Ten worst things about living in Honolulu (real estate market, mortgage broker)

[ambirosetulitops]

I dont think the message was completely targeting locals. Hawaii is a melting pot of different cultures so not everyone is going to understand each other all the time. Drive the same etc. I personally understand the locals just fine. I have a little more difficulty with the asian cultures though. Usually have to have them repeat a couple times.

[Dan Lavielle]

Hawai'i is the best place on earth. I've talked to people that have been around the world and the agree. I lived in Kailua from '80 to '98, met an Hawaiian lady. I'll never forget her or Hawai'i.

As far as bugs, what about the mosquitos in Chicago?

I worked in the court system in Hawai'i and it is one of the most progressive in the U.S.

Oh, by the way, Hawaiian pakalolo, best in the world.

I love everything about Hawai'i.

Hope and pray
I can return someday.

[alexei27]

Originally Posted by SouperStar34

10 Worst Things about Living in Honolulu


(My sister, from Chicagoland, wrote some of the negatives of living in Honolulu)

1. Cockroaches - That's right. Their may not be snakes on the island, or very many other bugs for that matter, but for what the island is lacking in small gross creatures, it makes up for with it's abundance of cockroaches. And you can't escape them either, they're everywhere.It doesn't matter how clean you keep your apartment or house, they will find a way. I'm scared to get up and go to the bathroom at night, because who knows what's crawling around on the floor. I don't even want to think about it. And do you know some of them fly? I've seen it first hand. It's disgusting!

2. The price of an "average home" - When I say average home, I mean a 3 bedroom, 2 bath house, with the size yard of someone who lives in let's say a very close suburb of Chicago. If you know what I'm talking about, then you know how small of a yard that is, barely anything. The average price for a home like this is $600,000. Not very many people here can afford this, so their is pretty much an upper class and lower class, barely a middle class at all. It's sad to see so many homeless people, and so many people with houses worth millions, not million, millions, living blocks away from each other, it just doesn't seem fair!

3. Drivers - I know where ever you go, you hear people complaining about the drivers in their town, and they think their town has the worst drivers. Well, I'm hear to tell you that this island has the worst drivers I have ever seen. I don't know what the problem is, or where these people took drivers training,or if they have ever had driver's training in their lives, but it's enough to make you scream sometimes!!!!

4. Drugs - This island is filled with drugs and drug users. Crystal meth is HUGE here. It ruins so many people's lives. Marijuana is barely considered a drug here. I smell it on a daily basis somewhere in Waikiki. For people who teach at schools here, they have a three strikes and your out policy when it comes to drug use. Does that sound a little too relaxed to you? Would you like to send your child to a school where their teacher uses drugs and the school knows about it, and still allows them to teach there?

5. Racism - Although it's wonderful to have so many cultures living together in one small place, it also creates tension among races. Haole (this is what they call white people, they say it's not meant to be derogatory, but I think it kind of is) kids have it really bad in the schools. If you live here and you're white, for the protection and safety of your child, you either homeschool them or send them to a private school that costs up to $15,000 a year. It's nuts. I heard of a school that shut down for a couple days recently because fights were breaking out between Hawaiians and Samoans.

6. Commercials - Okay, this is small, but it's a huge pet peeve of mine here. On T.V., I would say almost half of the commercials here are advertising for places that aren't even here, like Kohl's or Target for example. Neither of those stores operate on any of the Hawaiian islands, and yet they play their commercials all the time. And I love Olive Garden, and they keep torturing me with pictures of their delicious food, when they know full well that their aren't any here.

7. Traffic - You would think, on this tiny island, that you'd be able to get anywhere fast, because you can't really go that far anyway, well, you're wrong. Again, if you think traffic in your town is bad, spend a rush hour here. It's a nightmare. On the west side of the island, if you work in Honolulu, which most people do, plan on spending an hour and a half to two hours each way on your commute each day. What makes that sound even worse, it's only 20 miles away, think about that for a little while.

