People here seem determined to portray Hawaii as a terrible place. (Honolulu: appointed, credit)

[vrhunski]

Originally Posted by Balad1

Ok I'll confess...Hawaii is the land of milk and honey and the people living here want to keep it all for themselves.

That being said, jump on a plane, get to Hawaii and live the easy life of Aloha.

PS: No need for money.

hahah nice post thank you.

[Tigahshark808]

Its sad that people would say not to come here, but i think some locals may say that because there are those tourist that come here and make like they own the place ive personally witnessed those kinds of tourists, i think its those few individual tourist that ruin it for the rest, sad for it to be that way really, but its not all the tourist fault, there are those FEW locals that are idiots as well that are just punks and tend to forget that tourism runs Hawaii, but not saying that so that local people kiss tourists butts but you know what im trying to say, but then again that kind of problems happens everywhere in the world but it gets really blown out of proportion when it comes to Hawaii since it is supposed to be "paradise" sometimes simple stuff like giving the thank you wave or shaka when someone lets you merge in the lane on the road or saying thank you after something is done for u makes all the difference in the world, me as a local of hawaii and a part hawaiian, i like when tourist come over, its a win win situation for everyone, dont let a hand full of locals ruin all of hawaii for you, theres so many places and local people here that would treat u just like a local just as long as you treat them with "aloha".

[Boxcar Overkill]

More than anything, the economic realities of Hawaii make it a difficult place to recommend raising a family if you're on a middle class income.

[atthistime]

When I first visited Hawaii, I thought it a bit of heaven and came away wanting to go back someday.

After my second trip, I saw more of the islands and still came away wishing that I could live there.

After my third vacation there, I visited what I had missed on the first two trips and decided that Hawaii is a wonderful place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there.

Being that far from the mainland made me feel a bit marooned . That is the biggest drawback and second, I live in a lakeside town in Michigan and it is a place where people from all over the US, tourists reserve a cottage or rooms a year and a half in advance. Why would I want to be anywhere else and I can always have Hawaii for a bit of paradise away from my greatlakes paradise for a few weeks in Winter if I choose.

My advice is to visit Hawaii now and again but don't spoil the illusion by living there.

[zoa]

I was born here, raised here - I am only Hawaiian in my heart - not by blood. Spent time on the Eastern Seaboard and realized just how special my home is... so returned. I work here, play here, laugh, cry and dream here. I am buying a home whilst making LESS than $40k annually, and I just sent my youngest son off to college (on scholarship & loans).

Now... tell me the 'āina is a bad place and I will get up and relate to you the dreams of thousands to make these islands their home.. both locally born and not... and are doing EVERYTHING in their power to do so. 'Ohana coming together to support each other is part of our way - and any of you (kama'āina [native-born] or malihini [foreigner]) who do not realize that are completely missing out on just what it means to Live Hawai'i - or on ANY ISLAND for that matter.

Guam has it... Tahiti, Fiji, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Samoa & American Samoa... they have it.

The issue with Hawai'i... and this is coming from a LOCAL.... we are full of ourselves. Seriously. There is a prevelant attitude that Hawaii is the end-all for tourists and it just gets many all P.O.'d when someone talks about taking their tourism money to somewhere else. YET - when someone wants to actually MOVE here and become part of the community, the prevelant attitude is NOT to.

Yes... I gonna tick off some of you.... so what? I'm just disgusted with the attitude some are showing. That is not what Hawai'i is, was, or should be.

Another thing I've noticed on this forum, a LOT of the posters are malihini - meaning you are transplanted. How many REAL locals post here? How many were born at Queen's, grew up country, and actually post here? How many work here to keep our economy going? Eh? HOW MANY OF YOU KNOW what it is REALLY like to BE living your days - ALL your days - on a rock in the middle of nowhere?

I remember the energy crisis of the 70's.. and how many people actually turned back to the horses and cadabao for transportation! I remember when O'ahu was out of power for a WEEK on Thanksgiving - and we imu'd the turkeys! I remember standing in lines for rice and tiolet paper when the stevedors went on strike.....

How many of you know about that stuff? How many of you saw Don Ho before he became a lush and cornerstone at the Hilton?

I am not saying you are a lesser person because you transplanted here... but I do want to put into perspective for you that the living in Hawai'i has become tougher - but easier all at once. It is a perspective reality issue.... and it is NOT about who has and who has not.

My (calabash) Aunty Violet lives in Waimanalo on Hawaiian Homestead land. She cleans other people's houses for a living and makes about $12k a year (yes BELOW poverty). She is perhaps the happiest person I know... She doesn't have a computer so I go and take my laptop to her house so she can surf the web. She finds it exciting and thrilling - this "new technology" that many just over the mountain take for granted. We got her a microwave for xmas last year - she's never used it - its still in the original box in her bedroom acting as a stand for her bible.

She giggles at my blackberry when it goes off... she teases me that I am becoming "haole-fied" - which is funny considering my ethnic heritage is Irish, Scottish & French!

You know what she tells me?

