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Sorry, I don't plan on leaving, I'm having to much fun.
Enjoy it!!! I felt the same way for about 5 years. No better place to spend your 20's! Priorities just changed when I got married and had to provide for my family.
DID move away, I just like home better, not to say Hawaii sucks by any stretch but I wanted to be close to my family, travel more, live in a cleaner place, and be able to afford a house one day.
Hey UHgrad!
Not at all challenging you, but would love clarification on "cleaner". I ask because I find Maui so much cleaner than SF Bay Area in California. Maui is cleaner as in less polluted, less rubbish, less graffiti, fewer homeless sleeping & peeing in doorways, less crime... I guess less human-made filth.
True, Maui is dustier, but perhaps only because here I can leave my doors & windows open, whereas in CA I kept everything closed down lest someone come creepy-crawly inside. But outside still got air pollution grime all over everything.
I'm very curious in what you found to be cleaner where you went, and know that the SF Bay Area is likely dirtier than that too.
Not at all challenging you, but would love clarification on "cleaner". I ask because I find Maui so much cleaner than SF Bay Area in California. Maui is cleaner as in less polluted, less rubbish, less graffiti, fewer homeless sleeping & peeing in doorways, less crime... I guess less human-made filth.
True, Maui is dustier, but perhaps only because here I can leave my doors & windows open, whereas in CA I kept everything closed down lest someone come creepy-crawly inside. But outside still got air pollution grime all over everything.
I'm very curious in what you found to be cleaner where you went, and know that the SF Bay Area is likely dirtier than that too.
Well, I lived on Oahu near downtown so I can't really comment on Maui except Lahaina which I visited a bunch of times. But I am referring to human-made filth. We had constant issues with people leaving refrigerators, mattresses, couches, and other trash in front of our house. People would just pull over to the side of the road and dump their stuff on the curb, I have never seen anything like it. The houses, for the most part, look dilapidated and run down... I don't blame the people because they probably can't afford to renovate or rebuild but it just looked shabby. There was a lot of graffiti around, my mailbox was tagged on multiple occasions. And we had our carport broken into 3 times with tools and sporting goods stolen. It just seemed ghetto.
Sure, I could live out country somewhere and it would be nicer, but then I gotta sit in that God-awful H1 traffic every day to get to work and back. Or I could live in a nicer area like Manoa or Aina Haina, if I only had a million dollars sitting around (literally).
Its just different, where I live now people take pride in their homes. They clean up their stuff, they take care of their yards, they only put bulky items out on the day of pickup. The attitude is just different.
That is why I still get on here even though I moved away in November, so the people debating moving their families out there know what they are getting themselves into. Not saying it is a good or bad idea, I just want to let them know the real deal. People get online and say "Oh, Waipahu is only 15 miles from Honolulu and the rents aren't that bad..." so they think they can live out there and commute to work in town. Next thing they know they have an hour commute and are living in the Pupu's (sketchy area) and their kids are scared to death going to school. You gotta know what to expect and what part of the island you will be working and living in because it makes a huge difference on how happy and successful you will be.
For the 20 somethings that want to dick around on a tropical island for a few years... I say go for it!!! I had a blast. But if you don't have family and friends to rely on, it is a tough place to make it on your own with kids... especially if you want to own a house someday.
We can only compare that with which we are familiar. In this case I wasn't comparing all of Maui to all of SF Bay Area, just my experiences of both. I suppose I could have also posted about my experiences with living in Fairfield and Vacaville, CA but those times were longer ago, so my statements as to what they are like would be dated.
And that's the same reason I was asking for clarification on the "cleaner" comment... what kind of cleaner, and what was the poster's experience to make the comment?
The comments and observations experienced by UHgrad are, clearly, very different from my experience of Maui. Just goes to show that one can't even compare fully from one portion of one island to another portion of a different island.
Here in my neighborhood of Maui, in Kihei, which many consider one of the ickiest parts of Maui, our neighbors do care about the cleanliness. We don't have things dumped, nor do we have graffiti or frequent break-ins. Even the poorest family has flowers planted and does what they can. There are some homes that are older, and run down, but I tend to see that where ever I travel... unless an area is a development, where everything is about the same age, you are going to get older homes and not always the best upkeep. Also there are always sections of a town or district that have poor or poverty conditions.
I wasn't drawing a direct comparison of Maui to SF Bay Area, I was highlighting why I needed clarification from UHgrad, who was posting as "Hawaii", versus his own area of Oahu. Just as he and mdand3boys are quick to point out, it's often inaccurate to generalize, and in this case about the whole state...
But again it's really all about our own experiences, where we live(d) and what we see & saw, right?
But again it's really all about our own experiences, where we live(d) and what we see & saw, right?
Thats the key point. Questions that say how does Hawaii compare to the mainland are not very useful if you ask me. It varies from island to island, and even neighborhood to neighborhood greatly and different parts of the mainland are so different that you can hardlly even compare them.
I came here in 1986 while in the Navy. As a young Black man coming from backwards Montgomery, AL and other places in the south, it was nice to see a place where there was no Black / White side of town. No railroad tracks separating rich and poor, no White majority, no Black majority... just people of all races trying to make a living. No ghettos (other than a few public housing areas) which were nothing compared to public housing in the south. A clean place for the most part where there is very little trash along the roads (has gotten worse since I came here in '86). A positive vibe from the locals as long as YOU respected where they were coming from. Being able to date any race I wanted w/o second looks or comments... Low crime rate, being able to stumble around a major American city drunk and not worry about geting mugged (in my younger days), no gangs (only wannabee's here), sunshine, beaches, food, nightlife, freedom to do whatever you want for the most part. The most beautiful women in the world... Should I go on.......
