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Recently I became a 50% partner in my company, and have received a nod from my business partner to move anywhere I want. So long as I am productive, he doesn't care where I am. Considering our business - 100% online I am not complaining...
Apparently, most of those whining about what you should expect and how you should work, didn't read the above quote.
And that just proves that you are out of touch with what's available in Hawai'i. People in my area not only say aloha and mahalo a lot, they're even very liberal with hugs and things to share!
I've said it before, and I'll say it again. How open and accepting people are with you is largely a function of how open and accepting you are of them. Lead with a bitter, nasty attitude and you'll get it back fourfold.
Don't let the door hit you in the a$$ on your way out, OK?
This is starting to make sense. I'm guessing you work from home and then hang out with the laid back California transplants with the tourist/colonial mentality. Locals do not say "aloha" or any other Hawaiian words in every day speech (unless they're part of pidgin like "howlie") , just like Alaska residents don't speak Inuit.
I didn't "lead with a negative attitude". I pointed out that Maui isn't more laid back than anything else, in response to one of the OP's questions about Oahu. You and occdn got this stupid attitude, then went on about your dream and positive outlooks and this and that. You even imitated his exact words like some kind of parrot. What's up with that? And what's amazing is he doesn't even live here yet, but he has the weird "don't post in my thread unless you're going to convince me to move" attitude that's so prevalent on this forum. He came here on vacation and assumes he knows more. And you work from home and are so ignorant of local culture that you think "aloha" and "mahalo" are part of normal language.
And I'm the troll? Stop feeding false information to people thinking of moving to Hawaii, and stop with the attitude.
Here, let me go through the positive things that people want to here:
Last edited by winkosmosis; 01-18-2011 at 10:50 AM..
Recently I became a 50% partner in my company, and have received a nod from my business partner to move anywhere I want. So long as I am productive, he doesn't care where I am. Considering our business - 100% online I am not complaining.
I agree with mdand3boys that you should be fine as a telecommuter under those circumstances. I telecommuted for three and a half years for a company where I'd worked at HQ for three years previously, and I currently work at HQ for a company where we have a number of employees who telecommute. All of the advice offered so makes sense, but in my experience, the two most important factors are 1) how much you need F2F time to do your job well, and 2) whether the company's culture understands and supports telecommuting. If you can do your job without F2F time, but the higher-ups in your company don't think you can, it won't work out in the long run (unless your success at doing your job changes their opinion). If your company is supportive of telecommuting, but F2F time is important, and you and/or the company don't allow for it, then it won't work out in the long run.
In your situation, the only potential problem I can think of is if you and your business partner aren't clear on your roles beyond "We'll split the work equally," and your partner ends up having to engage in a lot of F2F time with vendors or other people, and starts to become resentful that there are parts of the business that you can't handle because you're in Hawaii, and he perceives that he's carrying more than his share of the load, then there could be friction. In that case, you can build in periodic trips to the Mainland, if you need to. But if everything truly is 100% on line, and you each are clear about your roles and responsibilities, then it sounds like a fantastic opportunity.
I'll add another vote for Kailua. My wife is from Hawaii, and has lived on Oahu and the Big Island, and I've been there several times. She knows Kailua well, and concurs with what others here have said. I know it only from having visited it, and it reminds me of a cool Southern California beach town. We have some good friends who lived in Kailua for years, moved back to Mainland because of family and job opportunities, and are now saving their money so they can retire in Kailua.
As for interacting with the locals, my experience has been overwhelmingly positive. I wouldn't have married my wife if I didn't have an affinity for Hawaiian culture and attitudes. Her friends and family accepted me immediately. Sure, I've occasionally encountered store clerks and such who gave me "stink eye," but I've never lived or traveled anywhere that I didn't encounter the occasional jerk. I learned how to behave when in Hawaii: with a mixture of extreme Asian politeness, enthusiastic friendliness (including more hugging than I'm used to on the Mainland), and a sincere interest in and appreciation of Hawaiian culture. If you project any sort of arrogance or "Why don't you do things here like we do on the Mainland?," you're guaranteed to get the cold shoulder.
This is starting to make sense. I'm guessing you work from home and then hang out with the laid back California transplants with the tourist/colonial mentality. Locals do not say "aloha" or any other Hawaiian words in every day speech (unless they're part of pidgin like "howlie") , just like Alaska residents don't speak Inuit.
I didn't "lead with a negative attitude". I pointed out that Maui isn't more laid back than anything else, in response to one of the OP's questions about Oahu. You and occdn got this stupid attitude, then went on about your dream and positive outlooks and this and that. You even imitated his exact words like some kind of parrot. What's up with that? And what's amazing is he doesn't even live here yet, but he has the weird "don't post in my thread unless you're going to convince me to move" attitude that's so prevalent on this forum. He came here on vacation and assumes he knows more. And you work from home and are so ignorant of local culture that you think "aloha" and "mahalo" are part of normal language.
