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Everyone I've ever spoken with about real life in Hawaii has said: 1) Schools are not good, IE for those with kids 2) Food, gas, etc are expensive 3) Tensions w

Everyone I've ever spoken with about real life in Hawaii has said: 1) Schools are not good, IE for those with kids 2) Food, gas, etc are expensive 3) Tensions with native Hawaiians, ie: "this is a locals-only beach" 4) Island madness is a real thing (desire to be somewhere not surrounded by water, experience an actual change in weather, etc) Have you found that to not be the case?

aphextron 8y ago
>Everyone I've ever spoken with about real life in Hawaii has said: 1) Schools are not good, IE for those with kids 2) Food, gas, etc are expensive 3) Tensions with native Hawaiians, ie: "this is a locals-only beach" 4) Island madness is a real thing (desire to be somewhere not surrounded by water, experience an actual change in weather, etc) From my 3 years living there I'd say this is spot on. It's pretty bi-modal though, people tend to love it or get completely fed up within a couple years. The key is being able to hop on a plane and go somewhere 2-3 times a year. If you can't afford that it gets miserable.
- ghaff 8y ago
  Yeah. A friend of mine moved there and does a combination of remote work and travel. She loves it.
bufferoverflow 8y ago
1) Don't know didn't have a kid in Hawaii 2) Yes, these things are more expensive, but rent is cheaper for the same size apartment. In our case it was a lot cheaper. As a programmer though, you're in the top 5% anyway, it's all affordable. 3) You treat certain areas as native reservations, because that's what they essentially are. I did hear stories about obnoxious tourists getting a brick in their windshield. Personally, never had a problem with any of the natives, they were all nice to me. Though I do have an accent, maybe it helped. 4) No island madness for me, I love it. Best windsurfing in the world. Cleanest air in the world (besides maybe the polar caps). Cleanest water in the world. Cleanest beaches in the world. Amazing nature, lots of wildlife. No dangerous / poisonous animals or snakes in the jungle. Great climate, and you do get colder winters.
- poulsbohemian 8y ago
  Which island(s) did you like? I've only spent time on Kauai and Maui. Each seems to have its own distinct culture such that it feels unfair to speak about them as a single entity.

aphextron 8y ago

>Everyone I've ever spoken with about real life in Hawaii has said: 1) Schools are not good, IE for those with kids 2) Food, gas, etc are expensive 3) Tensions with native Hawaiians, ie: "this is a locals-only beach" 4) Island madness is a real thing (desire to be somewhere not surrounded by water, experience an actual change in weather, etc) From my 3 years living there I'd say this is spot on. It's pretty bi-modal though, people tend to love it or get completely fed up within a couple years. The key is being able to hop on a plane and go somewhere 2-3 times a year. If you can't afford that it gets miserable.

ghaff 8y ago
Yeah. A friend of mine moved there and does a combination of remote work and travel. She loves it.

bufferoverflow 8y ago

1) Don't know didn't have a kid in Hawaii 2) Yes, these things are more expensive, but rent is cheaper for the same size apartment. In our case it was a lot cheaper. As a programmer though, you're in the top 5% anyway, it's all affordable. 3) You treat certain areas as native reservations, because that's what they essentially are. I did hear stories about obnoxious tourists getting a brick in their windshield. Personally, never had a problem with any of the natives, they were all nice to me. Though I do have an accent, maybe it helped. 4) No island madness for me, I love it. Best windsurfing in the world. Cleanest air in the world (besides maybe the polar caps). Cleanest water in the world. Cleanest beaches in the world. Amazing nature, lots of wildlife. No dangerous / poisonous animals or snakes in the jungle. Great climate, and you do get colder winters.

poulsbohemian 8y ago
Which island(s) did you like? I've only spent time on Kauai and Maui. Each seems to have its own distinct culture such that it feels unfair to speak about them as a single entity.