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As many have said, being called a haole isn't bad... Moderator cut: Because children can access this site, we ask that all language be limited to PG status. Thanks.
Last edited by 7th generation; 03-24-2010 at 03:06 PM..
Live and be sure to learn along the way to make sound decisions on where one wants to live their life.We currently live on The Big Island ,have been here a bit over 2 years. There is so much to learn and probably many people to teach us about the land and all its people. We lived 40 plus yrs in NY,South and North Carolina,Florida,AZ. I know none of us own the land as all of us are only here a nano second in time. I respect our land and it hurts to see Keaau Pahoa Rd littered with trash along both sides. Alot of people take their trash to the "dumps" though it appears that alot are not secured properly and blow out of the back of the trucks.I will give the benefit of the doubt to those that are unaware,all I really want to do is gently remind all of us to be a bit more careful with all of our debris as it cheapens the island and can cause auto accidents. I know I saw the correction facility out picking up trash ,quickly the site was overcome again with our waste.
I do not have any answers ,just suggestions. Keep it safe do not attempt to put yourself in harms way trying to rety or reaarange loads ,possibly when you are loading we can take a little more precaution. Mahola
I have never been to Hawaii mainly because I never had the itch to go although every person I know has been and I hear amazing things about it, especially Maui.
However, I have to share the experience my friend had when attempting to relocate to Honolulu from Oregon. She is a single (no kids) energetic 30 year old who was anxious to move from the 9 months of coulds and rain that plague Portland, OR. She wants warmth and sun... that's her thing. She is an out-going and very positive person just looking to start her life and maybe find that right person.
She got a job with one of the larger companies in Hawaii. She had one maybe two interviews with them and accepted the job. She never had a face to face with the people at the company and she never had been to the big island which I thought might be a problem. I don't believe in ever moving anywhere without seeing it first
She quit her job at a very well known company, gave up her GREAT apartment, the relocation company came and picked up her car, and belongings and she flew off last Sunday morning and left all her friends and family behind. Later that evening she called and was very distraught... mainly because she felt displaced and was in a state of shock over what she just did. I told her she was just going through a HUGE change and that once she found a place to live, she would start feeling better. I also told her that she would meet new people right away because she is just that kind of person.
Well, by Tues morning, she was already booked to come back. She called me and I picked her up from the airport. I asked what in the world happened and she said it was one of the worst experiences she ever had. This is a girl that does NOT exaggerate.
She said she looked at 6 different apartments (I believe one was 2800 per month) and they were all in bad areas. She said the two nights she stayed in her hotel, she heard gunshots and there were always cop cars and sirens. She said she was the only (sigh) how do I say this without getting slammed ....white person in most of the areas. She said there were no trendy, downtown, single type areas and that some of the places she was walking were just downright scary during the day and she wouldn't walk there at night. She said it was filthy, trashy and people just threw their trash on the street, in other words, no sense of pride whatsoever.
I told her she probably didn't hit the "right" area on the island and she stopped me dead in my sentence and said "I walked EVERYWHERE and it was the same"... She did say there was Waikiki but that it wasn't a suitable place to start your life since it was mostly geared to tourists. She said "I'm there to work and live, not party with the tourists every night."
She told me on the way back from the airport that (and this is a girl that LOVED Hawaii since she was a teenager) I NEVER want to see that place again! I said "even Maui"? and she said YES, I AM DONE!
Then as we were driving back into Portland, the place she do dearly wanted to get out of and was very negative about, she sighed a big relief and said "oh Portland, I missed you!" I have to say I was stunned
The good news is she got her apartment and job back but the bad news is she will have to pay for the shipment and services of the relocation company. It hadn't left the docks yet.
So given that, can some of the folks here shed some light on this story? As I stated before, I have never been to Hawaii but my friend is someone that is a pretty positive person and she was downright traumatized.
Thanks
TFM
I'm truly sorry to hear about her traumatic experience. That is unfortunate. But she followed her dreams and that is the most important. Even if it turned out to be a nightmare. Sometimes we have to do what we have to in order to appreciate what we had.
I knew a gal who packed out of California and moved here to Maui. She DREAMED of living here for years and years after visiting here numerous times. She wanted to ride her bike leisurely to the beach and live in paradise. Well, she got depressed while she was here. Hated it. She bought a bike and complained about all the pitbulls that she was terrified of on her street. Maui is not particularly bike-friendly in the first place -- cars are #1. She didn't meet anyone except myself and one other girl. I couldn't hang out with her all the time, frankly, because I was living on the mountain and my beach days are over. But it was really really hard for her. She gave up her BUSINESS, her friends, social life, her livelihood in California, for what she called: an empty paradise. After 9 months of being sad and depressed, she left and returned to the exact same town and rebuilt her life. Happy at last.
She said she is glad she made the attempt because she would've never appreciated where she was and all that she had. She left Cali because of boredom and thinking the grass is greener.
The grass is NOT always greener, as we all know. But I commend people for trying new things. Nothing wrong with that! The world is full of possibilities and we don't know what we are getting into until we try it out.
Did she go up to the North Shore? Did she drive up the Pali hwy? Did she walk thru the Chinatown markets?