8. Language Barriers - I think this has become my motto here, and I will take it with me for the rest of my life, "Even though you're both speaking English, that doesn't mean both of you are hearing the same language." I have never seen so much miscommunication in my life, and I was not expecting this at all, but it makes sense. Everyone uses their own framework of mind when processing information, and if you grew up in a different culture where words we use as Americans mean one thing, that doesn't necessarily mean that will be processed in the same way by someone else who grew up in another culture. It's hard to explain, but you'll know what I'm talking about if you've been in that situation before, it's definitely a "lost in translation" kind of thing.

9. Relaxed Atmosphere - You might think, "what's so bad about that, that sounds nice and refreshing." Sure, if you're on vacation, but when you are trying to live your everyday life, it's extremely frustrating. Whatever you do in a normal day, plan on getting accomplished half of those things in one day living on this island. Everything takes forever.

10. Island Fever - Even though it's wonderful being in a tropical paradise, it does get old from time to time. I mean, their is only so much to see. I hate to say I feel like I've already taken for granted my beautiful surroundings. Pretty soon we're going to have to start exploring these other islands. It's not like living on the mainland, where if you want to go somewhere, you hop in your car and go. We have to fly where ever we go.

Wow...with the exception of #10...this sounds like EVERY place I have ever lived...including Chicago...with the exception Hawaii. Those 4 years were the best of my life. You think Honolulu is bad....come to Long Island!!

[Punaguide]

The absolute worst thing about living in Honoulu is that after 2 weeks you might find out that you were actually only here on vacation and we get to stay here all the time - sorry man

[pocholakas]

Oahu is a beautiful place. I don't live there nor do I plan to, but I must say that I do appreciate that island for what it is. It's home, a vacation, a place to shop, an Island........ It's got it's own purpose or meaning. I am all country, but I can still go there and have fun enjoy what I can for what it is. I'll be thankful, go home and still miss the place because once I had gone there and saw what it had to offer. I end up missing the place for it became a part of me and my life. The experience somehow in its own way had given me a memory wether good or bad, there was an impact made on me that I may or may not have know of now but maybe later.

[bmary]

Originally Posted by Jungjohann

Is dat cockaroach wit chili peppah watah or juss plain Hawaiian Chili peppahs????? Wouldn't wan to ova do em, you know, kill da taste?????

Aloha

Wot???

[Jungjohann]

Honolulu, for a large metropolitan city, is a great place!!!!! The food, the people, the weather, Waikiki, Ala Moana beach park, I had a place up on Nuuanu Ave, just mauka of town, still miss it sometimes. And the Shorebird restuarant on Waikiki, can't beat it.........

Alohas

[polygirl]

Dude, what is the problem!!!
The "haole" word is not a racist word! All different islands in the pacific have their own description word for a white color person. i.e Tonga -palangi; Samoan - palagi, Fijian-vavalagi; Hawaiian - haole, etc..
Come on dude...!
I can understand if someone is pissed at you and said "f*****haole"..then yeah, that can be racist, but when it used as "yeah that's my haole friend"..I don't see it being a racist word.
I am sorry you grew up in a racist environment...blame that to your folks dude...but it doesn't go that way here at my home island. In fact, I myself is married to a "haole" from Illinois and have been living here for 13+ years and he hasn't had any problems with the locals or the word "haole" being used by his friends, work associates or my family around here. He goes surfing in the morning with his local & haole friends from NY before they head into work. They do the same thing during lunch time before driving home on that dreadful traffic to the westside as mentioned on the earlier list...! NOT!!!

Dude, please enjoy your vacation and go back home ASAP! I am sure you can't wait to get back to where the black slur"N"word really is a racist word when used...anyway and everyway!

peace...

Originally Posted by Tymberwulf

Haole is being used as a racist term. I know this because it has been used against me. Why do I know it was used in a racist way? Because I grew up in an area that was still massively racist against blacks. The way this man use the word haole towards me was the same as the white racists used the word ****** towards black folks.

And before you all start telling me it's might fault, I didn't fit in, I didn't respect him, etc. etc. The reason he started this confrontation was because I didn't run a red light and he was behind me. That's right, not only did I have to deal with racism, but road rage at the same time. Funny thing was that as soon as some of my local friends started coming out to see what the yelling was about he took of in a hurry.

