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I'm moving to Hawaii with my 16 year old daughter in June 2008. My sister has lived there before and she's coming with me to show me around and help me get settled. We're staying in a hotel until I find an apartment. I am bringing enough money to conservatively be able to survive for a few months. I've been searching the Salt Lake area because my daughter will be going to Moanalua High School. I can't seem to find anything reasonable. Anybody have any ideas? I am looking for a studio or a 1 bedroom. Can't spend more than $1000 a month on rent. Doable? (I'm moving to Hawaii because my mom will be retiring to Hawaii in Sept., she'll be living in a retirement community and I need to be close enough to help care for her. Help!
I'm moving to Hawaii with my 16 year old daughter in June 2008. My sister has lived there before and she's coming with me to show me around and help me get settled. We're staying in a hotel until I find an apartment. I am bringing enough money to conservatively be able to survive for a few months. I've been searching the Salt Lake area because my daughter will be going to Moanalua High School. I can't seem to find anything reasonable. Anybody have any ideas? I am looking for a studio or a 1 bedroom. Can't spend more than $1000 a month on rent. Doable? (I'm moving to Hawaii because my mom will be retiring to Hawaii in Sept., she'll be living in a retirement community and I need to be close enough to help care for her. Help!
My daughter will be attending High School in Salt Lake. She's hispanic, long dark hair, dark eyes......I've been reading all the threads about the racism that exists. My brother in law is from Honolulu (born and raised) he says that the darker you are...the better....you'll have less problems. Is this true? I'd hate for her to be harrassed at school. Appreciate any and all feedback.
For the most part the darker you are the better. Until they find out that you are not "one of them". They are very racist there. We were a white family that lived there for 6 years, and it was tough. Hawaiians are very proud of their heritage, and look at other people as less than they are. Some are very nice, but our experience was difficult. We went to a private school, but the racisim never stopped. We mostly had Japanese friends, since they didn't share that attitude with the Hawaiians. Hawaiians tolerate Japanese and Portugese alot better than any other races there.
Try...> rentals illustrated.com. It will show most of the communities there. Another option is to try and look to rent a studio/apt that is built within someones home there, they tend to be cheaper....We have one in our home there and rent the studio for $850....good luck
looking at another website isn't going to change the fact her daughter is not local.....fact remains the same she is going to be singled out because of the way she talks.
Hawaii is a paradise, yet it will provide many challenges to 99% of the haoles that try to move there. Racism is just something you have to deal with.... some do better-some do worse.
With all the changes taking place, I'm still standing firm
In light of the ATA and Aloha fiascos, I am still standing firm. I have been reading about how everything is going up in price (food, gas, etc). They are advising us here on the mainland to begin stockpiling food in our pantries.....just in case. Someone asked me the other day, if you know that the food prices are sky high in hawaii, why do you still want to go? Well, if I sit here and wait for everything to be perfect before I make the move.....I'd never move!
I've been researching and researching (high cost of living, racism, difficulty find rentals because some people just don't want to rent to haoles, schools) and I find that the SOME of these problems plague us here on the mainland. Drugs, crime.....it's everywhere. I plan to move to Hawaii nevertheless, make a definite contribution, work hard, help out, volunteer and make a difference. I can grow my own food. (Some things at least) And listen, my intention is to grow old and retire in Hawaii.....but if for some reason it is not the Lord's will for me to stay in HI forever....then I'll come back to the mainland. If I don't do this, I just KNOW I'll regret it forever. I'm not rich, not even well off. I'm a government employee with a child, I work hard, live simply and live in peace.
My tickets are now booked through United Airlines.....yes, I was one of the fortunate ones that booked through ATA, only to hear that they had gone belly up with absolutely no forewarning. It's ok though. I'll get there!
Anybody else moving to Hi worried about these issues?
Okay before anyone confuses you as to what we "Hawaiians" consider racism, I feel it is important to stress the fine points, primarily because racism is a very significant different thing in Hawaii. Hawaii is extremely Diverse (EXTREMELY). The main reason someone will encounter racism is often due to the fact that we have strong ways of life here, which we tend not to tolerate when someone speaks or behaves like an "outsider" we dont tolerate rudeness very lightly especially from someone we KNOW is not local. Very often a white person is called "Haole"<---it actually means "foreigner"
1)Colleges do not suffer from racism in Hawaii, it is mostly a childhood thing, but unfortunately for some, continues into adulthood.(Should a local get angry at you..expect racial slurs to come out though, it comes natural to us. Were are mostly mixed race ppl, a Hawaiian Filipino person will make racists remarks to both Hawaiian & Filipino ppl. So dont feel like you're being treated badly. Its not like the locals dont like you because your skin color or the way you talk, its because we're so diverse that the way we get comfortable with one another is unfortunately to be somewhat racist.