That is interesting, I have never been to the deep south but I felt Oahu was just as segregated as my home town. There are neighborhoods around here that are predominately black, white, filipino, or mexican... but each year they become more integrated and you can hardly tell these days anymore.
On Oahu, Kailua and Hawaii Kai are where the haoles live. Manoa and Aina Haina are full of Japanese. Waianae and Waimanalo are mostly Hawaiians. Kalihi and Waipahu are mostly Filipinos and Pacific Islanders. There are of course a lot of exceptions, but there were definitely sides of town that were dominated by certain ethnicities.
I agree 100% that there was not the degree of tension that you see in Black/White regions of the country. Considering how strong the ethnic identities are in Hawaii it was surprising how little tension there was on a day to day basis. There were minor beefs from time to time but overall everyone got along pretty well.
I came here in 1986 while in the Navy. As a young Black man coming from backwards Montgomery, AL and other places in the south, it was nice to see a place where there was no Black / White side of town. No railroad tracks separating rich and poor, no White majority, no Black majority... just people of all races trying to make a living. No ghettos (other than a few public housing areas) which were nothing compared to public housing in the south. A clean place for the most part where there is very little trash along the roads (has gotten worse since I came here in '86). A positive vibe from the locals as long as YOU respected where they were coming from. Being able to date any race I wanted w/o second looks or comments... Low crime rate, being able to stumble around a major American city drunk and not worry about geting mugged (in my younger days), no gangs (only wannabee's here), sunshine, beaches, food, nightlife, freedom to do whatever you want for the most part. The most beautiful women in the world... Should I go on.......
Location: Big Island- Hawaii, AK, WA where the whales are!
1,490 posts, read 4,192,992 times
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I think - or have come to think. It is a mind set- attitude. Funny thing is I believed by being in Hawaii - again Big Island for two winters. Each island contains each attitudes and mind sets. I never thought I could leave WA state for Hawaii or Alaska. I love Washington in the summer. Streams, rivers, lakes, roads to drive MTs. I made my decision this season to go to Alaska and work for the summer to pay for Hawaii.
Once I did that and stayed all winter in Hawaii. Damn I have been in culture shock for two weeks being back in WA state. The food sucks.The fruit sucks (other than apples and cheap potatoes). I look at a menu or grocier store I am lost.
The people Gosh I have been in WA for 30 years. I love have many good friends in WA. Now that I have made my mind up that I will winter in HI and summer in AK. Will visit WA between. I am freaked out by the area I am in.
I have been a redneck (termed) most of my life. Pro-logging but also self sustaninable . Grow a garden, hunt a deer- elk, raise a pig etc.Learned people of Hawaii don't like that term but I see it many times the same. But let me explain. I have accepted all types of people if they treat me right. Everyone around me treats me right. Hawaiian disapproval of me being a white or Redneck ,I have never had a problem. If you understand. I accept everyone. I didn't become a minortiy until being in Hawaii. I have never had problems with any race.. although in the areas I have been - other color is minorty. Local Hawaiians are rednecks but try that term, don't. Now I haven't been in Honolulu since 98, Haven't been to a big city other than Kona! Haha.
After this winter coming back. I have no tolerence for BS racism for anything. I freaked out and decided my WA that I live in is racist, wanta be bling bling, words like ****, *****, sand ******, I am at a loss. Why does anyone give a crap if someone is ??? Whatever???? I don't even care if you have your clothes on or off. Why care. Hawaii does give a warm welcome to those that respects everything. I don't mean to bash WA or the mainland but wow what a differnce. I am again on Big Island. If a black and white or purple or dreg lock and yellow.. guy being a gal walk down the road holding hands no big deal. What a differnce to mainland culture.
Again I thought I could never leave WA for its many good points - and liberal state. I have more friends in Hawaii and Alaska calling me than friends in WA since I made the decision. Again I believe mind set, attitude and what you progect will be more than most things. $$ you need to make sure you have your ducks covered. If you don't it will hurt. One of the other things that freaked me out was seeing a Help wanted sign in WA. College grads are going for the dishwasher job in Hawaii. Haven't seen a Hel;p wanted sign in 6 months. "
I already miss Hawaii and I don't like being cold. It will be interesting to see what kind of transformation happens if I will want to leave the islands in the future. And by the way Alaska is also accepting if you can make it and find friends, with the right connections. Love the Alaskan Hawaiian connection. It is huge. If you love Hula, if you love water, if you love every almost climate in the world, if you love Ohana, if you love Aloha, if you love radio station doing local classifieds in the am, if you love warmth, if you love whales, if you love turtles- if you love warm sand, of you love lava, if you love stars, if you love lilikoe, if you love coconuts, if you love lava, if you love Pele, if you love Mono, if you love farmers markets, if you love it is ok to be you, love I'o Hawaiian hawks, if you love bannanas, if you love trading with your neighbors, if you love humid on HIlo side, if you love yourself, if you love the people around you. You will love Hawaii
Last edited by nwcountrygal; 04-25-2010 at 02:28 AM..
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