I hate racism, why anyone feels the need to judge anyone else just due to skin color really angers me. We all bleed red, we all breath the same air, we all have dreams. To me different skin colors are just like different colors of flowers, God wanted some variety, that's all.

And now I will respond to some of the 10 negative things.

Cockroaches, be kind to geckos and they will quickly reduce in number.
Traffic, it is really bad here, and I have driven all across the United States (Including Alaska). Why? Some folks who drive just have no business being behind the wheel, some folks think they are more important than everyone else so despite the fact that they know the left lane is closed ahead, they jump right on up front and force their way in, causing that lane to brake, and finally we have only two major travel routes, H-1 and Kam Highway, once those get backed up it's all over. Oh, and about those commercials, most stations have no control over them, they are receiving a national feed.

I'm sure someone will tell me, "If you don't like it, then leave!" Well, guess what, I am. :P

[MickeyE]

Originally Posted by polygirl

Dude, what is the problem!!!
The "haole" word is not a racist word! All different islands in the pacific have their own description word for a white color person. i.e Tonga -palangi; Samoan - palagi, Fijian-vavalagi; Hawaiian - haole, etc..
Come on dude...!
I can understand if someone is pissed at you and said "f*****haole"..then yeah, that can be racist, but when it used as "yeah that's my haole friend"..I don't see it being a racist word.
I am sorry you grew up in a racist environment...blame that to your folks dude...but it doesn't go that way here at my home island. In fact, I myself is married to a "haole" from Illinois and have been living here for 13+ years and he hasn't had any problems with the locals or the word "haole" being used by his friends, work associates or my family around here. He goes surfing in the morning with his local & haole friends from NY before they head into work. They do the same thing during lunch time before driving home on that dreadful traffic to the westside as mentioned on the earlier list...! NOT!!!

Dude, please enjoy your vacation and go back home ASAP! I am sure you can't wait to get back to where the black slur"N"word really is a racist word when used...anyway and everyway!

peace...

Yep, racisist exist everywhere. I am white, my wife is black. We don't go to visit her family in Mississippi because she is afraid of us being lynched! You hear the infamous N word used daily by blacks - but if I used it, even the same way as they do, I'd be shot - or at least sued for using it. Listen to the comedy channel on cable sometime.

My wife and I went to a jazz concert with her sister and her husband. After we got to the venue, they wouldn't sit with their h on key (spaces to bypass the netnannie) brother-in-law. They sat with other black friends instead. They live about 25 miles from us and don't visit us because "we live too far away". They will go to Milwaukee or Cincinnati to visit relatives though. I guess Dublin, Ohio is farther from Columbus, Ohio than Milwaukee or Cincinnati.

Sometimes the racisim is in the eye of the beholder errrr, the listener instead of the one saying such words.

Mickey

[dc1225]

Originally Posted by polygirl

Dude, what is the problem!!!
The "haole" word is not a racist word! All different islands in the pacific have their own description word for a white color person. i.e Tonga -palangi; Samoan - palagi, Fijian-vavalagi; Hawaiian - haole, etc..
Come on dude...!
I can understand if someone is pissed at you and said "f*****haole"..then yeah, that can be racist, but when it used as "yeah that's my haole friend"..I don't see it being a racist word.
I am sorry you grew up in a racist environment...blame that to your folks dude...but it doesn't go that way here at my home island. In fact, I myself is married to a "haole" from Illinois and have been living here for 13+ years and he hasn't had any problems with the locals or the word "haole" being used by his friends, work associates or my family around here. He goes surfing in the morning with his local & haole friends from NY before they head into work. They do the same thing during lunch time before driving home on that dreadful traffic to the westside as mentioned on the earlier list...! NOT!!!

Dude, please enjoy your vacation and go back home ASAP! I am sure you can't wait to get back to where the black slur"N"word really is a racist word when used...anyway and everyway!

peace...

hahahah, you said all that garbage and ended it with "peace"...LOL +1 for you Haole girly!