"..Those who left Puna "- your comments

[Guest]

There's a line from an old Jimmy Buffet song, "In the tropics, they come and they go." This always stuck with me as I have seen many come and go. There's a romantic lure to a place like Hawaii and Hawaii in particular. Hawaiian musicians sing about the beauty of Hawaii. It is a special place. But the culture here is very, very different from any European or Asian-based culture we may be familiar with. It isn't really that long ago that Kamehameha the Great united the Islands and did away with the Kapu system towards the end of his life. In many ways the culture was brutal and in many ways gentle. In all ways unfamiliar to the Westerner. Only a few of the original haoles who came decided to stay. i think only two of Captain Cook's men made a good life here. It's not for everybody but the lure is undeniable. There's no place else in the US that is so foreign. I think it's a very big mistake to come without substantial money reserves and I never understood uprooting a family to bring them here although I know some are quite successful. But it's not a place for young people. I was talking with Pong at Royal Siam in Hilo (great coconut tofu soup). He was 18 when he came from Thailand and was miserable. Nothing to do for a young man. Now he wouldn't live anywhere else. Lower Puna for a young person I think would be quite boring. It can be a 20 minute drive just to get to the highway and then what do you have? Pahoa. With some notable exceptions the music scene is pretty bleak compared with the Mainland and the club scene almost non-existent. Put your kids in public school and they will have many problems with the local kids unless they are quite exceptional. Private school is very expensive and the best one is pretty far away in Waimea. The islands were literally stolen and there is still plenty of anger left towards the haoles. I haven't been to Honolulu in about 25 years, but I think that would be a better gateway to life here rather than jumping in with both feet in Puna. Even Kailua would be a better choice.
However, if you are of the proper temperament, there is no place on Earth which can compare. Walk in Volcano late at night and I don't think you can tell me there's not something mystical going on here. There's a creative energy which is very hard to describe but very real. Remember that no matter where you go, there you are. Whatever baggage you had on the Mainland will come along with you. The REAL story is the one your son is writing now. Let him write it his way. Even if he is not successful here, he will most likely be better for the experience. There's 175,000 stories here and I can tell you some are quite wonderful. I could go on and on even more about my favorite subject, the island of Hawaii.