Discoveries Living in Hawai'i
I wrote my experience why we’re on Big Island.. My experience living in Big Island is different than visiting Hawai’i.
Surprises I found so far:
- Tight Social Networks
- Temperate Weather
- Farming Year Round
Social Networks
As my kids are in school here, we have a connection through our kids’ classmates’ parents. There’s a social network we can plug into beyond our neighbors.
Other parents that live here range from recently moving to being here for decades. There’s range of experiences on the island. It’s really nice to meet people who I would not meet by chance shopping.
The usual tools I used before, like meetup.com, are almost non-existent on my part of Big Island. The population density is low and these tools aren’t well supported.
At the shopping market checkout line, a person told me they knew someone from the state I lived in before and moved here. The person said those people moved back within two years.
As the average age of the population here older, I can see why - there’s just fewer chances to interact with those in the same social class.
Another is family is an important part of Hawaiian culture. The Hawaiian word, Ohana, is everywhere. When we attend our neighbor’s parties, I feel we are the only people at the party not related to the hosts.
I am grateful we have our kids’ social networks to connect with others.
Weather
The weather is so temperate here that I just wear T-shirt, shorts, and sandals the whole time. I see others do the same too.
Days do get hot, nothing that shade does not solve.
Nights are comfortable enough that I just sleep with the windows open in my room. One of my favorite parts of summer when I grew up - now I have it year round!
As the weather is temperate and consistent, I forget there’s a range outside of T-shirt and shorts weather.
This comes out the most when I am on a call and others talk about the weather. Temperatures elsewhere in the world is hitting extremes - heat waves in the summers, frozen spells in the winters. I feel awkward when I just say: “Oh yeah, it’s cold out, I had to put on a hoodie!” or “It’s so hot out that I had to turn on air conditioning!”
I cannot talk about the weather with anyone outside of Hawai’i anymore.
Conversely, I climatized to the Hawai’i weather - I fear I cannot travel to another destination unless I have enough gear or the temperature ranges are similar to Hawai’i.
It’s rough!
😅
Tropical Farm
The weather is fantastic and temperate year round - which leads me to something I never considered when visiting.
Nature keeps growing and growing!
Yes, growing up I hated summers because that meant I had to weed whack my parent’s rental properties. I never worried about weed whacking in the winter.
In Hawai’i - I’m managing weeds all year-round.
Nature here is relentless - miss a couple of weeks of weed whacking or mowing and you’re starting all over again - which is painful with my current equipment.
Do I wish the weather would get cold enough to stop the weeds from growing? Definitely! At the same time, I do love I get amazing fruits from my yard.
It’s a love-hate thing. My tummy loves the fruits. My back hates weed whacking.
Conclusion
Living in Hawai’i has nice surprises I never considered when visiting. A natural environment that just doesn’t slow down, temperate weather my body loves all the time, and strong social networks where everyone is family.
So far, I am enjoying all the new things I learned by living here and looking forward to what else this Hawai’i adventure brings me and my family.
🤙