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Jerry, I love Dahlonega, Chattahoochie Nat'l Forest, Raven Cliffs as well...going to be getting a lot of trips in before spring.
You mentioned your partner Bear - are you a gay couple as well? That would definitely make me feel better about our move...given our proclivity towards out of the way, rural places, we're always wondering if we'll be "the only ones there."
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I love Dahlonega (especially the Smith House restaurant! And Helen is great too. Best grits in the country come from Nora Mills on the Chattahoochee.
Aloha au i Hawai`i,
devany
www.SassySpoon.wrodpress.com
www.myhawaiianhome.blogspot.com
www.eastbaypotters.blogspot.com
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Tom,
As a hetero married woman, even I can safely say you will not be "the only ones there" by a long shot. Puna may have more openly gay "country boys" per capita than anywhere else on the planet. I think you guys will like it here.
I love how stereotypes get turned upside down here: the prototypical urban gay male archetype is pretty rare here, while the gay male farmer/fisherman/builder is pretty common. According to our former Seaview landlord, it is BYOB (bring your own boyfriend)! That is why he moved back to the mainland, the dating pool of permanent residents was just too small, and he didn't want to always be someone's vacation fling.
FYI, we have another Tom here who is an astronomer up on Mauna Kea, so people may get a little confused.
Carol
Carol
Every time you feel yourself getting pulled into other people's nonsense, repeat these words: Not my circus, not my monkeys.
Polish Proverb
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Yes, we are a gay couple. Carol is spot on with her statement about the stereotypical gay urban male being less than prevalent here. Of course there are some of those, but there is a very different flavor in Puna.
Acceptance of diverse lifestyles, whether they be gay or otherwise, is one of the reasons we came here. After seven years, we have found that most of our friends are heterosexuals who share our values about inclusiveness, community, sustainability, and . . . food. (There are some amazing cooks around here!) We have good gay friends, too, but there doesn't seem to be the division into enclaves that we saw in other places.
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quote:
FYI, we have another Tom here who is an astronomer up on Mauna Kea, so people may get a little confused.
Yes, this certainly has the potential for confusion!
Tom
http://apacificview.blogspot.com/
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Brian,
unfortunately you will get some hassles here, but not for your lifestyle (for most people I know, that is not even a side-note) it will be that you are a Fresh Off the Boat (FOB) mainlander teacher.... depending on the grade (this is really intense on middle & HS) you will be grilled by your students... start listening to pidgin & such, as you will get a bucket full from your friendly students as they test you!
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Brian,
I've been teaching here in the charter schools for 6 years now, email me through punaweb if you want to know anything. Carey also speaks from experience. Post that you emailed me so I know if it didn't go through, sometimes the email get iffy.
What grade level and subject do you teach? The job market has tightened up a lot, in spite of what they tell people at the job fairs, but certain geographic areas, grade levels, and subjects usually have more openings.
Carol
Carol
Every time you feel yourself getting pulled into other people's nonsense, repeat these words: Not my circus, not my monkeys.
Polish Proverb
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It all began the day I learned that from my window I could only see a piece of sky. I sought out unusual places and experiences. But this one beats them all, hands down. I realized that when I found myself briefly and improbably engaging in some sort of throwback dance in my muscle memory with a sweet friendly guy with a sleepy eye in the activity center of my so-called subdivision, while 7 foot tall drag queens readjusted their stockings for the second half of the show. Then I looked down and saw that I was standing on a string of theatrical cable with those very sparkly lights while a monsoonal rain pounded the lawn 50 feet away and I kind of had an out-of-body experience, which was intensified by the fact that while I was pretending to be a good sport and dance, my mind was completely and totally absorbed with only two things: 1) The allure of unobtainium and 2) Not allowing the running lights that seemed to snake around my feet to trip me up. Is there anything gayer than dancing with a kind stranger (I've always depended on the kindness of strangers, a trend that looks like it will continue!), while your mind is on the one that got away and you are stomping on the lights of glamor?
There are many gay couples here and I've been privileged to meet a few. And all the ones I've met have been very interesting and so talented and creative it has left me a little dazzled. Or maybe I arrived dazzled. Okay, the truth is I hate them all and resent their seeming happiness. But the point is that you and your partner would have plenty of company here.
And yes, bring your own boyfriend! Or you may end up like me: trying to get the attention of a 7 foot tall, 300 lb Tongan in a bright yellow dress so massive that it appears to be filled with helium. OH. THE. HUMANITY.
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Altough I have heard the bring your own...that is not for any one lifestyle...there is a VERY small resident pool without many of the 'normal' type of meeting places (ie late night bars), so tripping over the lights of glamour with a very large Tongan may be the way to, eventually, meet his aunties neighbors cousins ohana... and the next door neighbors best friend...who happens to be ... THE ONE!
Just remember to bring the ono pupus!
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Hey!
Thanks for all the warm responses...its making me feel very good about the choice. I'm glad to hear about the diversity and interest - its sounding more and more like we will have a good time; one of the reasons that we'd like to leave here is that the typical gay scene in Atlanta is really, really dissapointing to us - no one is like us here.
As far as teaching - I teach special education, any grade, and focus on reading, math and behavior problems...Special Education is generally in need everywhere, and seems to be in real need in Hawaii. I expect my Puna students to be a real challenge, but all my kids are - today I was lifted off the floor by an angry nine year old and had a chair hurled at my head!
At any rate, thanks for your warm and thoughtful responses, and letting me jump into your community site. Its definitely going to be the resource I need as we make the move over the coming months.
And I already apologized elsewhere, sorry about the confusion caused by my name - had no idea that would be a problem! (:
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