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my husband is a fireman here in socal. we have a job opportunity to move to hilo and work for the hilo international airport firedept. we have three kids all under the age of 8. we'r a young couple and concerned about moving our kids. it has been a very long time dream to move to hawaii. our concerns are, will my kids be discriminated agaist? my husband is white and iam indonesian. we have heard of alot of racism there. cost of living? cost of electricity? we are doing as much research as physically possible. soon to visit. please, any advice good or bad is welcome
thank you
jacque ford
jacque ford
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Aloha to you and your family Jacque,
You have probably come to the right place for your questions.
Punaweb moderator
Assume the best and ask questions.
Punaweb moderator
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Welcome Jacque, I was the one recommending you to check out this Forum. Mixed race is called "hapa" here and they blend in very well, so I wouldn't worry much about racism in your case. It's hard to answer your "cost of living" question. There are things that cost more here and there are things that cost less or non-existent, like heating. Electricity is the highest in the nation here, but if you have to worry about the cost of electricity than you might want to reconsider moving here.
Aloha,
John S. Rabi, GM,ARB,BFT,CM,CBR,FHS,PB,RB
808.989.1314
http://www.JohnRabi.com
Typically Tropical Properties
"The Next Level of Service!"
You mean someone actually listens to you John[:p] (kidding Jacque)
I would worry more about the schools and making sure your children get the education that is best for them, then the racism that may lie here in Hawaii.
You will hear many different sides of things... Keep your ears wide open and listen... listen... listen.
Everyone has questions about moving to Hawaii... however, Punaweb is just a small piece of the Big Island.
Many more of your answers could probably be answered by thorough google searches.
Welcome to PW (punaweb).[^]
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Glob
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Welcome to Hawaii! It's a great place, but whether it's the place for you
you'll have to figure out when you visit here.
You're coming at the right time, property prices are down so you should be able to get a bargain.
With your husband's job you may end up having to live in Hilo (if he's on call etc)
but otherwise most newcomers seem to gravitate towards Puna - just south of Hilo.
You're very lucky to get this chance, so many people would like to move here but
can't get a suitable job.
Who told you it was a "hell" here (re: your other posting), did he actually live in Hawaii?
What led him to say that?
It's a fantastic place.
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The Big Island is a wonderful place, indeed, for us. However it all depends on what you are looking for. This is NOT the Hawaii of beach fantasies in books and movies. It is a living, breathing community. It is very easy to get stuck in a rut here. You have to GO OUT AND ABOUT AND PURSUE the adventures.
That said, the Big Island offers an incredible array of outdoor activities. We have 11 of the 13 internationally recognized climate zones right here on our island. Yes, that is snow on the top of the volcano and a dry hot desert in Kau. We have waterfalls and lava tubes, rainforest and beaches, hot-ponds and mountain retreats. We have tourist attractions and everyday life. We have social and political problems associated with any rapidly changing society. We have good guys and bad guys. We have drug issues and food issues and cost of living issues. We have rain and sun, heat and cold but we have mostly MODERATION that allows us to live simply and comfortably.
Mostly we have a land filling up with highly spirited, intelligent and adventuresome people. Opportunity is ripe if you see your glass as half full. Education is a major issue here, but then again, YOU are the primary educator of your children. School should be he framework of formal information but not the end all.
Most discrimination is against whites.... haoles... I am one and I have had no problems. It seems that every year, with a more integrated general population, the children's experiences are changing. However, we "implants" are not the privileged class. We are new to a small town and have to prove ourselves on many levels. As Hapa (mixed race) your children will enjoy the opportunity to blend in more easily than many.
If you have never visited here, it would be wise to do so before making your choice. You will be stricken with the beauty but also the solitude of this place. Of those who "don't make it" here, many leave simply because they can not function being this remotely disconnected from family and friends.
I moved here less than 5 years ago and it sure feels like home to me. Then again, I invested my heart into the place, learned by listening to my new neighbors, practicing cultural behaviors that were foreign to me and gave respect to traditions of th land. A native will throw a dirty diaper or a used fast food bag onto the side of the road while touting how disrespectful of the aina (land) it is of those new people to move rocks from the mountain down to the shore. I don't get it, but I don't fight it either. I simply attribute some things to the fact that the new generation is picking and choosing their own attachment to their culture. Instead of arguing it, I try to embrace the respect intended by the traditions. There are great traditions here and if they aren't scientifically sound, they are spiritually fulfilling and just darned fun. You pretty much take it all as a package and enjoy.
