A Local Who Wants To Help New Residents and Visitors

[hawaiidreamin]

Hello,
My husband and I are planning to move to the Big Island. I have heard good things and bad things about living there but so far, the good out ways the bad.
Cons: drugs, traffic, cost of living, schools
We are in our 30's and my husband is a painter. I can do anything administrative. We have been looking at house prices and found nice ones around 300,000.00 which is about what we would get for our home her in Salt Lake. We have been to Maui 3 times and the Big Island once, so we have some idea of the cost of living. My husband is going to stay out there for a month or so to make sure this is what he really wants to do. My question for any one that lives there would be.... ANY ADVICE?
We have two kids, 14, and two large dogs. Do you know anything about the dog quarantine rules? Leaving them behind is not an option. I would really apreciate any info you could provide.
Mahalo

[maui08]

Originally Posted by kaimuki

Ha! Wow! BTW, I'm local, educated, employed (stay-at-home dad working out of my home office raising, not babysitting, our 3-year-old daughter). As for our daughter's future, we work hard on it daily! I can't remember the last time I sat around at the beach all day getting liquored-up, but a haircut, what's that. Maybe the haircut thing you got right. GL to you!

Sounds great...wait till your daughter turns of school age. My comments were directed at families with school age kids 5+. When my kids were growing up here it was a perfect place because they did not yet go to school. Each week that my kids were dropped off at school at least one teacher per day did not show up for class and the kids simply sat in the classroom waiting on direction from a staff member! I don't mean to sound harsh about Hawaii but we spent a lot of money coming back here for the third time and it is sooo frustrating to imagine putting ours kids through years of this stuff and to sacrifice and good education that is sound and safe all for the simple fact of living in Hawaii....I guess we just want to see ours kids have a fighting chance at obtaining an education and going on to college, etc......

The kids here tend to be quite rough and lack any guidance or direction which comes straight from the parents. -This is true with the majority here.

Aloha

[Natasha Belle]

Originally Posted by kaimuki

There have been numerous threads created by folks interested in visiting or moving to Hawaii and sadly before a local such as myself can reply, there are at least a half dozen or so posts by those who live outside of Hawaii painting an ugly picture of our people and culture.

My point is just because I lived in Chicago (I have never lived there, this is just an example) for a few years, this hardly makes me an expert or places me in a postion to make blanket statements about their ways of life in Chicago. Sadly some posters, not all, have made some very derogatory statements about Hawaiians an other Hawaii locals.

I think I can be of some use to those who are interested in finding about places to stay or live in Hawaii (especially O'ahu and Kauai), or those folks who have questions about a variety of topics that don't necessarily have to include race relations, drugs or other ills. After all, I'm nearly 39 years old and I was born and raised on O'ahu (specifically Wahiawa and Waipahu during my youngin days). Hawaii is a wonderful place to visit and live, and many of you might agree once you spend some time here.

My family and I lived on the Big Island for almost two years. We lived in Pahala, Kona and Holualoa. My husband had a good job and we enjoyed living aloha. We had to go back to the mainland for an emergency. But we left our hearts in Hawaii. We are trying so hard to get back there. We have submitted our resumes and applied to jobs (my husbands former employer Kawika's gave him an EXCELLENT letter of recommendation) but we cant seem to get anywhere. We have heard that the Big Island business isnt well and alot of businesses have shut down. So we were thinking about Oahu. My husband would love to fly out there and get us set up but it seems without the prospect of a job (we are not wealthy) we couldnt get started again. My husband would even stay on the beach- yes that how desperate we are. Employers seem to not even give him a chance at a job even though we have informed them he would fly out immediately. We absolutely love Hawaii and would love to get back to the place that means so much to us. If you think of anything please let me know. Aloha.

[mdand3boys]

Originally Posted by Natasha Belle

... Employers seem to not even give him a chance at a job even though we have informed them he would fly out immediately...

This is true. Employers get resume's every day from "wishful thinkers" doing a "what if". Unless you either have an extremely rare skill that is in demand here or can transfer with your current company, you had better be prepared to move here first.

[vinty]

Good and bad posts? What a family with kids should be thinking about is the kids. I am from Hawaii and have posted my opinion, personal experience etc... with regard to all the people whom dream of moving to Hawaii. Hey! no kids - come on down. But if you have kids you really need a reality check; that's all. Please no negative hatchet jobs to my response. Peace, love, hugs. Yes, I attended college for 6 years, I do have children, I am employed and I am approaching 50. This is your "Moment of Zen" (The Daily Show,cable,2009). I think it's great you recieved many positive remarks to your dream.