HNL Relocation
 

I'd appreciate any comments from current (or former) HNL based FT'ers.

I have loved living in Alaska, and am thinking about relocating to Hawaii for a bit. Maybe the other distant state will be just as fun. I'd probably sign up for online college classes (back in AK) for that semester and just look for a cheap room to rent. I'd need to get a job but I'd be willing to take just about any sort of honest work, as it would only be for about 4 months.

Anyway, a friend of mine was telling me stories about how Hawaiians don't like "Howlie's" and really recommending against such a venture. This sounds way out of proportion to me.

Any thoughts are much appreciated.
Thanks!
-eastwest

You may find the Hawai‘i Board as the place to look for more advice regarding a relocation to HNL or post more questions there as you'll get a more HNL-based group.

I'm glad that you're interested in moving to Hawai‘i for a semester as it would be a great change from AK. Have you considered studying at the University of Hawai‘i school system (whether it'd be at UH-Mānoa or UH-Hilo)? This would allow you to get to know the local culture quickly, as although the student body is diverse, there are a lot of kama‘aina (locals) who attend the institution (and this would probably take care of the housing issue as well). As far as renting a place, there is a post regarding renting over on the Hawai‘i Board.

You may want to take a look at this thread as it may shed some light into this issue.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail.

aloha, a hui hou, e mālama pono

Are you considering bringing any pets with you? There is a very long quarantine period for them.

Just another thought.

The anti-rabies quarantine rules were recently revised to make them a bit less draconian.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=284525

eastwest, I salute your open-mindedness. Question ANYONE who tells you "All [insert group] does [insert behavior]."

[edited to add link, as suggested by slippahs]

^^^

As far as the quarantine laws goes, I believe there was a post re: this over in the Hawai‘i forum.

aloha

We have our share of former Alaskans in the Marianas, too. Barrow, Kotzebue, Adak, you name it. Probably similar motivations as yours.

I've had dozens of haole friends move on from the gatbo Islas Marianas to the more developed "big city" lifestyle of Oahu (and the neighbor islands), with nary a problem.