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I lived in Hawaii as a kid and 23 years later took a trip there and decided to move back to the BI. I quickly discovered that I've changed a great deal since then. I became a total city boy in those years and didn't realize how much I missed L.A. until it was too late. My partner fell in love with the BI and it took me 3 years to talk him into leaving. I got into a terrible depression out there and I'm glad to be home.
With that said, I'm not going to bash Hawaii because I think it's a sensational place. One of the most spiritual spots on the planet is the North Shore of Kauai...I tell people it smells like ancient fire and only those who've been there know what I'm talking about. For me, it's a great place to go on vacation. I was just thinking of Hapuna Beach yesterday. My partner has been missing rain and snorkeling so I think I'll send him to Hawaii soon.
Everyone has to evaluate this one for themselves. Hawaii residents (except the ones who hate it there) mostly consider where I live hell and I think it's the finest spot on earth. Jobs and money (or lack thereof) are a HUGE issue over in the islands. It was like this in the 70's when I was growing up and it's still a challenge to make a decent living. My partner went from making well into the 6 figures in L.A. to having his job (or anything like it) not exist which is totally normal. I managed to make really good money on the BI but ended up leaving broke and hungry (long story involving homesickness and subsequent depression). One thing I tell everyone going there is to have a plan on how they are going to support themselves. Many have ended up broke and hungry because they didn't consider this. My statistic I came up with is this: out of 4 people who come from the mainland, 1 will return to the mainland in 6 mos to a year. Another will return 1-2 years. Another will return 3-4 years and the remaining person will remain there for many years or their lifetime. I arrived at this from meeting and speaking to many, many people while doing business in real estate. For the ones who leave soon, I think they didn't prepare and didn't realise where they were moving. For those who remain, I think they knew exactly where they were moving.
Take plenty of money. I repeat, take plenty of money. Even if you move someplace where housing is relatively cheap like East Hawaii, the cost of living is much higher. I figure it was about 2.5 times what it cost me to live in Pasadena, CA and yes, I shopped at Costco, Farmer's Market in Hilo (LOVE to haggle with the old ladies!) and yes, I picked things from trees. I had great avocados in my yard, people used to ask if they could pick them. I have a secret guava spot in Kalapana, hidden in the flow. Anyway, standard of living went down some with all that but the good news is that when I came back, I became more frugal thanks to living on the BI again. The weekly heap of drycleaning and perfect new car have given way to me laundering and ironing (Hawaii residents wonder what that is?) is no terrible chore and I love my well-loved 20 year-old BMW convertible...I would have shoved my nose in the air before. We started cutting each other's hair in Hawaii too. Wow, I can't believe I just admitted that out loud! I don't shop designer anymore, discount/outlet stores are fine with me. Don't get me wrong, I indulge in fine dining, good theatre tickets...the list goes on but I guess not with the entitlement I did before.
The best I can tell you is that Hawaii is basically another country. You have to mold to it, not expect it to mold to you.
Last edited by Sorcerer68; 10-07-2008 at 09:58 PM..
Well said. I think that is the key to moving anywhere that is different from where you come. You have to mold to it, rather then expecting it to mold to you. I certainly wouldn't expect to move to Hawaii and everyone else change for me so I can have what I had on the mainland. I mean, if thats what I wanted, I would just stay here, you know?
I'm so excited to be moving somewhere where life is slower, and appreciating what is around you is the way of life. I live in a small town here in Illinois, but even in the small towns there is a sense of rush..stress..go go go or life will pass you by. I'm ready to slow down and actually LIVE life a little..enjoy it.
I want to be able to appreciate the little things in life...the drops of dew dripping off the fresh flowers growing in my front yard ...the smell of the afternoon rain shower....the sound of the coqui frogs...ain't nature grand??!
Thankfully I have a steady income that will follow me to Hawaii, so I have time to look for a job that I will be able to enjoy as much as I will enjoy living in such a beautiful land with such aloha!
I have so much to be thankful for...I sure wish it was time to move now...but only 3 months to go!
Mahalo and aloha!
Well said. I think that is the key to moving anywhere that is different from where you come. You have to mold to it, rather then expecting it to mold to you. I certainly wouldn't expect to move to Hawaii and everyone else change for me so I can have what I had on the mainland. I mean, if thats what I wanted, I would just stay here, you know?
