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Hawaii doesn't have any natural gas, so no gas heaters. There is bottled propane, I suppose, but I don't know anyone who has a propane heater in their house. Electric rates are extremely high, in some areas up to around forty five cents per kilowatt hour opposed to some areas on the mainland where it is seven to nine cents a kilowatt hour. So nobody heats much of anything with electricity. On the green side of things, all the grid electricity in Hawaii is from burning oil, so we shouldn't encourage excessive electrical use. There are a few folks that have fireplaces and woodstoves so their houses can be toasty warm when it drops below fifty five degrees. So it is hard to figure out what sort of house heater one would have here.
Then the houses themselves, we generally encourage loads of ventilation for heat and mildew issues. This does keep them at the temperature of outside if not even cooler because of the shade of the roof. So, when it gets cold in Hawaii our options are to bake a cake (yum!) or drive somewhere in the car - that is, if the heater in your car is working, of course.
Well, back to your regular scheduled programming, which, I believe, is stories from folks who moved to Hawaii.
Does anyone have a story regarding moving to Hawaii for a Job and not having turn out....It would be interesting to see how people have dealt with that type of adversity. It would be great to give a bit of advice to those who are scared of moving to the Islands for the fear of not having a their "dream job" not turn out as expected! Just a thought.
AQUAO----come to oklahoma, we can do a housing swap. just finished 6 months of being trapped inside the house from the freezing cold winter and getting ready to be trapped inside the house for 6 months of boiling hot/humid summer. (We got mosquitos too) or we can both ditch Maui and OKLA maybe for the carribean! Ha!
VanHa, I'm sure my story's on here somewhere. I'm a lawyer. My 'dream job' that I was offered, working with a local attorney on some specialized real estate transactions and eventually taking over his practice, evaporated after I'd sold my house, quit my steady job of 17 years (working for the state of NY), sold stuff, microchipped the cats, taken and passed the HI bar exam, etc. Oh, yeah, and I'm the main 'breadwinner' in the family. We knew it was going to take hubby at least a year to build a shop and get his musical instrument building/repair business going out here, and even in the best of times, he doesn't make enough to support the family.
But we moved anyway. Then after being here for a little while even the little 'substitute' job disappeared (actually, the guy who'd promised the dream job, and for whom I'd ended up renting an office and doing a little work on the side, turned out to be a total *******/crook/weasel from whom I ran, FAST; he's been sued by several people and is minutes away from being disbarred).
I opened my own practice and here I am, 19 months later. Hanging in there. The practice is growing fitfully. This might be the first month that I actually earn enough to support us completely on my take home.
I absolutely LOVE working for myself, doing the kind of law I'm doing (it's what I've always wanted to do since law school). It'd be pretty hard going back to a '9-5' job for someone else! I LOVE the freedom, flexibility, and that wonderful feeling when you know you've really helped someone. And I LOVE the work, it's FUN. Sometimes I stay up until midnight working on a trust, studying the IRS regulations, or just 'chatting' over the internet with other solo attorneys around the country (though at midnight, it's usually just us here in HI who are still up).
I love Kauai, and will probably never live anywhere else. Life is hard, but worth it, and getting better. I sometimes think we made a mistake in moving here. I sometimes think we shouldn't have bought this house, or bought any house when we did (we're not underwater yet, but we've basically lost our 20% downpayment - good thing we have no intention of selling anytime soon!). I sometimes wonder if I couldn't have had the same thrill of starting my own practice back in NY. Then I walk outside at 9 p.m. in February, in my bare feet, and am not AT ALL sorry about any of those things.
And there, in a nutshell, is my 'evaporating job' story. YMMV.
Then after being here for a little while even the little 'substitute' job disappeared (actually, the guy who'd promised the dream job, and for whom I'd ended up renting an office and doing a little work on the side, turned out to be a total *******/crook/weasel from whom I ran, FAST; he's been sued by several people and is minutes away from being disbarred).
This is another indication that when people move here they should keeps their eyes open. There are crooks even in paradise! I am glad that it worked out for you and that you still had the drive to make you move to Kauai a positive experience for yourself and your family.
Insanity. Seriously. I lost my mom and grandparents in quick succession. I’d lived most of my adult life in Oregon and realized at 36 that life would be so much more fun Hawaii. BUT...
What did you bring with you (kid(s), car, furniture, dog)
I had to convince the people I needed to bring along (my husband and two grade school aged kids) this was a brilliant idea. Luckily, I did, so we packed as much stuff as we could in a POD (@$5,000 door to door) and shipped my husband’s truck (@1,000), and we were off!
Did you have a job already when you moved
I work from home, so no worries there. My husband is a high school math teacher, and although he had an initial screening interview on the mainland, no actual job. We moved last June and were not to worried, but he was getting NO interview calls. He decided to start contacting Principles directly instead of going through the bureaucratic nightmare that is Hawaii’s DOE (Can you tell I have a strong opinion?) From what we can tell, his name was accidentally left off the list of pre-approved teacher candidates sent out to schools. UGH! After calling principles directly, he had a job in a little over a week.
Where was the first place you lived in...how much did it cost
We lived in a bitchin’ condo in Lanikai, a swanky section of Kailua. It was a temporary rental for five months while the owner’s were at their other home on the mainland. It was $2,500 a month (plus electric) with everything down to the towels provided. We found it on Craig’s List. We specifically wanted something furnished and temporary while we got the “lay of the land.” Five months was probably to long, but it was a really great opportunity.
What was your anxiety level like when you moved here
I know it was huge, but less than a year down the road, I’ve kinda forgotten. For me, it’s like child birth. Yeah, it was stressful, but the reward is so huge, I don’t mind.
