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Indeed! That is why although I have no desire to live in Hawaii, I love reading these threads.
The consensus is always the same. Hawaii is the best place in the universe so long as you can tolerate high costs, no jobs or jobs with low wages, potential violence, isolation, a racial caste system, and a byzantine system of secret handshakes and passwords.
Good grief! For a crowd that constantly boasts of Ohana, fellowship, bbqs, and general mellowness, there certainly is no shortage of bad vibes, frowns, and poor attitudes in the Aloha state.
You say your wanting to move to Hawaii for college and your going to use student loan money.
Picture this, you start at the University of Hawaii at Manoa on Oahu in Honolulu, you share a cramped dorm in the freshman towers. there is one shared kitchen on the rooftop 13 floors up p.s. the laundry is up here too. you have no vehicle because parking in oahu is crazy and the university charges alot to keep a car parked overnight. gas prices are rediculous. so you take the city bus to get groceries. p.s. if you eat at the caffeteria you'll gain your freshman 15 for sure.
your lecture classes are huge! this is a state school. there are often 20 kids standing at the back because they were late for class. you begin to realize hawaii is a little lacking in their educational system. your classes are so far away from the dorms that the university provides a shuttle bus.
you get tired of the crowded city real quick, but you think im not quite ready to leave hawaii yet isn't there another credited college i can attend?
so you enroll at the university of hawaii at hilo on another island known as the big island, the dorms are soooo crapy you can't imagine living here so you split rent on a house three ways and live with 3 other college students in hilo.
Not that bad, you even get a car b/c there is much less public transportation than there was on oahu, now you have to pay for gas, and groceries here are just as insanly priced as they were on oahu, $4 gallon milk, $4 loaf of bread. You need a job. Sorry you can't get one because the only way people get jobs here is through who they know or who they are related to. You decide to move to puna (20 min outside hilo)and pay cheaper rent with some other roomates. Now you live on catchment water, you can't drink it, theres no trashman out here so you have to haul your own trash to the nearest dump. you live on a dirt road. there is no mailbox you now have a p.o.box. and enjoy your commute to school because the "highway" narrows into one lane going north and one lane going south the what should be 20 min. drive now takes almost an hour. EVERYDAY. elementary school kids get off at 1:30 in the afternoon b/c the state can't afford to pay the teachers. the governor has issued what she calls furlough fridays, as a way to save money kids elem.- highschool no longer go to school on fridays. So your jobless and indebt living on a dirt road with catchment water.
Seeing as the educational system sucks you def. dont want to raise your kids here, time to pack up and go home and try to find a job.
*everything in this statement is true including furlough fridays where kids dont go to school*
Indeed! That is why although I have no desire to live in Hawaii, I love reading these threads.
The consensus is always the same. Hawaii is the best place in the universe so long as you can tolerate high costs, no jobs or jobs with low wages, potential violence, isolation, a racial caste system, and a byzantine system of secret handshakes and passwords.
Good grief! For a crowd that constantly boasts of Ohana, fellowship, bbqs, and general mellowness, there certainly is no shortage of bad vibes, frowns, and poor attitudes in the Aloha state.
Gee, it also sounds like every other state in this forum!
Just goes to show, people follow dreams everywhere, and end up living in the reality they choose.
You say your wanting to move to Hawaii for college and your going to use student loan money.
Picture this, you start at the University of Hawaii at Manoa on Oahu in Honolulu, you share a cramped dorm in the freshman towers. there is one shared kitchen on the rooftop 13 floors up p.s. the laundry is up here too. you have no vehicle because parking in oahu is crazy and the university charges alot to keep a car parked overnight. gas prices are rediculous. so you take the city bus to get groceries. p.s. if you eat at the caffeteria you'll gain your freshman 15 for sure.
your lecture classes are huge! this is a state school. there are often 20 kids standing at the back because they were late for class. you begin to realize hawaii is a little lacking in their educational system. your classes are so far away from the dorms that the university provides a shuttle bus.
you get tired of the crowded city real quick, but you think im not quite ready to leave hawaii yet isn't there another credited college i can attend?
so you enroll at the university of hawaii at hilo on another island known as the big island, the dorms are soooo crapy you can't imagine living here so you split rent on a house three ways and live with 3 other college students in hilo.
