LIVING IN HAWAII

I’ve wanted to live in Hawaii since I was 9 years old. I think I was attracted to the idea of living somewhere warm; a place where I could swim outside everyday and see a rainbow or two or three. So I finally did it, I moved to Hawaii.

The first time I stepped foot on Hawaii was July 8, 2016. Just 9 months ago.

It took me 3 decades to book my flight, and instead of making it a vacation, I decided to move.

I didn’t know much about Hawaii. Actually, I didn’t know anything at all. All arrows were pointing west so I decided to participate in a 200hr yoga teacher training, booked a one-way flight the next day, and found myself on the Big Island a month later.

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A lot of people ask me what it’s like to live in Hawaii, so here are some of your questions and my thoughts:

SHOULD I MOVE TO HAWAII?

Personally, I felt called to Hawaii. Every muscle in my body knew I needed to be here. So if you’re meant to be in Hawaii, everything will align for you and things will start to fall into place. If it doesn’t, then take it as a sign that it’s not the right time for you.

SHOULD I MOVE TO HAWAII WITH MY KIDS?

Hawaii is an AMAZING place to raise children. When I have a family of my own, I would love to give my kids the opportunity to live the HI life. Kids here are so happy! I’m not sure how the school systems are… most kids are homeschooled through a charter school where I live but you’d have to do your research.

WHICH ISLAND DO YOU LIKE?

There are 7 Hawaiian Islands and I live on the Big Island. The other popular islands are Oahu (Honolulu), Kauai and Maui. Personally I’ve only been to Maui and Big Island and each island has its own qualities. I think it just depends on what you’re looking for so my recommendation would be to research and/or travel to the islands to find your match.

WERE YOU SCARED TO MOVE TO HAWAII?

My biggest concern wasn’t the move per se, I was more concerned about the cultural shift. As a New Yorker, I knew I was going into unchartered territory. I had the typical “the dream is free but the hustle is sold separately” mentality; and it scared me to think that I would have to let all of that go. However, I’ve learned that our personal obstacles are our greatest lessons so whatever you’re fearing now is something you’re ready to overcome.

WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT HAWAII?

Living in Hawaii is paradise. It’s beautiful, it’s warm, and there are rainbows and sea creatures that show up when you least expect them. However, living in Hawaii can be very challenging, which can be a positive thing since it pushes your boundaries in ways you haven’t been tested before (see question/answer above).

DO YOU GET STRESSED OUT IN HAWAII?

Stress can happen anywhere, even in paradise. Being that I am a New Yorker, I had a hard time letting go of expectations (and I wouldn’t even say I had expectations of Hawaii but I do have certain standards and those didn't apply here- things take longer, etc).

In retrospect, I created stressful situations for myself because I wanted to know how long I would live in Hawaii and where I would live in Hawaii… but now I just say I’m here until I’m not. As I mentioned earlier, if it’s meant to be then everything will fall into place. If it’s not meant to be I learned that I can book a one-way ticket somewhere else when the time comes.

HOW IS HAWAII DIFFERENT FROM NYC?

In Hawaii, you learn to go with the flow, and in NYC you are creating/controlling your flow. Forcing things to happen on the island will only cause more stress. One of my greatest lessons here has been patience and acceptance.

DO YOU GET SICK IN HAWAII?

Unfortunately, yes. I thought living somewhere warm year round would eliminate things like the flu, but I caught it and it was brutal. I’m a big advocate on homeopathic remedies but I’ve learned to go to the doctor since contracting a major virus. Hawaii is very tropical so there are a lot of things that I’ve never been exposed to that needed medical treatments. For example when you get a cut you are prone to getting staph infection, and eating unwashed produce is not advised because it may have something called rat lung worm disease. Healthcare is available but sometimes you have to fly to a different island for specialists.

If you want to learn more about the Hawaii move, I've been posting a monthly report on my Instagram account about my Hawaii journey and I will be posting more about the #HILife on this blog! Feel free to comment with any questions and I'll answer them in a future post!

#HILife