One thing that is important is to learn not to criticize things that are not like at home. If you want life to be like the mainland, stay on the mainland. Here you learn to do without a lot of "stuff" but if you open your heart and mind, you will find a large gap between what you want and what you need. Settle for what you need and sprinkle a little of what you want onto it and you will find a very simple, fulfilling life.
Good luck and welcome to Punaweb. You have found a very special niche in Hawaii. It is truely a community and along with lots of information, you will find friends and assistance in many forms.
Oh and if this was all too much for you, just ignore it. It's just the ramblings of an old woman who is loving her own adventure in lifeand who, when asked, isn't afraid to express an opinion.
I want to be the kind of woman that, when my feet
hit the floor each morning, the devil says
"Oh Crap, She's up!"
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Hilo is one of the most multicultural towns in the US (the University of Hawaii at Hilo is rated top for student diversity. To look at downtown Hilo, it looks more like Monterrey Bay "Cannery Row" BEFORE the face lift a few decades ago... but it has a very unique charm in its dishevled-ness. In Hilo there are some fairly good schools & one of the best & oldest charter schools in the state (Connections Public Charter School)right on the bayfront. Hilo town has a number of different neighborhoods, each with it's own 'feel'.
I have subbed in a few of the middle schools... there are some kids that get picked on, and there are those that 'pose' & have a 'wanna be' type attitude.... but those children are a minority of the population.... and usually have issues of their own... and also probably have a councelor that is trying to work with them... By far, I have seen more tolerance here to children that are 'different' (culturally, socio-econmically & behaviorally...) so that I would not worry just because that... It is PC for the kids to ask each other "what are you", something you don't hear in many areas...
Coming from SoCal, do you want to live in an area that rains? (although not the norm, there are times when it can rain & be cloudy for a month or more & streets can get flooded & such...) Will you be too far from family & friends to see them often? Can you tolerate differences (I know that sounds weird, but there are many diverse attitudes & lifestyles here....)?
As with anything, YOUR cost of living would depend a lot on different factors... the one thing that can really increase the costs for some is electric... if you normally use a lot of electricity OR the place you are living has an electric hog... you could see mind boggling electric bills.... out side of that, with farmers markets for fresh produce (and many neighbors will share the crops they have) it is easy to eat on a small budget... milk has just topped over $5/gal at most stores, and locally produced milk runs about $2 MORE...
There is free county wide bus service, so if you live &/or travel near a bus route that is a bonus. If you need costs of particular items, I am sure someone might know...
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Pam and Carey, as usual, are a wealth of information and good advice about life on the Big Island. My partner, Bear, and I have lived here full time for three years, but owned property here for three years before moving. We also had the tremendous luxury of being able to visit three to four times a year before moving. By all means make as lengthy a visit as possible before moving here. More than one visit would be nice, but you might have to act on the job offer sooner than would allow that.
Bear and I were confident of our decision to move here, and we have not regretted it. Despite all the preparation and visits, there have been surprises that have had to be dealt with. Nothing has happened that couldn't be handled, though, and nothing has caused us to want to move back to the mainland.
If I could point to the one most important thing that has made our move sucessful, I would have to say it all boils down to being proactively friendly and learning about aloha. When you approach others with friendship, acceptance, and generosity, you will get it back. Do not talk to people about how you did things back in California unless they ask about it. Even then, do not use it as an opportunity to go overboard with your views of the shortcomings of Hawaii.
Of course there are some unhappy, unfriendly, and prejudiced people here, but you don't have to let them set the tone for your life. There are those sorts of people nearly everywhere, and they are certainly no more prevalent here than in most places. Be prepared to tolerate diverse lifestyles, especially if you settle in Puna. We have a wonderful patchwork of ethnic and cultural groups that include gays, hippies, new agers, survivalists, Native Hawaiians, middle-class whites, Japanese, Filipinos, Portuguese, Okinawans, Koreans, and Mexicans. And that is just on our one mile stretch of road in HPP. Other spots may have more going on than that. If you don't deal well with people who are different from you, you might not do well in Puna.
We love it here. It is an incredibly special place. If you are interested in community affairs, it is easy to get involved in the political process and actually get to personally know the people who want be our leaders. Puna and the Big Island are not for everybody, but you can have a wonderful life here with the right approach.
Cheers and welcome to Punaweb,
Jerry
I has been my experience that the racism that people perceive is mostly the result of Haoles looking down on Locals. If you are open and show aloha 1st so that they don't perceive you as a A-hole, they are the warmest and friendliest people on earth.
Cultural protectionism in hiring practices is a different story.
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no worries folks! Your kids being of mixed race(like myself),will get the best of both worlds in Hilo. You are being offered a once in a lifetime opportunity, please take advantage of it!
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