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Old 04-24-2009, 02:08 AM
Roa Roa started this thread
 
Location: Honolulu
10 posts, read 39,009 times
Reputation: 30

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Aloha all.
I am moving to Oahu with my wife late this summer. This is my first post.
I'm going to be studying sustainability as a grad student, but thinking HI is where we want to be permanently if we early-thirty-somethings can get our heads to slow down and embrace Aloha. (Suggestions? Besides that, I mean, ...stopped the expensive habit years ago.)

The middle of the Pacific works for us to keep in with both families: it's half way between Cali and Korea. She's Korean, but has lived in Los Angeles for about 4 years. She still has an accent & a couple grammar problems, but she also has a masters in education and a couple years preschool teaching experience. Anyone have an idea of the Honolulu preschool job market?

I'm thinking that she'll fair better than me in many ways.

I lived in Korea twice, for a year each, immersed as a student and then integrated as an unusual, but welcomed, in-law. So I got used to "intercultural adaptation" there, but Hawaii seems a very different situation, with multiculturalism and annexation together with Polynesian roots. It seems really complicated socioculturally. So is LA, but LA is not an island.

I'm "white" (on the outside). So naturally, after reading a lot of these posts, I'm a little worried about anti-white racism in Hawaii.
I'm going to do my best to be positive, though, and having been several times to Oahu and once to Hawaii and Maui, I never felt threatened or unwelcome.
I'm as concerned with getting myself irritated by crowding tourists, as well as native-ecosystem destruction on Oahu; these could have me walking around scouling in no time.

How good would really learning Hawaiian culture, language, & history over the summer be for getting in a groove for arrival? Would there be more important things to learn? As for the language, I speak Korean well enough, and it seems the vowel sounds in Hawaiian may be similar(?). Is there a good web page for getting familiar with the language?

Any other suggestions?

I'll have more questions about practical moving issues later, but I'll leave this post on topic.

MAHALO!
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Old 04-24-2009, 05:30 PM
 
36 posts, read 306,799 times
Reputation: 42
I think your wife would feel just fine here, if she doesn't mind that it's just not as big as LA over here

For the most part, Asians are more of the majority here, and there's a pretty good amount of Koreans here as well - though probably not as much as LA Koreatown There are Korean-style bbq plate lunch places like 7-elevens over here, and there are good Korean markets here as well - but the culture here is more influenced by the other cultures because it's such a melting pot (like Chili and Rice? That was a little shocking to me). I have to say that LA definitely has way more Korean influence than here.

I can't comment on the "anti-white racism" here because I'm Asian myself, but it's such a melting pot here, that as long as you're a nice person, people are pretty much accepting. I really can't say though, because others have had bad experiences.

Believe it or not, it's hard to find people who are true native Hawaiian here, and Hawaiian culture is really here for cultural preservation for the islands and for tourism- but you really don't see it much in practice in every day life - at least I don't see it as much.
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Old 04-24-2009, 11:17 PM
 
Location: Kilauea, Hawaii
227 posts, read 920,320 times
Reputation: 221
We moved here for L.A. after my ex-wife also Korean and I got divorced. We have 2 girls and they live with me and they have no problems here on Kauai. I know things are a lot different here then Oahu but if you treat people the way you want to be treated you will be fine. Everyone here is so nice and for the most part living aloha. I am sure there will be plenty of Korean establishments , if she is anything like my X then she will have to get her kimchi fix.
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