Seven months living here and... (buy, prices, shopper)

[kkeidl]

Originally Posted by Sweetbeet

Does anybody know what a gallon of milk costs on the mainland? I never paid attention when I was there.

Currently in southeast WI 2% milk can be found for $2.09 per gallon.

[Sweetbeet]

Thanks all - I think we have enough info on the price of milk (I do, anyway). Now, that leads me to wonder about the oft-mentioned "price of tea in China"... (no, no, I'm JUST KIDDING!!!)

[MCB0B]

Originally Posted by Heiwos

What is the cost of organic milk in Hawaii?

Organic 1% is $10.19 for a pack of 3 half gallons at Costco.

[lwnj]

Originally Posted by Sweetbeet

... OMG, if I ever have to leave I'll cry so much! I love this place.

Wow, God bless you! I have NEVER heard anyone say something like this about the place they are living in (and I have never been to Hawaii). It must be such a blessing! I can only imagine.

I live in New Jersey and everybody is miserable here. Arctic blast after arctic blast.. higher and higher property tax... I don't even know why I am staying here. All I know is that I've been taxed so much that I have no money left to move to any place nice.

[lwnj]

Sweetbeet, how do you like the school there?

[Sweetbeet]

My son (12, 7th grade) and his cousin (15, 10th grade) attend Island School, a small-ish private school in Puhi (Kauai). We, and they, love it. It is an academically-oriented school, but they do accept almost anybody. One of the problems is that while it is trying on one level to be a 'prep' school, it is also a school of last resort for some kids who have not done well in public school. For some of them it is great and they thrive; for others, they just continue to slack off at Island, and disrupt the atmosphere for the rest.

It is easy enough in most instances for kids to find others they get along with (academically-oriented, sports-oriented, artsies, whatever), and by high school, there is an honors track for some classes (math and science, I know; the English and Social Studies at that level are mainly 'choices' - the kids need so many credits but can choose which classes they want, so the "easy" classes attract the slackers). The kids have lots of choices in high school, science electives like marine science, astronomy, geology, in addition to the classic biology, chemistry and physics; English classes in "science fiction", Shakespeare, etc.; also SS electives, advanced math, lots of art and drama and music electives. There is no band or orchestra, but a few different choral groups.

The kids have a community service requirement each year in high school, which I like, and they do tend to take it seriously. They also do a senior project which is sometimes quite elaborate. The school is VERY serious and committed about getting the kids into college, and they are given a lot of guidance in completing their applications, taking the SATs, etc.

Extracurricular activities abound - there are KIF sports (swimming, air riflery, basketball, tennis, and many others), plays at every level from 5th grade to HS, robotics team, diving club, chorus, etc.

The teachers, while not all certified as teachers, are all highly qualified. Many are former college professors and all have a deep and broad knowledge of their subjects. The school gives lots of support for new folks learning the ropes of teaching kids, and does not keep those who can't hack it.

I love the overall school philosophy, which is "What can we improve on?" The administration is very open to suggestions and constructive criticism, and I get the feeling that comments and concerns are actually considered seriously.

As for the kids' social life, it seems to me to be just about the same as any (mainland, since I don't really know the public schools here) school. There are the jocks, the slackers, the brains/nerds, the popular girls, etc. There do seem to be fewer tight "boyfriend/girlfriend" pairs in HS than what I remember from my HS days. Lots of the kids have known each other since they were small, so they probably feel more like brothers and sisters. Sometimes, a slacker boy will get a girlfriend and straighten out. Sometimes, a couple will pair up and then both will suddenly lose all interest in school (duh). But there seems to be less dating and so on, more often the kids hang in groups. I don't think there are any "serious" couples below 10th grade at all.

The ethnic mix tends a bit more towards caucasian than the island as a whole, I think. There are a few black kids (one teacher is black, I won't say African-American because I know he's from the Caribbean and is that A-A? - and he has 2 or 3 kids enrolled), quite a few Asian, Hawaiian/Polynesian/Samoan, and lots of hapa (mixed). My son gets teased but not because of his race (he's just a different kind of kid), he got the same thing in NY and most of the kids who tease him, even here, are caucasian also. But it's not really 'bullying'. We did have one incident of bullying near the beginning of the year and I was really impressed with how the school handled it (they took action, unlike our school in NY). His cousin is not one of the 'popular girls' but she has a couple of close friends. She is very bright and is finding the school academically challenging; she loves it too. She has been taking Chinese and can actually speak it! My son, who hated languages before (having had several years of French and Latin), is taking Spanish and is also enjoying it and doing well.

So, we love Island School and our kids do too. YMMV. It's kind of expensive for us, but nothing compared to the top schools on Oahu.

[Tantalust]

Originally Posted by TexasBlonde

Can someone please explain this $10 a gallon for milk thing?

I was delighted to see that all the ABC stores carry Silk, it's a healthy replacement for milk and delicious too.

If you've never tried it, here's more info:
Silk Soymilk Home Page

[VanHa]

its not often that you see someone actually loving where they live. Finally someone has found peace in the community which they live. Very inspiring for the rest of us that can only squwak about the negative things that we see, but never mention the good things that take palce.

More power to you Sweetbeet!

[TXLara]

I had to leave. My husband's contract was cut short and we had to leave almost a whole year early. Now we're back in TX and I'm so bored I could cry. If there was a way to swim back to Oahu, I seriously would do it. There is NOTHING to do here (please don't tell me about the wonderful museums here, b/c they really aren't wonderful) except shop, go to movies, and go out to eat. Oh, and watch bad TV. No beach, no hiking, no fun exploring. No awesome neighbors to hang out with. But going back is not a possibility, so....

And just for the record, I found $7.99 millk at Long's. Milk here is $1.99. But I don't drink it, so I really never cared. Now ice-cream on the other hand...

[survivorqt]

milk is 5 dollars at walmart here in oahu