I'm so excited to be moving somewhere where life is slower, and appreciating what is around you is the way of life. I live in a small town here in Illinois, but even in the small towns there is a sense of rush..stress..go go go or life will pass you by. I'm ready to slow down and actually LIVE life a little..enjoy it.
I want to be able to appreciate the little things in life...the drops of dew dripping off the fresh flowers growing in my front yard ...the smell of the afternoon rain shower....the sound of the coqui frogs...ain't nature grand??!
Thankfully I have a steady income that will follow me to Hawaii, so I have time to look for a job that I will be able to enjoy as much as I will enjoy living in such a beautiful land with such aloha!
I have so much to be thankful for...I sure wish it was time to move now...but only 3 months to go!
Mahalo and aloha!
I wish you well in finding your peace of mind and slower pace on the BI. It is a very special place. I returned to the mainland to find my peace of mind. There were just too many things that I missed here, and I never would have known that if I didn't have the chance to be without it. Perhaps peace of mind is more a state of mind than a place?
Very true Cynthia007. It takes experiencing things to know what we really want and what is right for us. I have always been very adventurous and seem to have had a bit of a restless spirit sometimes in the past, so I have had many experiences that others may not have had. Life has also handed me experiences that were not so good...ones that broke my spirit a bit..ok a lot.
I guess I want to find that other side of me again. I have much waiting for me there in Hawaii, including a fantastic man who, through all the not so good has stuck by me no matter what...and who has waited 6 years for me. I agree, peace of mind is more of a state of mind...but sometimes it takes a place.. or a change of pace..to find that state of mind again. I'm looking forward to my search.
Mahalo and Aloha!
Very true Cynthia007. It takes experiencing things to know what we really want and what is right for us. I have always been very adventurous and seem to have had a bit of a restless spirit sometimes in the past, so I have had many experiences that others may not have had. Life has also handed me experiences that were not so good...ones that broke my spirit a bit..ok a lot.
I guess I want to find that other side of me again. I have much waiting for me there in Hawaii, including a fantastic man who, through all the not so good has stuck by me no matter what...and who has waited 6 years for me. I agree, peace of mind is more of a state of mind...but sometimes it takes a place.. or a change of pace..to find that state of mind again. I'm looking forward to my search.
Mahalo and Aloha!
The Big Island is also known as a healing island. For me personally, Hawaii taught me the essence and concept of "ohana." It took me years of living in Hawaii to learn how important my own family on the mainland was to me. After college I had pretty much convinced myself that I was related to my relatives by blood, sure, but my spirit was not connected at all. Hawaii showed me something very different. It was the moment I couldn't stop crying in a terminal at O`Hare, because I was leaving/returning to Hawaii, that made me realize the time had come to be back on the mainland. The realization that my cousins, nieces and nephews wouldn't remember me, or even look the same, the next time I saw them was more than I could handle. That reaction surprised me most of all...I thought I would be in Hawaii forever.
I hope that you will stay on this website and journal your own journey in Hawaii. People love to hear stories about people moving to Hawaii and their advnentures and thoughts as they live there. You will have success, because that is all an adventure in Hawaii can be. Be open to all it can teach you...there is so much.
Oh I will definitely keep posting and journaling on here. I know how much I have enjoyed reading about others people's experiences, and how much some of them have helped me know what to expect when I get there. Moving to a new place is always going to have difficulties, but it helps when you feel you aren't alone in it!
I'm glad you discovered the essence of "ohana". Family is, and always has been, important to me as well. I am going to miss them very much. Luckily they are also quite adventurous and love to travel, so my 3rd bedroom will be well used I have a feeling haha! I think the hardest part is going to be leaving my son. However, he is going into the JobCorp and is going to be having an adventure/learning experience of his own...something he needs to continue to grow and flourish as the adult he is becoming(he's 18) so I will still get to see him. They will also fly him back home when he is done with the program if he wishes to do so. That gives me peace of mind.
So, even though I will be far away from everyone, I'll still get to see them. That will help for sure. I think the experience will only bring us closer though.
