Moving back to the mainland - our Hawaii experience. (assess, education)

[hawaiian by heart]

^^^^^

Aloha, do you know how sad and right you are? Do you know that even Oahu and Honolulu had good aloha at one time? Your right about "it is created and maintained by the collective population, you come into it and either adopt it in your lifestyle or you don't. If more adopt than don't, then it continues, that is pretty much it", further it is part of culture too. If places like Honolulu today doesn't have good aloha? Stop ask yourself why? Could it be that people didn't get the memo? Or are people not embracing the culture of Hawai'i in those areas anymore?

[McFrostyJ]

There are kind people everywhere, including Honolulu. There are also jerks everywhere. Enjoy the nice people and give the mean people a break because you don't know what they are currently going through.

[hawaiian by heart]

Originally Posted by McFrostyJ

There are kind people everywhere, including Honolulu. There are also jerks everywhere. Enjoy the nice people and give the mean people a break because you don't know what they are currently going through.

Is there such a thing as unconditional love? Is love about accepting people for who they are good or bad small or big? Or is love knowing that people are so much more then there current behaviors or selves? Something of a higher state if only shown the path or have the ability to get out of there own selvess way? The riddle of existence.

Four laws of change:
1) Change comes from within
2) Change is preceded by a vision
3) To change a great learning must happen
4) Change only happens in a healthy forrest or like environment.

Be the healthy forrest.

I liked what you said McFrostyJ acceptance is a good thing too. With balance.

[lost_traveler1]

You can immerse yourself into deep complex analytical social intricacies to determine what are the motivations shaped by the psychological pathology of those local people, but the simple FACT is you, and so many of those similar to you, ended up simply moving to the Hawaii equivalent to mainland trailer trash towns.

This is not a knock on you, because it seems you had good intentions, like all 9234984529457 mainland transplants that decide to move to Big Island, Maui, and Kauai, but an example that haoles need to understand which cannot be easily extracted from words in a forum.

You thought "hmmm, lets move to Hawaii its soo pretty there."

You come to the forum, which shows you have the intelligence to do at least some research, vs. thinking "spontaneously relocating would be fun, hehehe," and you do proper research to develop a decent plan on which Island to live and which city/town to live specifically at.

The error comes when you think, "I wanna live where its lush and green, with some separation from neighbors, away from that rat race in Honolulu." Then you think YOU found the "secret paradise location" in some back*ss town in Big Island and, "OMG how does noone even know of this secret areas that are soo cheap, full of pockets of lush green properties with cute little houses, and did I mention to myself how cheap it is."


Then you get there and are SHOCKED by the horrible people there. Well, lemme tell you, you just landed smack dab into the rural Hawaii where the most uneducated, socially retarded, backwardass, don't have nothing do do but get drunk and make babies trash towns, of all, OF ALL of the places you could live in Hawaii.

Its like, if I wanted to move to the mainland and thought "hmm I don't wanna live in big cities, be more closer to nature, so lets google research and, "OMG down south in Alabama is soo cheap and lots of open land, how is it nobody knows of this secret paradise. OMG, the Appalacian mountains in West Virginia are so green and lush and soo cheap, thats it I'm moving there.

Then I get dirty looks and treated horribly by the locals who don't take well to my Japanese family.

THAT is the equivalent of you people that try to move to Hawaii "trailer trash hick towns," and be like WTF???!?!!! this Aloha sprit is a crock of manure. There is a reason why those places are so cheap and not crowded and why the people there are just plain horrible people. There is no paradise, its just an illusion, alongside dumb mokes and titas.

Originally Posted by willowkim

Cue the standard response!

One thing that really bothers me about the forums is that when people post about the very real issues of life in Hawaii -- and there are some VERY real negatives to life on the islands -- it's turned right back around into some kind of character flaw. And yes, I know there are PLENTY of those rich retired folks with entitlement attitudes over there. It's the same in Florida and Arizona.

