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In Hawaii the houses are small because we aren't cooped up in them for months at a time. We spend more time outdoors than indoors so the whole "big house" thing just hasn't caught on. The bigger the house the more time it takes to clean it, the more junk you need to live in it and the less time you have to be at the beach. It is a whole different mindset than places where folks are trapped in houses during cold seasons.
Location: Was in Western New York but now in Hilo Hawaii
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Originally Posted by hotzcatz
In Hawaii the houses are small because we aren't cooped up in them for months at a time. We spend more time outdoors than indoors so the whole "big house" thing just hasn't caught on. The bigger the house the more time it takes to clean it, the more junk you need to live in it and the less time you have to be at the beach. It is a whole different mindset than places where folks are trapped in houses during cold seasons.
You are so right here living in upstate NY not being able to go outside for 5 months a year cabin fever is a big problem. I need sun!
I won't post all of my questions, just the more important ones I suppose.
I'm about 90% sure I'll be getting orders for Hickam, reporting by the end of October. I've been looking at houses for rent and it seems the only ones available are in west Oahu. From the research I've been doing that's horrible for those trying to commute to Hickam AFB.
What is the housing situation around Hickam and east Oahu? I'd like to find a decent sized house/condo/duplex (maybe hoping too much for at least 1200 sq ft) at or below $2,000/month.
My wife is doing her own search but she's a special ed teacher so I'm not sure what the availability of jobs for her will be. Should she try for one of the DoDIS or however it's spelled (military schools)? She teaches primarily K-6 special ed.
I've done some searching on transporting animals (I have one 30lb dog and one cat) and am glad to have found the info now. I should have no problem getting all of the things needed to avoid the quarantine but the biggest issue is flying them over. What I'm thinking is driving to L.A. from Omaha, NE and then flying them over from there, reducing the time they'll be in a plane. I don't mind the drive as I have family along the way I can visit.
A lot of the info I've found on this site is in regards to the other bases/forts/stations besides Hickam so I thought I'd post a separate thread. Any and all information is greatly appreciated.
Hello, we just found out we'll be PCSing to Hickam in the middle of Oct. I've done lots of research and these are a few things I've found. If you don't mind living in a small place, being in traffic for 30-60 min everyday commuting to Hickam, and paying lots of money for "emergency" groceries, etc, than you might want to live off base. I don't know what your rank is, but my husband is an E7 and we have 2 kids, and we'll get a house that is ~1900 sq ft which is perfect. No traffic on base, commissary is close, nice beach, and Waikiki is close as well.
About the schools, I've heard they are not good at all. I've heard that people usually homeschool or send their kids to a private school. There's 3 elementary schools (2 of them are on base), 1 middle school, and 1 high school. The schools are not DoD (Dept of Defense), they are DoE (Dept of Education) of Hawaii. I heard they go all year round, but have breaks. The first day of school is on 2 Aug. I'm going to try the schools out first and go from there. Not for sure about your wife getting a job doing that or they may be contractor jobs. Something she should contact the school about. I know Hickam Elem on base (and I believe the other schools) are uniform restricted, which I actually like.
We are PCSing to Honolulu next month (Army, stationed in Honolulu, not Schofield) and will be living on base. We are eligible in varying degrees of wait lists for Navy, Army and Air Force housing and will be definitely going that route. My spouse and me, two pets, and a 6 year old. For the space we want (and need for the pets), on base housing is the best bet from all accounts.
We may end up in public schools initially, but we have some friends who work at some of the private schools, and from what I understand (from people in my new office in Hawaii), there are exceptions for admitting military children outside of the normal admissions cycles so we are going to explore that option as soon as we can.
We are PCSing to Honolulu next month (Army, stationed in Honolulu, not Schofield) and will be living on base. We are eligible in varying degrees of wait lists for Navy, Army and Air Force housing and will be definitely going that route. My spouse and me, two pets, and a 6 year old. For the space we want (and need for the pets), on base housing is the best bet from all accounts.
We may end up in public schools initially, but we have some friends who work at some of the private schools, and from what I understand (from people in my new office in Hawaii), there are exceptions for admitting military children outside of the normal admissions cycles so we are going to explore that option as soon as we can.
Good thinking on all counts.
I was stationed at Schofield until 2008 when I retired.
I was stationed at Schofield until 2008 when I retired.
Thanks. It seems like the best for us, logistically.
We are very excited for this move. Having lived in places all over the country (and in other countries), we are used to dealing with odd logistics and figuring things out as they come, and planning to the best extent possible (given lots of our circumstances, much "planning" consists of packing our stuff, moving, and figuring it out when we get there).
We are also thankful that both of us are gainfully employed (husband in the Army, me with the Federal Government transferring to our Honolulu office from the DC area). My parents have a house on Kauai and I am looking forward to being nearer to them after 6 years of East Coast living, being near my inlaws.
I started the process with the pets as soon as we had the orders, but our move date ended up being sooner than the 120 "clear to move" date according to the date the blood tests hit the HI DoA. So the pets will end up quaranteined for the remainder of the 120 day period (which isn't long...we are only missing it by a week or 2), but other than that, all their papers are (or will be) in order.
Excellent! Thanks for the resources. Thankfully, my job also *requires* me to travel all the islands for our work, so I will have additional opportunities to explore the other islands. Looking forward to it!
And? I LOVE Kauai. I've spent more time there than I have on Oahu. definitely different vibes on each island! Very excited about seeing the other islands. Maybe I'll get to kayak the Na'Pali again!
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