2)Even if they make racists remarks, they really don't mean it. Some ppl are just so used to doing it they dont realize that non local ppl dont understand the common use of our slurs. For many locals, slurs dont come out unitl they are angry, its a form of weapon we use, one which was finely polished during childhood. We could of course simply say "F%# YOU A$$HOLE!" but old habits are hard to break. There is NO PREDOMINANT RACE IN HAWAII, JUST "LOCALS". The Actual physical Hawaiian bloodlines are vastly spread out and "Thinned" so to speak. Pure Hawaiians are not very large in numbers due to the inability to cope with Western Brought diseases during the early days.
3)nearly 3-4 out of 10 children in any given school will have english as their second language in Hawaii, meaning 30-40% have an accent..often etremely strong to the point you dont understand what the hell they're saying. Serious, I couldnt understand half my friends while growing up, always speaking in another language or butchering their english..now add pidgeon into the mix and you can see the frustration children go through. Racism is a tool for them, its how they get comfortable with one another. Its how they crudely break barriers. And it works, they grow up with it, they accept it, they understand a racists remark made to them at any time is not to be taken seriously, its slurs are used just as much as any other curse word. Think about this for a moment: an All white school were kids beings kids, they are cruel and call eachother foul things...now imagine a school were every kid is a different race, kids are still cruel, except they have even more ammunition to use than what the All White school children had. Well in Hawaii its been that way for many many years..all mixed in with eachother, many barriers in language and cultures...ALL HAD TO BE BROKEN DOWN AND REBUILT INTO ONE LANGUAGE(PIDGEON) & ONE CULTURE(LOCALS) So anyone "new" to the scene will often be hazed into this "One culture, One Language". You can either accept this unique aspect of Hawaii and become Hawaiian, or you can be closed minded and call us racists.
4)90% of all school children speak "Pidgeon"...including the 40% with english as their second language!.
5)The darker your skin the better? Black kids are called popolo. Its not a racists remark.
6)If you are a minority, white kid, black kid, in a predominately polynesian school, sure your going to be a larger target of attention than others. Same goes for a Micronesian Kid at a largely Japanese & White populated school. A lot of white ppl just arent used to being the minority, so most complaints of racism comes from them. A black kid in a mostly white school would face the same problems no? Well lets leave that one for the history books shall we?
7)If Your White, Black, Hawaiian, Latino, German, Australian, Filipino, Samoan, Tahitian, Maori, Eskimo, Indian, Portugese, or whatever. YOU WILL HAVE A RACIST REMARK MADE AGAINST YOU. PORTUGESE GET IT THE WORSE WETHER YOU BELIEVE IT OR NOT, AND THEY GET IT EVEN FROM EACHOTHER.
8) We even have a popular song that gets radio play that expresses our way of racism amongst one another, made in the 1970s. Outsiders just dont understand because they arent used to heavy racial confrontation. The Longer you live here, the clearer it becomes, eventually you too will be Hawaiian should you choose to actually immerse yourself into the culture. "NOT HAWAIIAN CULTURE, BUT LOCAL CULTURE" which is more "world mix" then it is exclusively hawaiian in these modern times.
9)Dont be Surprised to meet a White skinned, blue eyed, blonde haired 50%Blood Hawaiian making racial slurs to a white person. Strange huh? its the other 50% German Blood that shows physically. <-- told you racism is hard to understand in Hawaii..its not "True" racism. More like "Low Intolerance from non locals"
So there you go, a lot to take in, but its not an easy concept to convey. Just know that Hawaii is very unique, we are not the mainland, we grew across the sea, from an older culture, in times different the America, we did not become a state until after WWII. Before that we had heavy British Ties. So when you think of Hawaii do not think of conventional America, as Being part of its 200+ year history..Think of Hawaii as a land in a time of its own, because that is truly how we have evolved to be, disconnected from the world, a Land of Kings & Royal Families. Accept us & we will Accept you. Dont be afraid of our way of life, it is not meant to hurt you or push you away. We have our share of ignorant locals, just pay them no attention, matter of fact if you start complaining as much as they do or make a few "local" slur remarks we'd likely feel much more comfortable around you and assimilate you even quicker lol. Honestly whenever I hear non local looking person make a local slur, I feel like that person is "one of us" not FOP, or fresh off the plane. In other words..Join the program. My white chubby friend from cali lived here for 4 years and gets the concept completely!, not a single person thinks hes "Haole" becasue he speaks pidgeon a bit and understands our local culture..hell he melds in more than I do and makes tons of racial jokes. Not a single person is offended when this "White" guy starts making jokes about them.
10)Micronesians are very dark skinned ppl, yet they are looked down upon by most ppl because of their race, they're an afterthought in the social rankings so to speak, and they are NOT a minority here in Hawaii.