I've lived all over the US, midwest, both coasts (let me tell you, Boston was true culture shock -- but we lived there happily for quite a few years). I've lived in Europe during a time when the political climate was decidedly anti-American. I got insulted walking down the street - doing nothing but walking home from the bus stop, carrying a backpack, "You stupid American! Go home!" I was there to study language, and culture, to immerse myself, respectfully, and learn. And I did, and I found kindness more than hostility. Everywhere I've lived, I've settled in. Worked, made friends, built in kindness.

I moved to Hawaii with the same desire. To learn. To respect. To immerse myself in a different culture. But I didn't find more kindness than hostility.

What I learned was that there are families still actively teaching their kids to bully haole kids and looking on approvingly (preschool-age!). I learned that, despite my desire to learn and participate in culture, most opportunities for us were tourism-driven, and that the truly rich learning experiences weren't open to us. I learned that Hawaii was the most achingly beautiful place I've ever lived, but that there is so much anger simmering below the surface. And I learned a lot about that, the origins, the history, and I found myself appalled at the actions of my government. If we had decided that Hawaii was home, despite it all, I would have done my best to find places to work, serve, and support the community.

But I don't believe that anger directed at every day people, that ongoing blatant racism, is the answer. It's a misdirection and solves nothing in a broad sense. It doesn't work anywhere in the world. It alienates. The Hawaiian people have this incredibly rich culture they could share with the world. True aloha.

We chose to leave. We are not living where we grew up; in fact, we are in a small town where "everyone knows everyone" and we are the "non-locals." And yet, people are kind. And at the end of that day, that's what matters to me. I can deal with heat, bugs, expense, island fever, living with less, struggling schools. Despite what one response to my original post decided ("It's all about the money!") -- it's not - except perhaps in the sense that I would like my husband to have access to jobs that make him happy in his career. I have lived with very little, happily. It's about kindness and community.

I'm sure, again, I have not worded this well enough to prevent all kinds of interpretations. Take what you will. I stand for kindness, respect, and being part of my community. I'm a hardworking, respectful mom. I didn't find a welcome in Kona. Maybe the welcome was a year, or two, or five away, and I had to prove my stick-to-it-iveness. Or maybe it would have been different away from the tourist town. I don't know. But I didn't have those years to give away, those precious years of my daughter's early childhood.

[Alvin Cordero]

I will like to have a little land like 10 - 20 acres with an medium house, spend my free time in the agriculture hobby or how know maybe I can make some money doing organic food, but mostly like a hobby, I'm work from my computer so I need contact with nature, I was checking lands and maybe I will buy some soon, but you're information help me a lot to press my brakes and take it a little slow, definitely I will rent a couple of months before buying, vacation is one thing and live in a place is other.

How I can go from one island to another if i have my own boat? It will be expensive?

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by Alvin Cordero

How I can go from one island to another if i have my own boat? It will be expensive?

Yes.

[Honolulu21]

Originally Posted by lost_traveler1

You can immerse yourself into deep complex analytical social intricacies to determine what are the motivations shaped by the psychological pathology of those local people, but the simple FACT is you, and so many of those similar to you, ended up simply moving to the Hawaii equivalent to mainland trailer trash towns.

This is not a knock on you, because it seems you had good intentions, like all 9234984529457 mainland transplants that decide to move to Big Island, Maui, and Kauai, but an example that haoles need to understand which cannot be easily extracted from words in a forum.

You thought "hmmm, lets move to Hawaii its soo pretty there."

You come to the forum, which shows you have the intelligence to do at least some research, vs. thinking "spontaneously relocating would be fun, hehehe," and you do proper research to develop a decent plan on which Island to live and which city/town to live specifically at.

The error comes when you think, "I wanna live where its lush and green, with some separation from neighbors, away from that rat race in Honolulu." Then you think YOU found the "secret paradise location" in some back*ss town in Big Island and, "OMG how does noone even know of this secret areas that are soo cheap, full of pockets of lush green properties with cute little houses, and did I mention to myself how cheap it is."