SO...About a year ago me my brother and his wife visited hawaii (Lihue in Kauai) and we absolutely LOVED it
We went for my brothers best friends wedding who married a woman from Hawaii so we got to stay with her family the entire time instead of in a hotel....
And since we were with locals the entire time we got to experience hawaii from a local perspective instead of as tourists which made our vacation excellent! Experiencing life in Hawaii made me want to live my life like that insted of the fast pased way of life on the mainland....My sister in law and my brother both agree and we have begun to plan a move in about four years hopefully. We are planning on finding any place we can right before the move just to get by and we will all live together with three seperate incomes until we can get seperate homes.
I am about to graduate college in a year with my RN so I am not worried about finding a job since nurses are in such high demand..
I just need advce on how much money I should save before the move... for things like moving furniture, my car, an estimate on rent and food ( for at least a month)
Ask your brother's best friends how much things cost since you will be in their area. You also may not be able to find a job, even with an RN degree since many of the hospitals have hiring freezes on right now. Yes, we need doctors and nurses, but that doesn't mean the hospitals are hiring them. Perhaps your brother's best friend has an ohana cottage to rent?
I occasionally think about moving to the mainland, mostly because things are so much cheaper there and there are so many options for things to do there. But our friends are here, all our junks is here and moving it all would be a huge chore so I don't think we are moving anywhere very soon at all.
i lived in maui for almost 10 years. my husband and i moved to texas from maui in 2002. it has been one dissapointment after another since we moved from the islands.
i would do anything to move back. but it costs so much and we have invested in 4 dogs (children) since.
a service job in maui is considered a respectable and comes with a good income.
in the mainland, a service job, such as a waiter, is looked down apon as if you are a loser or uneducated.
we should have never moved. we have had nothing but bad luck and bad jobs!
I miss you Maui! You will always be my home sweet home!
My Girlfriend and I moved to Oahu 4 years ago to get away from our friends and the people in California. We felt like we never fit in to the constant material lifestyle of most everybody in the bay area. We are almost done with school and we have gone back and forth of should we move back or should we stay. We do have family out here but most of our family is in California, so that is the only reason we would go back. We both think going back to California would be the biggest mistake of our lives.
Lucygirl, they talk about the islands having a way of spitting you out if you don't belong there. The mainland has a way of doing that too. Ugh, just the thought of it kind of turns my stomach cuz it's for different reasons. It's like it says, "If you can't handle our workaholism, materialism and arrogance, get lost or I'm gonna kill ya. Slowly, but you will surely die, starting with your soul."
I really really REALLY want to encourage you to do what you need to do to get to a place that feeds you as a human. If that is the islands, then the islands will take care of you. But do what you need to do. Don't waste another minute trying to make something work that robs from you the joy of being alive and little by little strips away your self-esteem. There is lots of talk about life being too short. I think you know that life is too long when you are living in a personal hell. That may sound strong, but when you can only find yourself longing for the good ol days, and you are just waiting for time to pass and existing instead of living, you may as well be in hell already.
You DO have a choice.
Aloha and good luck!
Sharlee
Sharlee,
I have read a lot of posts on city data and this was the first post that I have read that knocked my socks off. I am stuck in Chicago right now and what you said is exactly right. I have been trying to explain this to DH who keeps asking me to give it a year. So I spend each day going through the motions waiting for this year to be over. I am 33 years old and wishing my life away. It is the worst way to live. I am someone who embraces life. My kids who are California natives have been cooped up in our loft since we moved here six months ago. They are used to playing outside in their yard. Now all we do is tell them to be quiet because the woman below us complains about the noise.
I often dream of moving to Kaua'i. We visited in our mid 20's and fell in love. A few years later I wrote out my ideal day and it had us living on the island with our daughters (who now exist: ages 4 & 1) and enjoying the important things in life. I really feel in my heart that I belong in Hawaii. The problem is that I am the stay at home mom and DH is the money earner.
Thanks again for your post. I feel like I was meant to read it this morning. It brought tears to my eyes because in your words I felt truly understood. I only wish that DH could see it this way.
Last edited by jaynetarzana; 12-30-2008 at 10:23 AM..
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Colorado To Hawaii Please Help!!!