Dont worry what anyone says about racism in Hawaii, you will either understand it or you wont, theres a good chance your daughter or yourself will never encounter it anyway as it isnt as prevalent as it used to be.
JUST REMEMBER! Racism is a hard thing to understand in Hawaii...If you dont understand it in time then im sorry. One culture/One Language
That means be one of us, adopt our culture. Show that yo want to live in Hawaii and be part of our community. Most White ppl dont do this so they feel they are being treated in racists fashion. If You dont want to be a part of our family then we will leave you with the status you desire, an outsider.
Do you folks realize how many latinos come to Hawaii and have no problem melting right in without a problem? all that I ever met chose to fit right in. Come to the parties, open up to your neighbor, talk your head off, dine at the local establishments, make local friends, become their friends friends!..and its a done deal! just dont keep to yourself, we're very family orientated, have strong communities built on solid cultures all coming together to make it all work. Hawaii will not function as a society if we dont act as ppl of an entirety. Which is why we give outsiders, or ppl who chose to remain "outside" a hard time.
Im just tryin to help everyone out by explaining all this, no one is exempt from racial slurs in Hawaii, not even Hawaiians from another Hawaiian.
Childhood Life is rough in Hawaii.
The boys grow up fighting, the girls grow up as titas, so either you dig in your heels and stake your place as a Local or you can go home packing to where you came from. (This by the way is the wise words of my White friend from cali, he's sittin right here next to me)
I wish you the best. I see white/black/hispanic kids in schools I never thought Id see them here in Hawaii. And guess what..they seem just fine and adapted to hawaii life. So to all the ppl who feel offended at the racism they've been through in Hawaii, im not sorry one bit for what you encountered. Im Hawaiian, Filipino, german, Spanish, Japanese, and Ive been treated with racism from my own People, I understand Hawaii, I understand my culture, my community, and the history of our evolution. I understand Hawaiian "racism". Its unfortunate that "outsiders" receive it at face value, it is so much more than it is in the traditional sense. It is the reason our Diverse community is ONE.
P.S Your daughter is Hispanic? your brother in law should have told you she will not have a problem in school. Status plays a major role in Hawaii schools, her accent or ability to speak hispanic will be looked upon with envy. As Other accents here are quite nasty sounding, she should be able to speak a bit fluently with our Filipino population in her hispanic language.
If she is harrassed it is because of jealousy, not skin color or the way she speaks. In general, most racism is directed at White(easy to identify as non local), Micronesian(Often looked down upon in social "ranking"), Filipino(Terrible accents, Funny language), Samoan(Trouble makers, garners them constant racial remarks),Blacks(Racists towards a black person only when someone feels they are imposing their culture to aggressively,i.e any form of ghetto persona will usually get them into trouble physically)
There, I hope I provided some insight for you. None of this is my personal feelings towards such races. These are simple facts as to the aspect of Racism in Hawaii.
true story--2 white males from new jersey enrolled at my high school mid year, immediately given the alias of "sunshine" because their white skin amongst dark skinned ppl. In just a few days they've made friends with their filipino classmates(Filipinos made up 70% of this schools population). Whom naturally made constant racial remarks towards them..but still friends. These white males accepted it and adpapted to their new home. Another week came, a very large fight happened. the two white males were jumped by MANY Samoan & Puerto Rican students, which in return had their filipino friends get involved to help the white males. Sad to say that the Samoan/Puerto Rican males simply had an easy target to start a ruckus with. Nothing ever happened afterwards. But heres a prime example of School children trying to cope with Very Diverse races and cultures, Racism Always being a strong focal point, as you can see for many, the learning process and the One culture may yet have to be obtained past their school years. They Too, are either viewed as "Outsiders", or "Local" needless to say as adults they quickly learn to accept that living as an "outsider" is not possible if you truly desire to live in Hawaii. You MUST come together and be one entity
Wow, nice book! Don't get upset, not all locals are "racisit", but is a local only someone who was born there, because I lived there for 6 years and I don't think I considered a local. But keep in mind, that an "outsider" can be a natural born Hawaiian from another island. I saw how locals from Oahu treated someone from the Big Island. So it is what it is. There are nasty people there, as in any place on Earth, and sweet people. We should look at a person for them, as an individual and not a race. Not all white people are evil, not all Hawaiians are mean.
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Salt Lake apartments
Another question
I plan to move to Hawaii nevertheless, make a definite contribution, work hard, help out, volunteer and make a difference. I can grow my own food. (Some things at least) And listen, my intention is to grow old and retire in Hawaii.....but if for some reason it is not the Lord's will for me to stay in HI forever....then I'll come back to the mainland. If I don't do this, I just KNOW I'll regret it forever. I'm not rich, not even well off. I'm a government employee with a child, I work hard, live simply and live in peace.
