I just don't see it a fitting way to go. I have drastically been uprooted three times and it is hard on the soul. Now I am back in my original stomping grounds, for better or worse.
Just cause he's got Kevlar armor and a freaking carnation isn't going to keep him from being roasted. I'll tell one particular guy that Moose hates Palin and Catholic theology, and loves Hilary Clinton and tolerates lesbians and gay marriage. I have no idea, other than Palin, if any of that is true. But boy will it be like pushing the launch button! (Don't worry Moose, when they go for your throat, I'll point out that you think Joe Miller is a dirtbag, and that will save your life. Unless we go to Pepe's and Shultsy is there, in which case any one of those will cost you your ears. By the time he's done, your ears will be bloody.)
Ha! Whoever said that Floyd doesn't have a sense of humor? Some of that is true, some not. You guys will just have to find out which parts for yourselves!
Ha! Whoever said that Floyd doesn't have a sense of humor? Some of that is true, some not. You guys will just have to find out which parts for yourselves!
Humor???
I merely recited a list of opinions that cause my friend JBH to get agitated, that's all! Dead serious. No joking. We get animated sometimes, and people do run when we thump on the tables. Not Brian though, he clears plates off tables and starts a cheering section. (He might be charging admission.)
However, we're perhaps grumpy, but we are nice guys. We don't throw things. Ever. Well, I did throw a drunk out the front door a few years ago. (He's been really nice to me every since too.)
I read the Hawaii thread every once in a while, even "paradise" seems to have its problems.
That is true. Unfortunately Honolulu and surrounding areas are quite congested, cost of living is high, affordable housing is small. You see quite a bit about how some transplants are getting used to living in much smaller spaces etc. It is a large modern city complete with crime, drugs and all the other things.
Then there is the whole thing about locals vs transplants. Much of this issue really isn't bad, locals are very accepting of transplants. I think a lot of the issues have to do with how people act, react and interact. There are also a lot of dashed expectations of what it is like to live there. It is a very beautiful place but the pressures of living there can be great.
Probably like Barrow, the vast majority of newcomers are OK and have no problems but there are those who for whatever reasons just can't make it.
Brian went back for a few months. When he left I told him I was sure he'd be back, cause he just plain fits here. He wasn't so sure, and said he'd take it as it comes.
He got off the airplane one day, and was sort of laughing all the way, saying "You were right! I got stuck in two traffic jams, and when I realized I was sitting there thinking that in Barrow this would never happen... it was time to go back to Barrow." Or words to that effect (that is, he may not have said that, and he may not have wanted to say that, but whatever it was he said, that's the effect it had on me).
He's no longer talking about ever really leaving. Just taking vacations.
Floyd got it almost right. Actually I was on the Windward side of Oahu in Kailua - a nice town of around 30 thousand people. (?) However there were 9 times I needed to drive into Honolulu do so some work. Six of those times I got caught behind traffic accidents. That was enough.
It actually was the last two times that really did it.
I used to live in Makakilo on the western side and it was typically 1-2 hour drive to and from work. If there was an accident or very heavy rain that commute could be longer. That is no way to live.
I still think it's a great place to live and somewhere I would retire to, but I'm still a little to young to spend my life in traffic and congestion. I'm enjoying the slower pace of life here in Barrow. I was amazed at how many people here are from Hawaii and how many regularly visit there.
There is a connection between the two. Alaska Airlines has regular direct flights from Anchorage to Honolulu so you know there is traffic between the two (Alaska-Hawaii).
Check my status - Barrow is just a few thousand miles directly north of Kahului Maui.
Floyd got it almost right. Actually I was on the Windward side of Oahu in Kailua - a nice town of around 30 thousand people. (?) However there were 9 times I needed to drive into Honolulu do so some work. Six of those times I got caught behind traffic accidents. That was enough.
It actually was the last two times that really did it.
I used to live in Makakilo on the western side and it was typically 1-2 hour drive to and from work. If there was an accident or very heavy rain that commute could be longer. That is no way to live.
I still think it's a great place to live and somewhere I would retire to, but I'm still a little to young to spend my life in traffic and congestion.
I know what you mean. Half of my family is from Wailuku, but many have also relocated to Honolulu. I vividly remember what life was like there back in the "old days" in the 60's and 70's. Compared to what conditions are like now. The traffic and congestion there is utterly horrific. It's the main reason I have no burning desire to move back there on a permanent basis.
I never can understand why people want to uproot themselves drastically from someplace that has become their identity for most of their lives. Do they really want to become an anonymous person in a place where they are not known and loved? I know a woman who has spent almost all of her life in a small town running a business, and she wants to retire to Washington. As bubbly and as friendly as she is, what is the value of ending your days among strangers? Maybe on the surface it may sound appealing, but I just don't see it a fitting way to go. I have drastically been uprooted three times and it is hard on the soul. Now I am back in my original stomping grounds, for better or worse.
Generally I think it is to find a better quality of life. That could mean better jobs, better environment for the kids, getting away from crime, clean open air. There are so many reasons. For me it has actually been to experience something different to allow personal growth, to see how it is in other places. I've got a bit of an adventurer in me - I see many similar people in this forum. We want to experience things, not just read about it or just see it on TV. There are many risks and obstacles but with planning, hard work and a bit of luck - things work out. There are a lot of immigrants in the US seeking a better life. Certainly true in both Hawaii and Barrow (and Alaska as a whole). They have left not just friends and family and a familiar place, but have entered into a totally different culture, with different language, customs, food, value systems, etc.
However why must it be amongst strangers? As a normal course of life most people will make new friends and become new lifelong friends. Of course that takes time and some effort but I think it is the norm.
Those who grew up in Military families know this. Though it doesn't work this way for all, most people do.
The other side of the coin is why live your life in a place where you are unhappy if you have the power and/or opportunity to change that?
I know what you mean. Half of my family is from Wailuku, but many have also relocated to Honolulu. I vividly remember what life was like there back in the "old days" in the 60's and 70's. Compared to what conditions are like now. The traffic and congestion there is utterly horrific. It's the main reason I have no burning desire to move back there on a permanent basis.
You've got it!!
Barrow is a lot like where I grew up in the 60's and early 70's before all the real growth began.
I think we're all going to have a great time while you are in Barrow.
A lot of Hawaii folks have moved to Las Vegas. It seems everybody you meet in Hawaii knows someone who has relocated to Vegas.
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