No offense, but for a small town girl to get used to Oahu, the last thing I would suggest is a trip thru the Chinatown markets. I've been here a few years now, but to me, that is still the absolute most 'foreign feeling' spot on the island. And I've even traveled quite a bit in Asia. Don't get me wrong, I love the markets, and get there a few times a month. But 'John Mellencamp America' it ain't. I completely agree with the rest of it though. Especially the North Shore. You cannot make an accurate judgement of Oahu if you've only seen what's within walking distance of that area(the hotel she stayed at). I rarely even visit Waikiki.
No offense, but for a small town girl to get used to Oahu, the last thing I would suggest is a trip thru the Chinatown markets. I've been here a few years now, but to me, that is still the absolute most 'foreign feeling' spot on the island. And I've even traveled quite a bit in Asia. Don't get me wrong, I love the markets, and get there a few times a month. But 'John Mellencamp America' it ain't. I completely agree with the rest of it though. Especially the North Shore. You cannot make an accurate judgement of Oahu if you've only seen what's within walking distance of that area(the hotel she stayed at). I rarely even visit Waikiki.
Funny, I always felt the opposite. I love the Chinatown in Honolulu because it is 'foreign feeling'. It has a great sense of place.
Absolutely. The day I decided to move to Hawaii was when the bus to the airport passed a bunch of construction workers all eating their lunches with chopsticks. That's it,I said,I'm moving here. And eventually I lined up a job and did so.
Interesting, interesting... This thread grabs my attention, because I live in the Northwest, Seattle - richer, bigger and more beautiful than Portland, I'm in my mid-20s and I have a great job and a great apartment in one of the best, most hip neighborhoods in Seattle. It took a lot to achieve this.
Yet, I'm so tired of the rain and cold, being stuck indoors and of how anti-social, passive aggressive and devoid of spirituality most people are and I'm planning to move to Honolulu and studying in the University there.
So I was thinking briefly at first "wow, how interesting that I stumbled upon this, maybe I should reconsider" then I got my senses together.
Considering that:
- your friend moved somewhere she had never been before, knew nothing about or knew anybody
- told you she was very distraught and stressed out because of the change she was making beforehand
- stayed there only for two days
- she complained about being scared of bad neighborhoods and non-white people
- she complained about there not being any hip singles areas
Well, I'm sorry to say this, but your friend doesn't sound like a very bright or strong or emotionally balanced person at all. Also, her life so far must have been pretty sheltered and miserable.
She obviously went to Honolulu and saw that it is not what was in her imagination and nowhere else, but a real life city instead and she freaked out. She did not take even 3 days to learn what the place is all about - the culture, the people, the lifestyle, the nature. She obviously doesn't understand the world and is uncultured.
WOW.
See, I might be making the biggest mistake of my life - this only time will tell, but moving to Hawaii only crossed my mind after I went there and I saw it with my eyes and felt it in my being.
I have to say it is one of the most amazing and beautiful places on Earth. It is unique in so many ways. And believe me, I've been on 3 continents in many cultures, but Hawaii has the most genuinely nice and sincere people I have met.
And it is definitely a special and holy place on this Earth (just like the Pacific Northwest). The people who live in Hawaii know what I'm talking about.
So, despite reading this odd story, I will try my luck in Honolulu.
After all, it always gets mentioned in every index for best cities in the world - like this one:
29th, not bad. As a matter of fact, that's #1 in the USA.
Jeez, must not be that bad after all.
It's a great place to live if you have A LOT of money. Or if you are really really poor (I'd rather scavenge mangos and have an overnight low of 68 than be homeless anywhere on the mainland in the winter). Or if you don't care that much about material things. But the fact is that you will be poorer here (materially... lower salary, higher cost of living for almost everyone) than you will just about anywhere on the mainland. If that's OK with you, then yes it's a pretty great place to live.
It's a great place to live if you have A LOT of money. Or if you are really really poor (I'd rather scavenge mangos and have an overnight low of 68 than be homeless anywhere on the mainland in the winter). Or if you don't care that much about material things. But the fact is that you will be poorer here (materially... lower salary, higher cost of living for almost everyone) than you will just about anywhere on the mainland. If that's OK with you, then yes it's a pretty great place to live.
True, about the material things. It really depends on a person's priorities.
For example if someone buys a large house on the mainland, they'll probably spend a decade just trying to fill it up with stuff...meaning most of the weekends will consist of looking for furniture, toys for kids, stuff to fill up in the garage and rooms and on and on.
Additionally, mainland living involves extensive driving...drive, drive, drive...and fill up the gas tank several times a week. Since everything is so inconvenient (i.e. residential zoned far from work and business districts), everyone in the family needs a car to 'function' properly.
So, in some ways, it comes down to lifestyle. In Honolulu, the bus is low-priced per month and goes everywhere...and apartments are smaller and stores are convientally nearby, so you have what you need, and find other things to do than strolling through wal-marts to fill up your car to get to your house with stuff.
I'm living in Japan now, making $30,000/year with a family...but I doubt if there are many places I can live on the U.S. on this income with a family. A lot of it has to do with the fact I can get to work and get everything I need easily on my bicycle or walking, etc. without a need for cars or a big place.
Anyways, that's my take on things. BUT, if I wanted to have a car for both myself and my wife, and buy a big house and spend all my time trying to fill it up with family toys and still live in Japan...I'd require easily double or possibly triple my salary living where I do now.
I kinda assume same/same with Hawaii as it is in Japan.
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