06-29-2013, 05:58 AM
I came to the islands in 1987. I arrived with no job, no house, and more of a dream than a plan. I found a place to live on the first day, and a job the first month. One evening I saw a locally produced PBS TV program, in which they interviewed an elderly Hawaiian man. When asked what he thought of all the newcomers he had seen arrive over the years, his response was (and I paraphrase) "I don't mind the new folks who come to Hawaii. You know who does? The haoles! They get off the plane and think, BOOM, close the door. Now that I'm here, don't let anyone else in."
I worked for $5 an hour for most of the first year I lived on Maui, and Maui was expensive even back in the '80's. Despite the struggle to pay rent and utility bills on those low wages, there was never a year in which I didn't pay taxes, and never a year I collected food stamps. If you can ask yourself, am I the type of person who is willing to get up every day and choose to work for minimum wage rather than collect food stamps, and the answer is yes, you will contribute to the islands. If you are the kind of person who realizes your bank account is almost empty before it hits zero, you'll do fine.
Chop wood, carry water. If you look around when you arrive, you'll find plenty of wood to chop and water to carry. If you have an interest, agriculture for instance, work for a farm when you get here. You'll learn how different it is to grow food in Hawaii, and what markets are available to you. That's what I did, and within a year or two I started my own business.
I worked for $5 an hour for most of the first year I lived on Maui, and Maui was expensive even back in the '80's. Despite the struggle to pay rent and utility bills on those low wages, there was never a year in which I didn't pay taxes, and never a year I collected food stamps. If you can ask yourself, am I the type of person who is willing to get up every day and choose to work for minimum wage rather than collect food stamps, and the answer is yes, you will contribute to the islands. If you are the kind of person who realizes your bank account is almost empty before it hits zero, you'll do fine.
Chop wood, carry water. If you look around when you arrive, you'll find plenty of wood to chop and water to carry. If you have an interest, agriculture for instance, work for a farm when you get here. You'll learn how different it is to grow food in Hawaii, and what markets are available to you. That's what I did, and within a year or two I started my own business.
"I'm at that stage in life where I stay out of discussions. Even if you say 1+1=5, you're right - have fun." - Keanu Reeves