Not that bad, you even get a car b/c there is much less public transportation than there was on oahu, now you have to pay for gas, and groceries here are just as insanly priced as they were on oahu, $4 gallon milk, $4 loaf of bread. You need a job. Sorry you can't get one because the only way people get jobs here is through who they know or who they are related to. You decide to move to puna (20 min outside hilo)and pay cheaper rent with some other roomates. Now you live on catchment water, you can't drink it, theres no trashman out here so you have to haul your own trash to the nearest dump. you live on a dirt road. there is no mailbox you now have a p.o.box. and enjoy your commute to school because the "highway" narrows into one lane going north and one lane going south the what should be 20 min. drive now takes almost an hour. EVERYDAY. elementary school kids get off at 1:30 in the afternoon b/c the state can't afford to pay the teachers. the governor has issued what she calls furlough fridays, as a way to save money kids elem.- highschool no longer go to school on fridays. So your jobless and indebt living on a dirt road with catchment water.
Seeing as the educational system sucks you def. dont want to raise your kids here, time to pack up and go home and try to find a job.
*everything in this statement is true including furlough fridays where kids dont go to school*
Hey Swatjoue, don't sugar coat it, tell us how you really feel...
>>Gee, it also sounds like every other state in this forum!
Just goes to show, people follow dreams everywhere, and end up living in the reality they choose.<<
I agree! I think it takes a certain type of people to spend time in the glow of a computer, griping to strangers. I try not to do it that much
I think having a professional degree in an in-demand field is def. the key to the job market in Hawai'i. And living simply could also alleviate the costs of everyday life. Catchment water sounds BRILLIANT to me- I think many people have become so dependent on many 'services' that they are almost completely unable to fend for themselves.
Some of the portrayals of life in Hawaii here just continue to amaze me.
I've lived in Honolulu for 7 years. It's not the way some here are saying it is. The picture of life being conjured up here is just not accurate.
People on the mainland aren't as idealistic about Hawaii being "paradise" as many here seem to think. They know it's more expensive than some parts of the mainland. They know there's less variety in stores. They know there's unemployment - there's unemployment on the mainland too. But what I'm seeing described here is nothing more than negative propaganda.
Hawaii is a great place to live. I've lived here for 7 years. It's not that hard to adjust. The rewards outweigh the difficulties and QUIRKS.
I'll say that again: THE REWARDS OUTWEIGH THE DIFFICULTIES AND QUIRKS.
The first time you walk out onto a beautiful, warm beach at 10 pm in January, sit down and feel the breeze... see the stars... and realize you are HOME... it will all be worth the challenges. There are trade-offs anywhere you live. Anywhere. Hawaii's trade-offs are well worth it.
People on the mainland know the difference between a vacation and a move. They don't expect moving to Hawaii to be the same as a vacation in Hawaii.
Really guys... let them know it's more expensive than Indiana, but stop trying to scare everyone who wants to live in Hawaii. Show some aloha.
Some of the portrayals of life in Hawaii here just continue to amaze me.
I've lived in Honolulu for 7 years. It's not the way some here are saying it is. The picture of life being conjured up here is just not accurate.
People on the mainland aren't as idealistic about Hawaii being "paradise" as many here seem to think. They know it's more expensive than some parts of the mainland. They know there's less variety in stores. They know there's unemployment - there's unemployment on the mainland too. But what I'm seeing described here is nothing more than negative propaganda.
Hawaii is a great place to live. I've lived here for 7 years. It's not that hard to adjust. The rewards outweigh the difficulties and QUIRKS.
I'll say that again: THE REWARDS OUTWEIGH THE DIFFICULTIES AND QUIRKS.
The first time you walk out onto a beautiful, warm beach at 10 pm in January, sit down and feel the breeze... see the stars... and realize you are HOME... it will all be worth the challenges. There are trade-offs anywhere you live. Anywhere. Hawaii's trade-offs are well worth it.
People on the mainland know the difference between a vacation and a move. They don't expect moving to Hawaii to be the same as a vacation in Hawaii.
Really guys... let them know it's more expensive than Indiana, but stop trying to scare everyone who wants to live in Hawaii. Show some aloha.
It's worth it to some people, and to some people it's not.
What schools do your kids go to? Because most people don't have to send their kids to a private school to get a decent education. But in Hawaii.....
Some of the portrayals of life in Hawaii here just continue to amaze me.
I've lived in Honolulu for 7 years. It's not the way some here are saying it is. The picture of life being conjured up here is just not accurate.
People on the mainland aren't as idealistic about Hawaii being "paradise" as many here seem to think. They know it's more expensive than some parts of the mainland. They know there's less variety in stores. They know there's unemployment - there's unemployment on the mainland too. But what I'm seeing described here is nothing more than negative propaganda.