Were there differences that you found interesting or noteworthy
I did heaps of internet research, but I’d NEVER been to Hawaii. Here’s what I found surprising:
The noise. I’m not used to living so close to my neighbors and because really no one has air-conditioning in Kailua, we all keep our windows open year-around. You know how to tend to see and hear your neighbors more in the summer? Well, it is like that year around here.
I miss sidewalks. I guess in a beach town, land is to much of a premium to have sidewalks.
Furlough Fridays!!! The lack of school days really threw us for a loop. The educational options in Hawaii are dizzying. Public, private, charter schools, geographic exceptions to go to schools outside your district. I have a hard time deciding on which toothpaste to buy, much less how to best educate my kids in Hawaii.
When did you start making friends
Almost all of my friends, I’ve met through my kids. Both through school and sports. One of my favorite surprises was my little guy’s summer football team that he started almost as soon as we got here. The families were both local and military. Everyone was so welcoming, and unlike back in Oregon, the snacks after the game were no wussy cheese sticks and juice boxes. They were epic potlucks for the whole family that usually lasted longer than the game. Woohoo! Another great sport for making friends is joining an outrigger canoe club. I’m to lazy, but my daughter LOVES it, and they have divisions for all ages.
Did you move from your first place
Yep, our new rental is almost the same rent, but not near as fancy. 3 bedroom / 2 bath, 1400 sq. ft., no garage for $2,450 and includes trash and yard service. We had a hard time finding a place in Kailua in our price range that didn’t share a yard and/or common wall with another home, but I’m glad we insisted on that. Even though our home is not fancy and costs about $1,000 more a month in rent than our place in Oregon, we live about 1/2 mile from a beautiful beach, eat papayas off our tree, and I pluck a plumeria to put behind my ear most days. Home, sweet home!
Did you stay in your first job...or are you still looking
My husband just finished his first year teaching and will teach at the same high school again. This year has really sucked education wise for Hawaii, with 17 furloughed days of school. He has not been impressed by how his school is run, but on the flip side, he has seen well-educated, respectful kids in his class. Overall though, the biggest downer from the move has been that he is less happy being a teacher here than in Oregon.
How did you manage the first 3 months...being away from old friends etc.
Dang, my family wants to visit so often, I haven’t had time to miss them! Yes, we miss friends on the mainland, but when you are having as much fun as we are, it is hard to be mopey.
In retrospect was it a good decision and would you do it again
We love it here. We love the people we’ve met, the new foods we’ve eaten, the weather, the beaches, the mountains, the flora, and the chances to learn about the Hawaiian culture. We like our odds here to raise happy, healthy, fun-loving kids. Moderator cut: Blogs are not allowed here.
Last edited by 7th generation; 05-30-2010 at 03:22 PM..
Almost all of my friends, I’ve met through my kids.
Interesting point, and one I've heard often. When I moved here from the East coast, my first job was as a teacher, so my experience was slightly different than yours, but still involved meeting people through already established family connections. That's huge... Some of my students' parents were among my first friends here in Hawaii.
I recently met someone who works in the mental health field (early childhood) at a state level. She said this: "If you come to Hawaii and love our children, Hawaii will love you back." Now, I don't buy into the "Hawaii-will-embrace-you-or-spit-you-out" bit completely (I think it is often misused as an attempt to justify poor planning), but I appreciated what she was trying to say....
Alright, I thought I should share my story b/c everyone on this forum has been so helpful to me over the last 9 months.
I've been here for a week now & LOVE it! Everyone has been very nice & helpful. I graduated from college a month ago & moved out here knowing nobody & not having a job lined up. I have a receptionist job & I start on Monday! I am now looking for a permanent apartment & a car. Right now I've got a VRBO rental until the end of July & am taking the bus and it's just fine but I'd prefer to have a car. I know I am lucky to have things kinda almost fall into place so quickly & relatively easily for me. I've heard MANY horror stories about how hard some ppl have it. I do miss my family & friends but it's gotten better even just in the one week I've been here. I miss my dog almost more than the family but she's gota wait until late fall/early winter. I figured it'd be easier to get myself settled things figured out before I brought her over. Plus, my parents were more than willing to take care of her for the 5-6 months.
I have been planning this move since September & I made 2 trips out here to explore & get a feel for things. They were both short, one week trips but it still helped me tremendously. I was in school full time so couldn't afford to miss a ton of time & I knew I was getting a temporary rental so I didn't really need to have anything lined up ahead of time.
All in all I'm extremely pleased with my move so far. I know it's still early but I am thrilled to have found a job (even one that doesn't use my degree, hey it still pays the bills) and that things are working out for me.
I'm lucky that i'm young & didn't have to think about anyone but myself & I literally had ZERO responsibilities at home (i guess my dog, but really that's it. no bills, no house or car payments, NOTHING) so I really could practically pick up & go & do whatever I wanted. I'm sure things are way more complicated when there's a significant other or family to think about.
My biggest tips are:
1) PLAN AHEAD. research, come visit, really plan ahead more than you could ever think it's necessary.
2) BE FLEXIBLE. i have a college degree & took a kinda crappy receptionist job. but it's gona pay my bills & i am making my dreams come true. I decided kinda last minute to leave my dog w/ my parents & have realized I can't eat like I used to, I just can't afford it. (I used to drink 4 gallons of milk a week living alone. & would eat out EVERY meal or eat cereal. can't afford that over here. I drink a lot of water & juice & am learning to cook) You just have to adapt. You won't be able to have the exact same lifestyle as you did on the mainland unless you have loads of cash.
Good luck to anyone trying to make this move, it can be done, just be careful about it.
Congrats on the move, Katie! Which island are you on?
Mods, sorry about the bumping...I didn't realized that was against the rules.
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