And I'm the troll? Stop feeding false information to people thinking of moving to Hawaii, and stop with the attitude.
Here, let me go through the positive things that people want to here:
Accidentally saved the post without the list because I had to leave for work. Also typo "here" instead of "hear".
Anyway, here is what people want to hear:
1) Everybody is laid back and sleeping in hammocks and beach blankets all the time. Relax, this ain't the mainland!
2) Your experience in Hawaii is based on your attitude. Unlike everywhere else in the world, things like cost of living, economic robustness, taxes, and resources don't matter. It's all about attitude.
3) Hawaii is diverse! Diverse meaning Asians + Whites from the West Coast.
4) You'll get a job as long as employers don't think you're too transient. Nevermind the high underemployment rate.
5) White people don't experience any racism unless they have a superior attitude.
6) The weather is always pleasant in Hawaii
7) White kids don't have any real problems in public schools. Getting beat up just builds character.
Maybe you didn't get the hint, so I'll make it simple for you because you SEEM simple. F-u-c-k off.
Nice, brah. Why did you post this thread if you only wanted cupcakes and unicorns and people lying to you about how laid back Hawaii is? You take pride in being ignorant?
I see you're a Californian. Makes sense now why you were so hostile and rude from the beginning, when all I said was that Maui isn't "laid back". Typical California attitude. You'll fit right in with what the locals call "****ing howlies".
i'm betting winko's experience here hasn't been very good. maybe because he seems like a jerk. or maybe because he refuses to accept he is on an island in the middle of the pacific & things are done differently out here. who knows.
but if you come out here with a positive attitude & are willing to be flexible you should be fine here.
i'm betting winko's experience here hasn't been very good. maybe because he seems like a jerk. or maybe because he refuses to accept he is on an island in the middle of the pacific & things are done differently out here. who knows.
but if you come out here with a positive attitude & are willing to be flexible you should be fine here.
The extent of my bad experience here has been realizing that $37000 is not a living wage when it's a County job on Maui. I'm not a jerk to anybody except rude people who are jerks TO ME on this forum.
"Things are done differently"? What does that have to do with anything? Are you saying that in Hawaii it's OK to be a rude Californian living like a neo-colonialist expecting "the natives" to be "laid back" for your enjoyment?
I just tried to tell the OP that Maui isn't laid back like he percieved when he was here on vacation, and he responded with rudeness. OpenD responded the same way when I told him my DSL from Hawaiian Telcom was perfect. Let me guess, perfect internet access doesn't fit with the stereotype of "laid back" (read: lazy) Hawaiians sleeping in hammocks all day?
Tell me who is a jerk in this thread:
winkosmosis: I don't see the "laid back" thing on Maui so that shouldn't make a difference. I think that was you being on vacation.
occdn: Maybe you've lived there too long. Go from Kihei to Orange County. It's not perception, it's very different. Maybe not different to you - but that's not why I am looking to move.
winkosmosis: I never noticed any difference. I moved from Houston 9 months ago
occdn: Congratulations on having an opinion. Take care.
winkosmosis: My internet access is perfect. I have Hawaiian Telcom DSL
OpenD: Congratulations. For others, your mileage may vary.
Over the years I have had a lot of dreams and goals. Recently I divorced my wife, who seemed to be the maker of most of those dreams without me realizing it... all of which included me continuing to pay her way in life and buy her a house and impregnate her so she could sit around getting obese and more and more cranky. Needless to say I am now looking out for myself and my dreams.
Yikes. Made me chuckle a bit..."sit around and get more obese and cranky" lol.
Quote:
Originally Posted by occdn
...my main concerns before I even bother are:
- Is it laid back?
- Is it too "big city"?
I want the Maui feel... just not on Maui.
We have friends who moved to Maui about 5 years ago. My wife and I visit them every year for the past several years and totally agree with your excitement on living there. However, we made the choice to move to Oahu because of the job prospects for the type of work I do. We are moving 2 weeks.
We went to Oahu for the 2nd time this last Feb and did a great deal of scouting. Drive times, gorceries, shopping, etc.
Is it laid back - A bit out of town it sure seems that way. The North Shore, Haleiwa specifically, felt very similar to me like places we went to on Maui.
Is it too "Big City" - Having lived as an adult in Dallas, Denver and Orlando, nah, it doesn't feel big city to me. Honolulu is 'big' for the islands, but feels alot more like Colorado Springs than San Fransisco or Seattle. The nice thing is that it doesn't take long to get away from the city and to more rural areas. On the same note..there's lots to do because it's a bigger city...win win in my book.
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