Hawaii is a great place to live. I've lived here for 7 years. It's not that hard to adjust. The rewards outweigh the difficulties and QUIRKS.
I'll say that again: THE REWARDS OUTWEIGH THE DIFFICULTIES AND QUIRKS.
The first time you walk out onto a beautiful, warm beach at 10 pm in January, sit down and feel the breeze... see the stars... and realize you are HOME... it will all be worth the challenges. There are trade-offs anywhere you live. Anywhere. Hawaii's trade-offs are well worth it.
People on the mainland know the difference between a vacation and a move. They don't expect moving to Hawaii to be the same as a vacation in Hawaii.
Really guys... let them know it's more expensive than Indiana, but stop trying to scare everyone who wants to live in Hawaii. Show some aloha.
Everyone has their own truths, feelings and experiences.
People on this board are communicting theirs; repect them and don't be judgemental.
Gee, it also sounds like every other state in this forum!
Just goes to show, people follow dreams everywhere, and end up living in the reality they choose.
There certainly is truth in that.
Obviously Hawaii is a bit more unique than most states. And I reckon that is part of the appeal. It certainly is a great place, even if it is more difficult to relocate there.
It's worth it to some people, and to some people it's not.
What schools do your kids go to? Because most people don't have to send their kids to a private school to get a decent education. But in Hawaii.....
Well, I see how this is going to work now. No matter what is said, there are people ready with fresh warnings and discouragements designed to keep people away from "their" island.
I stand behind what I said:
I have lived in Honolulu for 7 years. It's not as bad as many in this forum are making it out to be. There are a group of posters here who clearly have an agenda to frighten people out of moving to Hawaii.
It didn't work with me. I'm here, I'm making it fine, and I love it. I'm not leaving. Mahalo and aloha.
Hawaii IS part of America. It belongs to all Americans. Things change. This island, like the mainland, and Europe... and Asia... and the rest of the world WILL CHANGE in the coming years. Sentimentality and personal nostalgia are (for better or worse) not going to determine the future. People will move to Hawaii, people will leave Hawaii. The cultural face of Hawaii (like that of the mainland) WILL CHANGE. Things are getting more diverse everywhere. Xenophobia is just going to make it more difficult to accept the changes. I really, REALLY hope that the agenda to discourage here isn't based on some sort of anti-white racism... that would disappoint me greatly. In fact, it would shame me to think we have people like that in Hawaii.
As I said, my purpose in posting in this thread is to try to counterbalance what I see as a few posters with an agenda to frighten people away. Don't tell me that that isn't what is happening here, because it clearly is in some cases. The minute a person overcomes one of your cautions or warnings, you manufacture a new one. If it isn't money, it's getting beaten up. If it isn't getting beaten up, it's giant centipedes. If it isn't giant centipedes, it's traffic. If it isn't traffic it's the lack of decent schools. It never ends.
Do you think the mainland is perfect and that those moving to Hawaii are used to perfection? If you think the mainland is so easy, inexpensive and trouble-free compared with Hawaii, WHY DON'T YOU MOVE THERE YOURSELF? Then you can visit the forum for Ohio or Indiana or California or New Jersey and people there can fill you with fear and dread, tell you how you'll go broke, not find a job, your kids will be beaten up on "Kill Hawaiian Day", you'll be bitten by rattlesnakes, black widows and brown recluses, sit in endless traffic, get mauled by grizzlies, mugged by urban gang members, be forced to put bars on your windows, get attacked for honking at rednecks, shovel snow, pay insane heating bills, breathe polluted air, watch inflation take your paycheck, deal with overcrowding, deal with racism, and deal with Swine flu, Ryan Secrest, and all the other horrors of living on the mainland.
Gotcha.
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To Paradise Calling
You need a job. Sorry you can't get one because the only way people get jobs here is through who they know or who they are related to. You decide to move to puna (20 min outside hilo)and pay cheaper rent with some other roomates. Now you live on catchment water, you can't drink it, theres no trashman out here so you have to haul your own trash to the nearest dump. you live on a dirt road. there is no mailbox you now have a p.o.box. and enjoy your commute to school because the "highway" narrows into one lane going north and one lane going south the what should be 20 min. drive now takes almost an hour. EVERYDAY. elementary school kids get off at 1:30 in the afternoon b/c the state can't afford to pay the teachers. the governor has issued what she calls furlough fridays, as a way to save money kids elem.- highschool no longer go to school on fridays. 
So your jobless and indebt living on a dirt road with catchment water.
