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Hello all just a few questions. I haven't really planned anything or done anything. Just sort of dreaming and thinking at this point so I'm curious.
I'm an asian-american living in the Seattle area. I would like to move to Hawaii one day. I always hear of things such as cost of living, racism, island fever, hard to get a job etc.
Would I have a problem fitting in even though I'm from the mainland and have no family or connections on the islands? Finding friends, a job etc? Suppose I start applying for jobs in hawaii now, would most companies throw my resume away if they see a non-hawaii address and phone number?
Is life in hawaii really all it's cracked up to be? I would just love to live there one day and enjoy the weather, culture, laid back lifestyle, etc.
You have a lot of reading to do. All of your questions have been discussed many times on this forum. It's just a matter of looking through all of the threads or using the "Search" function found at the top of the page.
After you've spent a couple of hours reading, feel free to come back if you have specific questions.
I moved from Bellingham about 3 years ago, and am here to stay as long as the island will allow.
If you move to Honolulu, you will experience a reverse racism effect here, as asian-americans are the majority.
I would not call it a laid back lifestyle, more of a laid back and patient frame of mind. I have worked harder here than any other place I have lived.
You can check my history of posts I have started for some of the questions I asked and got answered. Living here is not for everyone, but I can't imagine living anywhere else.
How about an extended visit to see if you'll like the islands? Each one is different, too, you may find what you are looking for on one and be completely turned off by another.
Do you know anyone from Honolulu who lives in the Seattle area? If you do, it could help you to start making connections in Hawaii. Many Hawaii residents know people living in Seattle and there are a decent amount of UW and Seattle U alum in Hawaii. Being Asian could also help you fit in.
How companies react to you being out of state depends on the company. Some won't care while others won't even consider you.
This won't necessarily make a difference to you personally, but there are general differences based on specific Asian ethnicity that are well-known to most Hawaii residents. There are three main Asian ethnicities. Japanese are over-represented amongst the highly-educated and in positions of power such as politicians and executives. Filipinos are pretty much the opposite- on average, they're more likely to be working class and less educated. Chinese are in between, but closer to Japanese.
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Thanks for everyones responses. I do have a couple of acquaintances that moved here from Hawaii. I have not vacationed there yet but that's something I plan on doing sometime next year. Maybe after tax season lol. :-)
Do you know anyone from Honolulu who lives in the Seattle area? If you do, it could help you to start making connections in Hawaii. Many Hawaii residents know people living in Seattle and there are a decent amount of UW and Seattle U alum in Hawaii. Being Asian could also help you fit in.
This is an excellent answer, even if it seems counter-intuitive. When I lived in Seattle I met a lot of Hawaiians there, and there are all kinds of Hawaiian themed activities to attend. My first introduction to hula as a serious art form was in Seattle, as was my first luau.
Matter of fact, one of my friends is a reknowned slack-key guitar player, and he sent me an email last month saying he was producing a big slack-key festival there, for the 8th year! And now that I understand that there have been maoli kanaka (native Hawaiians) living in that area since the 1830s, I'm not surprised there is so much affinity between the regions.
Sidebar: Friday Harbor, in Puget Sound, was named for John Friday, a kanaka sheepherder.
A kanaka sheepherder? Didn't know we had sheep that far back. Or was he herding sheep on the mainland? That's another agricultural industry which might be interesting.
Do you have any skills that would let you start a small business in Hawaii, JRittle123? Depending on which island you choose, that might be an option instead of finding employment with someone else. Is there any work you can bring over with you? A lot of folks who can work online are choosing to live in Hawaii and bring their work with them.
A kanaka sheepherder? Didn't know we had sheep that far back. Or was he herding sheep on the mainland? That's another agricultural industry which might be interesting.
Yep, Captain Cook brought pigs and goats with him, and then the British introduced sheep in the 1790s. Overall they've been more destructive to the Hawaiian ecosystem than the pigs.
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