Aloha, want to introduce myself. (long) (Honolulu, Kaneohe: rental, camping, live)

[helpinghandz]

Hi everyone!

What a wonderful website! Mahola to all for sharing your wisdom. I have found it all to be very informative.

My hubby and I are moving to Maui in 1-2 years. I spent a month visiting Maui about 6 years ago and recently a week in Oahu. Oahu was my DH first trip and I'm thrilled that he has fallen love with Hawaii as I did on my first first trip.

I'm a nurse (4yrs experience) and he is a restaurant manager (8 year food industry experience). We're going to spend the next 1-2 yrs prepping the best we can. Hoping to land on the island with a short term rental (3 mo) all paid for and atleast 1 job lined up...prolly me, 1 vehicle, 3 dogs and items only near and dear to our hearts (my bet is this includes a the flat screen lol). Plus some cash... atleast 5k, hopefully 10K. It's gonna take a lot discipline, but we can do it!

We lived in the tropics of S Florida so we know all about life surrounded by tourists and being "paid in sunshine" LOL! I love the outdoors... hiking, camping, kayaking and scuba diving! We moved to the midwest to be closer to family and save money, and hubby has been miserable ever since. He basically grew up in SFL and just isn't happy if he can't wear flip year around, and he still does in mid winter for real! We have definitely learned money isn't everything.

Would love to make some friends before we got there, and thought this would be a good start. So Aloha to all!

One more thing. I was thinking of studying the Hawaiian language while I wait. Just curious...will locals be offended by the newbie trying to speak their language or appreciate the effort?

[Halothane]

Do your research before you bring your pets. They need to be certified.

[hotzcatz]

Studying Hawaiian would be a fine thing, although there aren't many Hawaiian speakers left. A lot of Hawaiian words do get used everyday, though. Vocabulary is possibly more important than grammar at the beginning. Studying the Hawaiian culture and the history would also be good, especially the Hawaiian Monarchy as well as hula. There is also the local culture and history which is a bit different from Hawaiian although the two have a lot of similarities.

I'm sure by now you've discovered "mahalo" is spelled a bit differently but perhaps your spell checker is dyslexic?

A hui hou!

[Mar0]

Maybe study up on your pidgin....

[helpinghandz]

I've read all about getting my pups certified. Certainly not any easy task, especially when you multiply it times 3. Much easier than it used to though! Going to start the whole process soon. Just glad none are afraid of vet.

I read somewhere that there are only approximately 5,000 people who speak Hawaiian fluently... kinda sad. Reminds me of the Natives Americans, many of their languages have been lost forever.

Part of my first trip to Maui was a "retreat" for belly dancers and it involved some hula classes. It was a blast! Would love to get involved in some hula classes again. Something very spiritual about it! I'm also very interested in Tahitian style dance, which is more similar to the Middle Eastern dance styles.

Thanks for all the replies!

[cynmkolohe]

Originally Posted by Mar0

Maybe study up on your pidgin....

This is a good suggestion...I remember someone giving me a pidgin dictionary (illustrated! ) when I first arrived. And, even though it was funny, it was also quite helpful and practical. Learning some Hawaiian words and the rules of the language will help you adjust more quickly to street and business names and locations unfamiliar to you...and then you can build on that foundation as time goes by.

Welcome!

[hotzcatz]

Pidgin to da Max! Heheheh! Great book, eh? Has he come out with a sequel yet?

[Loysum]

Definitely study Pidgin to da Max. There's more slang than anything else in Hawaii.

[hotzcatz]

Oh, yeah, directions. Forget those mainland terms of North, West, South and East. They don't translate well when you live on a circular island in the middle of nowhere with streets that follow topography that isn't flat. There is "mauka" which is towards the mountains and "makai" which is towards the ocean. Then there is a geographical feature used to determine which way going parallel to shore. In Honolulu, two of the frequently used directions are "Diamond Head" (towards Diamond Head, Waikiki, etc.) and "Ewa" which is the other direction towards Ewa Beach.

And just to add joy to the whole thing, directions are given according to what used to be there a decade ago. "Turn makai where Bay Chevy used to be" is actually a valid direction while in Kaneohe, believe it or not. And highways have names, not numbers.