Entering a New World: Leaving Hawai’i
Hawai’i vs. The Mainland ~ A comparison of the Hawaiian Islands to the east coast of the U.S. mainlandArchive for October, 2008
Homesick
I’ve been feeling really homesick for a little while now. No matter what state you’re from, if you move away, you’re likely to feel this way. But being from Hawai’i, where the world is so different from New Jersey, makes it a little harder. The weather is changing drastically. It’s getting really cold. In the past two winters I have experienced in New Jersey, I have a feeling this one is going to be rough. People have often told me that winters have been mild the past couple years, so I think this one is going to be a real one.
Every time the season changes from warm to bitter cold (in my experience, at least) I get a little sick; my throat hurts and my nose gets stuffed. Currently, my nose is not stuffed but my throat hurts. I have been told that I am sick, but if these are the only symptoms and when one is stuffed the other isn’t sore and vice versa, than isn’t it just my tropical island immune system adapting and most likely saying, “What do you think you are doing here?”
Anyway, prospects of going home are despairing, at best. I really just want to see my friends, especially my dog, Maka (pictured above at my beach) and feel like I’m me for a little while. I don’t know how many people feel this but my friends here know me as I was from 20 years old and on. I was a different person before that, not necessarily better, but I feel more like myself when I am in the islands. Like I don’t have to hesitate before saying something, think before I speak, look before I leap. Plus…winter? What winter? Winter is an absurd notion only mainlanders talk about.
I think the main reason, however, is because after Halloween, even before Thanksgiving, the Christmas spirit enters the islands in such a different way than here, in the mainland. Its still warm and a Hawaiian Christmas is celebrated. I will touch more on that later, but I was just feeling homesick, so I thought I would post on it. Thanks.
Good Luck and Happy living!
The Scarcity of Jobs in Hawai’i
There are jobs in Hawai’i. There is no doubt in my mind that you can find work! It’s not about whether there is work, but whether there is the work that you desire. Anyone can take up waitressing, secretarial duties, construction work etc., but can you find the career and stability that you’re seeking?
College graduates have higher aspirations. They want to become something and use their degrees they worked hard to earn (and paid a ton of money for), well at least most of them. But are there really opportunities out there for you?
I am currently not living at home, Hawai’i, (where I would love to be) because I want a career in the field of journalism and the chances of that happening (from entry level) are extremely low in comparison to most mainland locations.
I am not saying that if you want to work just to make money, survive and love where you live, you can’t do that. You can! But, for me, I want to love all aspects of my life; where I live, who I’m with and what I do.
The reality of living in Hawai’i is that it is an island. The resources are limited, which means, so are the opportunities.
Opportunity Comes-A-Knockin’
So, if you’re curious, I got the job I had wrote about earlier.
I am working for a newspaper that has an average circulation of 150,000 on weekdays and Saturdays, double that amount on Sundays and has a readership of about 650,000, not including the online readers. So there is a substantial audience and I am very happy to be a part of this company. Needless to say, I’m writing obituaries and taking care of the events calendar, but it’s definitely a start. I do have a theory about newspapers and how much longer they will be in existence, but that’s a whole different article. Read the rest of this entry »