"Girly, don't forget it is da 'āina that loves you... gives you aloha and spirit [read: dreams]. Take care da 'āina, and it going take care you."

In my life... the 'āina has been the dream.





The OP has a dream, and I see that dream standing strong amidst the positives and negatives in this thread. For shame some of you painting bleakness and trying to bash the OP's dream - that is NOT pono nor aloha! That is just what so many of the negative posters here are referring to. Reality Check is good, but despite the economy, the lack of jobs, the transient nature of the population here... we are here - we exist, we live, we thrive. Economy and money do not make Hawai'i - open your eyes... money only makes things more complicated.


Sidebar: Since my sons are gone now, I've experimented with my utilities... like my Auntie, I've started using candles more and saving rain water for my plants and toilet... did you know my electric bill is now BELOW $50/mo, and my water has dropped to below $60? Tell me, with the right mindset, poor people cannot live here... tell me just one.... more.... time!




to the OP:
What are you goin to study @ UH? I've known many who took Polynesian Studies and then went on to Fiji and Tahiti and New Zealand for more studies. Or are you getting into Oceanography or Marine Biology? I may be able to hook you up with others in those fields ...

[hotzcatz]

What's a "cadabao"? I've not seen the word before?

For malihini to come live like the local folks do, then they might get by. However, malihini don't have any family nor can they live on Hawaiian Homelands so it is harder for them. If they want to move and become part of a community, then they will probably survive. However, frequently, they move over and try to live like they do in suburbia on the mainland and that doesn't work.

Hard for stay pono with kolea. They come, grindz, then *poof* stay gone.

Yeah, Hurricane Iwa was a fun week. The Chinese restaurant was still open since they cooked with gas, but no more lights so they'd bring food out of the dark kitchen and sell it out the front door.

[zoa]

Sorry... meant carabao [the "r" is pronounced "d" and is why I miss-spell it all the time] - Filipino word for water buffalo. ^.^ Some are still on the north shore if you know where to look! Plenty on the BI I hear.

The malihini can make 'ohana... how many has my own [blood] family adopted over the years? I don't live on Homestead land... Whitmore/Wahiawa is my romping grounds. Not cheap... but do-able. And yeah, I know about kolea... but you know they are everywhere... and do the same thing on the mainland. Like locusts actually....

But recently... not too many here... know what I mean?


I learned how to bake pies with a rubbish barrel and hibachi! LOL! Hurricane Iwa is probably one of my most favorite Thanksgivings ever... we REALLy were thankful that year... everyone was! We still talk to the old Japanese man who lived next to us... funny... never talked to him before Iwa!

[Afishwithabike]

I do agree that a lot of malihini post on this particular subforum. That's one of the first things I noticed when I started posting here. Not that it's bad, but it does lend a certain flavor to the forum.

Your post brought back some good memories, Zoa.

I grew up here from small kid time. Went to a local public elementary school and then local private schools. I remember the 1982 heptachlor in milk crisis. For some reason that event sticks in my head. I think it's because our elementary class went to visit Lani Moo (remember her? ) and we had to write a thank you letter back to the dairy.

I remember when school lunch was a quarter and bus fares were less than a dollar.

I don't remember Don Ho because his career was before my time. I do remember Rap and Poi Dog. To this day, the funniest local comedian in my eyes is Rap. I still get laughs out of the Room Service and Aunty Marialani's Cooking Show ("not too sweet, not too spicy..juss right!") routines. Rap died too young.

I remember the Save Sandy Beach coalition. I remember the Navy's use of Kaho'olawe. I've been lucky to visit Kaho'olawe after the turnover by the Navy. Even got to see a monk seal sunning itself on the sand.

I remember when Moiilili where I grew up was way more Japanese-y. There was the Kuni Dry Goods and mochi store at the corner of University and King Streets. They're both gone now. I think the mochi store relocated to the Liliha area. I see it sometimes when I drive to Kuakini.

Ala Mona Center was different back then. Remember the old Patty's Chinese Kitchen? Farrell's? The old Woolworth Store where you could find reasonably priced items and tacky souvenier stuff? We really didn't have the fancy shmancy expensive stores those days. There are whole stores at Ala Moana now that I can't/won't visit because they're out of my price range.

Paradise Park was a good place to visit with the family. Also gone are Holiday Mart, McKinerney, the Ritz store, Checkers and Pogo...I could go on. Kind of sad to think of all that is no more.

Hurricane Iwa brings back memories of being let out of school early. I was a small kid so I was thrilled to get out of school early. We lived in a condo those days so we were ok. But the devastation that hurricane brought...yikes!

I remember when there wasn't the H-3 freeway. It took much longer to go from the windward side to the central side.

[zoa]

You just inspired me!!! look for new thread!!!

[FLGirl13]

Originally Posted by zoa

How many of you know about that stuff? How many of you saw Don Ho before he became a lush and cornerstone at the Hilton?

I loved Don Ho... my cousins were dancers for him. I grew up - here on the mainland - listening to him regularly.