Then you get there and are SHOCKED by the horrible people there. Well, lemme tell you, you just landed smack dab into the rural Hawaii where the most uneducated, socially retarded, backwardass, don't have nothing do do but get drunk and make babies trash towns, of all, OF ALL of the places you could live in Hawaii.

Its like, if I wanted to move to the mainland and thought "hmm I don't wanna live in big cities, be more closer to nature, so lets google research and, "OMG down south in Alabama is soo cheap and lots of open land, how is it nobody knows of this secret paradise. OMG, the Appalacian mountains in West Virginia are so green and lush and soo cheap, thats it I'm moving there.

Then I get dirty looks and treated horribly by the locals who don't take well to my Japanese family.

THAT is the equivalent of you people that try to move to Hawaii "trailer trash hick towns," and be like WTF???!?!!! this Aloha sprit is a crock of manure. There is a reason why those places are so cheap and not crowded and why the people there are just plain horrible people. There is no paradise, its just an illusion, alongside dumb mokes and titas.

I totally agree with everything you said in your post!

[hawaiian by heart]

Originally Posted by Honolulu21

I totally agree with everything you said in your post!

But none if it had anything to do with behaviors of the past from others? Just out of the blue one day these small local towns people got mean, ignorant and uneducated? hmmm?

[Honolulu21]

Originally Posted by hawaiian by heart

But none if it had anything to do with behaviors of the past from others? Just out of the blue one day these small local towns people got mean, ignorant and uneducated? hmmm?

Some of it may have to do with behaviors from the past, but my take on this is, wherever you go throughout this country there are ignorant, uneducated and mean people. And a lot of them do live in low-cost areas.

I agree with lost_traveler1's critique that people from the mainland who live or have lived in the low cost areas of the Big Island (equivalent to trailer parks on the mainland) shouldn't be making blanket statements about the lack of the "aloha spirit" in Hawaii because where they live doesn't represent Hawaii as experienced by people who happen to live in the more affluent areas of the islands.

[FCStraight]

Originally Posted by Dreaming of Hawaii

Good luck with your search!

Sorry folks...it's been a while since I opened up this forum; been tied up getting our household stuff prep'd for our trip back to Blaine, WA. I am indeed fortunate to hear from so many kind folks. My questions were all answered and I am very thankful to all of you! MAHALO.

We're heading back to WA first to be near our home which we are in the process of putting in the market...then, take it from there. I will make a trip to Hawaii...specially now that we have direct flights from Bellingham to HI...makes it much easier; don't have to fly out of Seattle.

I'll continue reading and learning more from this forum (on Hawaii). BTW...I can't believe I actually turned down a good paying job with VA in Honolulu last month. Well...for good reason. VA does not provide waiver for retirees receiving Federal pension. You see, if I work for VA (and several other Federal agencies...but not DOD), they'll offset my Federal pension by taking it out of my GS pay. That's a good chunk of money I've worked 30 some years to earn. They call it dual compensation ruling. When I returned to work for Dept of Army in Germany...2008-2011, this rule didn't apply. I was allowed to keep my full pension and full pay and allowances throughout my employment. Unfortunately, VA doesn't waive this ruling. So I graciously had to turn down the offer. I could probably get a job with VA in Hilo...but then again, it will be the same situation as the one in Honolulu...unless VA waives offsetting my annuity. Not that I need a job...but I am still in excellent health and full of energy and still lots of mileage left in me...and don't mind going back to work for a while longer to stay busy.

I'm keeping an eye on DOD jobs in Hawaii and I'm on a referral for selection now with the Army in Oahu. But whether I get a job or not...I think I can manage on just my Federal pension, SS & VA. So I'm still going to shoot for BI!

Aloha to all and Mahalo...