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Hi,
My husband and I have visited Oahu twice since 2009. We fell in love with it and are planning to move there in a year or so. I would appreciate some helpful information regarding some things... Firstly, my husband is mulatto, I am white, and we have a 10-month old. Where we are living right now, people are what we call "closet racists." They won't say it to your face, but they let you know other ways, like displaying confederate symbols and giving dirty looks. Blacks and interracial couples are not uncommon here, but are not looked upon kindly. Is the attitude similar or different in Hawai'i, and what would we be dealing with?
Secondly, we live in an area of New York state where people have lost respect for one another...kindness is like a sign of weakness. The general attitude of this area is, in all honesty not nice. On one of our visits, we noticed while walking around crowded areas that we didn't hear alot of cussing. And when we went to the Walmart in Honolulu, shoppers were extremely polite and would not take up an entire isle for no reason, unlike our town. Is this the norm, or were we just lucky that time?
Thank you so much for your help! Any info is GREATLY appreciated!
(PS: I'm sorry if similar questions have been asked before. I would just like to get the most recent answers, as I know places can change in a matter of a couple years.)
Last edited by 7th generation; 10-17-2011 at 03:40 PM..
Reason: PG-13 language only please
Hawaii is a big melting pot with people from many races all over the world. Whether or nor there is racism in Hawaii has been discussed many times on this forum with some people saying it exists but most people saying it doesn't. It all depends on what attitude you bring with you.
Sorry to tell you that WalMart shoppers in Hawaii are like WM shoppers everywhere.
But these issues are far outweighed by the points that mdand3boys bring up. You need to, again, do some forum searching about jobs, schools, cost of living, etc. before going any further. Living in Hawaii is not all about living in paradise.
Hi,I moved to Honolulu about 6 month ago and Im so ready to move back to the mainland. Moderator cut: Links to personal blogs is not allowed here. You may post such links in your Homepage I was on your shoes 6 months ago.Hope it helps you out as a lot of people tend to exaggerate about bad and good things about the island. Aswering your questions. About racism, I didn't notice it that much the first months maybe cause Im latina and I kinda blend in with hawaiians, my boyfriend in the other hand is white and he has felt it more than I did. He plays soccer, getting a soccer team was very hard for him, he got on a team and he realized they never passed the ball to him, they'll always be yelling only at him not the rest, and it just seemed they didnt like him for some unknown reason,he and another guy from Cali were the only white guys on the team. my boyfriend is a very nice,sociable, chill guy, he never responded back to them, they were just rude and unpolite to him all the time for no reason, he felt unwelcome and finally left the team. If you ride the bus you'll realize how rude some people are just some examples...in our first month,we got a phone call while we were riding the bus, my boyfriend answered the phone it was our realtor, the called lasted a minute (max)we didnt know about the rule that says'' you cant talk in the phone while on the bus'' so and old asian woman sitting on the other side yelled at him saying'' shut up no call in the bus'' I said, sorry if we disturb you, we didnt know about THAT rule and the call only lasted a minute or so, she could have simple said, If you guys dont know, you can't talk in your phones while riding the bus, wouldn't that be much different, instead she yelled at us. And now when I ride the bus I see hawaiians and asians talking in their phones all the time no-one yells at them. I have much more examples. I'll just leave it there for now.
Last edited by 7th generation; 10-17-2011 at 03:42 PM..
Thank, Jennypal. I just read your blog and it's very interesting. Like I said in my original post, we come from a VERY negative area. There's just such a depressed attitude here, especially Syracuse, which we live outside of. Young people are leaving in DROVES because the only jobs you can get here are in the medical field (there are 4 hospitals in Syracuse ALONE, and somehow they are ALL horrible), and auto sales. It's retarded. We are looking for a place where we can actually be HAPPY...not depressed and surrounded by negative, aggressive attitude all the time. From what I read, this is happening all over America, but I know there have to be some places in this country that aren't like this.
My husband and I aren't into the club scene, don't like to go out at night, and would love nothing more than to enjoy the outdoors every day. We live very simple right now; rent a small apartment, I cook alot, we eat 1 meal a day at that, don't have a flatscreen TV, don't have cable, drive a used car...I am NOT into glam and don't spend money on fashion AT ALL...lol...shop Craigslist all the time... Any opinions on how our current lifestyle would translate in Hawaii?
BTW, when we were visiting, we went to the Wailana Coffee House on 1860 Ala Moana Blvd. almost every day for breakfast. That place has the best pancakes I've ever tasted, and they're cheaper than Denny's here in NY! Check it out sometime.
Hi hengest1066, I guess you guys will probably enjoy the island more than we did! we are more into cultural and vibrant cities than small towns. Moving here has definitely opened our eyes on what type of city we belong.
so my advice will be...
-Definitely dont live in Waikiki if you are looking for a quite place. Kaneohe and kailua are more outdoor type neighborhoods, quite, suburbians, and close to most hiking trails, you'll need a car to get around tho.
You seem to live very simple, so do I, but I still pay 1,200 dollars for the smallest studio place I've ever lived so, come prepared to pay more than 1,000 dollars for a decent studio. grocery shopping the same, I as well cook all my meals, and I still spend a lot of money on my groceries.
If you already have a job, it will be great, cause finding a job in Hawaii for non residents is another nightmare as you have probably read in other threads.
If you don't have a job and plan on looking for one, come with good savings trust me you'll need that support for a couple of months unless you are extremely lucky!
Thank, Jennypal. I just read your blog and it's very interesting. Like I said in my original post, we come from a VERY negative area. There's just such a depressed attitude here, especially Syracuse, which we live outside of. Young people are leaving in DROVES because the only jobs you can get here are in the medical field (there are 4 hospitals in Syracuse ALONE, and somehow they are ALL horrible), and auto sales. It's retarded. We are looking for a place where we can actually be HAPPY...not depressed and surrounded by negative, aggressive attitude all the time. From what I read, this is happening all over America, but I know there have to be some places in this country that aren't like this.
I moved from Honolulu to Syracuse 2 years ago, am a young professional, not depressed at all, and also don't work in the medical field or in auto sales. I do not feel that is an accurate representation of the Syracuse area at all. The majority of my friends here have been here their entire lives and would never think of leaving the area.
I just had to chime in. Maybe it's you with the negative attitude, not everyone else?
Jennypal: My husband has cerebral palsy in his legs, which is becoming extremely painful for him in the winter. So we need to move to a place that's warm year-round. My husband is studying for his CCNA certification and is hoping to get a job as a network engineer. Another question; is there a decent market for that field on any of the islands? I'm an independent Avon representative, so I'm technically self-employed and can take my business with me.
We've both been to Florida and California. It was a nice place to visit, but they just felt like a temperate version of New York. Thought of South Carolina, since some friends just moved there, but I don't know...
Syracuse is an extremely depressed area, economically AND socially. Poll: 1 in 3 young NYers plans to leave NY : News : CNYcentral.com I'm not the only one saying people want to leave. Friends and people I talk to in passing have expressed this same sentiment. Dozens of friends and family members have already left this state and moved to Texas, Massachusetts, Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, California, New Jersey...to name a few. Some even made it clear they will NEVER come back to Syracuse.
"My husband is studying for his CCNA certification and is hoping to get a job as a network engineer"
There is definitely demand for people with solid IT skills - it will be hard to find a job remote - so, save some money, get settled, then start the job search once you are in Hawaii - a network engineer with experience should be able to find a job fairly quickly.
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