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What would you say I might be able to do with a history degree? I'd really prefer to live in a nice neighborhood. And by nice I just mean, not likely to get robbed/shot/beaten/etc.
Would I perhaps be able to get some sort of teaching position?
IMHO I think we have pretty decent hospitals. Queen's Medical Center is major trauma hospital of the pacific and people are flown in from Guam and American Samoa when necessary. Straub Hospital is known for stroke and orthopedic surgery. Beijing Olympic Decathalon Gold Medalist Brian Clay had shoulder surgery at Straub which he credits saved his career. Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children is just as stated and again the major women & children's hospital of the pacific. We have Kaiser Permanente. Kuakini Medical Center specializes in geriatrics. THE major medical insurance provider is HMSA (Hawaii Medical Services Association) affiliated with blue cross and blue shield.
Studios and bedrooms in Honolulu proper will run about $900- $1000. Use Craigslist as a great way to see what's available in Honolulu.
You may not need A/C but a ceiling fan, or table top fan is a must. We have days with no wind and high humidity (like right now) and a fan makes it bearable.
BTW, we have a lot of military installations on Oahu because of our strategic location in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
No, IMHO I don't feel isolated being in the middle of a huge ocean. But it's a pain when you want to take a trip. Gotta fly everywhere. We can still find some great deals ($650 roundtrip to San Antonio, TX in July 09) but you still have to fly. No getting in you car and driving to the next state, or even the next county (each island is a separate county).
Speaking just for myself, I don't have a problem with individuals that have disabilities. I do have a problem with any individual that expect people to treat them differently because they feel "special" (in a self-centered way). All of my friends are just that -- "friendly." Friendly even when we encounter selfish, disrespectful people. But once they leave we hope we don't run into them again.
Do your research. Use Craigslist and this forum to help you in determining what will be right for you. Just an FYI, a 12-pack of pepsi is running $7.00 (not on sale). $10 for a 36-pack at Costco. McDonald's dollar menu still has the double cheeseburger for $1. A big mac is $4.00. KFC is expensive. All takeout is about 10% more than mainland prices and we don't tend to get the deals advertised on TV. 1 gallon of milk is $5 at Costco and $7 at Safeway.
Thanks for the help. Things are definitely quite expensive there. I guess I'll have to kick my Diet Coke addiction. Are you saying that I came off like I expect people to bend over backwards for me, though?
Also, do you "feel" the fact you are actually on a tiny island in the middle of a gigantic ocean? Is there a sort of isolating feeling like that?
HI is definitely a paradise. We visit each year and have stayed for two months at a time. When we considered moving there permanently in retirement the downside for us was the "island fever" which is similar to "cabin fever." On the mainland we are used to traveling to different states easily and you don't have that ability in HI. The other reasons we chose to stay on the mainland are the medical cares is not near as good as on the mainland, especially if you have a condition that requires monitoring; it was too far from family and friends.
Due to economic conditions we are not sure if we will visit this year. Possibly a trip to the carribbean instead. Good luck!
ComfortablyNumb -- most definitely did I not mean to imply that you expect people to bend over backwards for you.
What I meant to indicate was that locals get irritated with people (local, tourist, whomever) that show an attitude of being better than others. That's what gets visitors, and newbies to Hawaii in trouble. Also, try not to bad mouth local things too much because you'll hear -- "well, if you don't like it then go back from where you came from."
My thing is, if your single, have a good work ethic, etc. you can make it anywhere, including Hawaii. Heck, I got a BA in English with the intent of becoming a High School English Teacher and have worked my entire career in the business/accounting field.
You'll do fine here in Hawaii. Come for an extended stay (1-2 months) and see if it's somewhere you would like to live for awhile!
Medical care here is said to not be as good as on the mainland since there is something about doctors not making money here. Something to do with high cost of medical facilities, low payments from insurers or some such. The end result is it can take weeks to get a referral and that is if you already have a doctor. If you don't have a doctor they can be hard to find one that will sign you up as a new patient. If you need extensive or delicate medical care, then moving to Hawaii is probably not a good idea but Oahu would have the best medical facilities of all the islands. When the mayor of our island had a heart attack last year, he was flown to Oahu.
You can wear sandals and shorts and nobody will care. There is that surfer girl who got her arm bitten off by a shark and she wanders out in public all over the place and is a semi-celebrity - just tell folks a Wisconsin shark nibbled on your foot. Folks don't really care what you look like so much around here, we have too many different sorts of people here for everyone to agree on what is beautiful so folks figure a smile is beautiful no matter what face it is in. The heart counts, exteriors don't matter too much.
Mostly we notice we are on a tiny speck in the middle of the ocean when we see advertisements on the T.V. for places that don't exist here or try to get "overnight" mail delivered. There is an awful lot we don't have here, but that's okay, we've never had it and probably don't need it.
Hawaii has the same baggage as any other place, so please don't think for a moment that it's so much different here. It's the same baggage of a different flavor.
It's nice here if you choose to make it work for you. If you're looking to live here a for a short while then it's fine.
Hawaii has the same baggage as any other place, so please don't think for a moment that it's so much different here. It's the same baggage of a different flavor.
It's nice here if you choose to make it work for you. If you're looking to live here a for a short while then it's fine.
Could you elaborate a bit please? What are the major sacrifices you need to make? What are the biggest annoyances?
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