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Hello everyone,
I am from Toronto (originally Russia), and a single mom with a 9 year old. I have been in Toronto for 20 years now (came with parents when I was younger) and am realizing that I do not like the city. Nothing about it really resonates with my values. I am drawn to the West Coast/Pacific because of its slower lifestyle and am looking for a place that has a community feel as it's really important to me.
Here's my question: I have a 9 year old son, and from the research I've done on Hawaii, I understand the local kids don't like the whites very much, especially those who weren't born in Hawaii, is that the case? My son is VERY social and gets along with kids great. We come from a multicultural area. Any advice on this? Can anyone share their own experiences?
Also: my income is very low, and I have some disabilities, so I would definitely not be able to afford a private school. (I also haven't done enough research to know which area of Hawaii would be best, but a smaller island sounds more appealing than a larger one.) My son reads a lot so I am not worried about the academic level at school, but I do worry about the social adjustment.
I grew up in Hawaii (Honolulu) and went to school here and there are some locals who don't like whites, especially those that weren't born here, but if that's your biggest worry I think it's way overblown. Most white kids where I went to school got along fine with "locals". You have to remember, Hawaii in general and urban Honolulu in particular, has kids from all over. Local, asian immigrants, military, mainland transplants, etc. So I doubt your kid will stick out that much. If you kid is social I don't see much of a problem except your normal school-age problems kids everywhere encounter. To me the fact that your kid is very young would make it easier for him to adjust than if he were older. I'd be more worried about your financial situation. Did you know Hawaii has the highest cost of living in the country?
Thanks to you both for your responses. whtviper1, the article was quite shocking, I didn't realize it was THAT bad.
As far as the cost of living, I did read that Hawaii is quite expensive but I also know Toronto is as well, so I figured it might be ok. However, I just found this website that compares prices for a variety of areas (food, transport, etc), and Hawaii is a good 34% more expensive. https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-l...ronto/honolulu
Hmmm, I just realized that the exchange rate is about 1.4 now and that is what really adds to the difference between the two places. If it was 1:1 it would have been the same (according to the website above). That makes me hopeful
There are all sorts of surprises that comes up when someone moves to Oahu for the first time. The schools, high costs, ect,ect,ect...
Kids at that age are pretty resilent, he should get along with the other kids at school, depends on the school, and location.
Some areas are better than others like anywhere you would move.
Personally i would stay put where you are. But i understand trying to better oneself in life.
Good luck in your decision.
IMHO, there isn't enough actual connection between you and Hawaii to make the expenses of moving here and living here to be worthwhile for you. If you're drawn to the West Coast/Pacific, there's loads of less expensive places in the West Coast/Pacific area than Hawaii. How about Victoria? Then you'd not need a visa and have all the moving internationally difficulties to go along with the lower economic difficulties? You'll also get much less expensive health care in Canada.
School wise you'll be much, much better of by staying in Canada. Including college years. Including health care. The racial conflict worries should be much lower on your priority list.
If you are in need for a better pace or scenery and less cold consider the Vancouver or Victoria area.
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