Well, as you can probably tell, I am no longer in Fiji. Though Hawaii and Fiji are both inhabited groups of islands in the Pacific Ocean, they are not the same. This new series of entries will hopefully give folks back home some idea of what I am up to in Honolulu, both good and bad. If you have never moved far from home before, I hope that you can live through me. If you have never moved to Hawaii before, I hope that you can also learn something from me.
On August 17th, which seems like just yesterday, Dad dropped me off at the Minneapolis/ St. Paul airport. Mixed feelings were going through my mind. In order to explain, I should back up a week or so. Looking back to the beginning of August, I was almost positive that the move was not going to happen. MULTIPLE pro and con lists were made, and looking at the practical side of this huge life change, it just didn't make sense. The expense was too great, my student loans were growing, and I really do like Minnesota. What was the point in teaching in a new state? After a week of thinking like this, I was confronted by family and we talked out what was going through my mind. Turns out I still really wanted to move. Event with such powerful cons of moving, my gut was still convincing me to follow my dreams (1-moving to Hawaii, and 2-becoming a teacher). Nothing had been canceled- I see this as a sign that I still wanted to move. Mom explained to me that I would probably spend the difference in money to make up for not moving (pretty smart, I think). For example, I would probably buy a new car, and go on extra trips.
So, I set everything back in motion. Mom and Dad offered to come help me move, since they did the same for Jenny, and they had been talking about coming back to Hawaii for YEARS. I said goodbye to friends, which was much easier after having done a similar thing just 6 months before. No big family gathering was planned, or really any celebration at all. This was much more low key.
Back to the airport...
I got on the plane, really not knowing what to expect in the coming weeks. The idea of moving hadn't taken much toll on me as of yet, because it was all happening so fast. 7 days prior, I was looking for a job in Minnesota! I even went to an interview! Heck, I was ready to buy a new car (once I actually got the job). I knew the realities of the day. I knew that I would meet mom and dad in Seattle, that we would then fly to Honolulu together, and that classes would start in one week.
It all became real after we checked into the hotel. We stayed at the Waikiki Sheraton- no regrets. This monstrous tower right on the ocean was classy, had a beautiful pool and beachfront access, and a great bar. It was exactly what one might expect from a nice hotel in Waikiki. We landed at night, and the next few days were a mess of driving and getting lost around Honolulu, drinking beer, wine, and mai tai's, touring the good the bad and the ugly of Honolulu's tragic housing, and test driving a few different cars. It was an experience I may have been able to do on my own, but realistically, I may have broken down and came home had I been there alone. Thanks mom and dad.
By Saturday, I found a place to live and a car. This is where life began to get funny. There weren't too many wonderful options in the central Honolulu area, so we branched out the eastern side of the island. Hawaii Kai, a 40+/- year old former swampland is now home to some of the fanciest and wealthiest of Honolulu, and maybe Hawaii. A nice older woman named Deena happened to be renting out a room in her beautiful house just 2 blocks from the ocean. A grocery store was one block away, along with our new favorite restaurant- the Kona Brewing Company. Delicious food, and an incredible view.
I signed the lease within 2 hours of touring the place, and my life instantly became a sit com. You know, those cheesy shows with the laugh track, so popular from 1970-1998, before reality shows were mainstream. Turns out, I live in this house with 4 other women. They are all WONDERFUL and treat me like their son and grandson.
Saturday also brought me to the realization of how nice a particular Buick Rendezvous actually was. Now, I would have much rather been caught driving the Honda Accord Coupe, loaded with leather and a moonroof, but for only a few thousand dollars, this crossover was a steal. So, I live with the golden girls and drive a periwinkle Buick (which kinda looks like a moomoo). Where is my life going?
My first night in Hawaii Kai was Mom and Dad's last night in Honolulu. They then spent Monday touring around the island. For having spent a week running all over looking at housing and cars, they were sure ambitious! Fine with me. I felt pretty guilty all week- heck, they were supposed to be on vacation, and they were helping me move. Dad explained to me that they really enjoyed the experience of getting to know "real" Hawaii. Its not every day that you get to get to know the locals when you are on a trip. For instance, we had dinner with Deena, my land lady, and she told us of her adventures in Hawaii back in the 60s and 70s. You don't get that at the Sheraton. You only get that out on Deena's Lanai, in her outdoor kitchen over some beer and wine.
Monday, I was pretty preoccupied with my first day of class: the reason that I moved here in the first place! Our cohort is so nice and from a variety of backgrounds. Put a bunch of graduate level students together who all are ambitious in teaching, in Hawaii, and you get a pretty awesome mix. You get parents, newlyweds, navy wives, war vets, fresh out of college students, transitioning business people, and everything in between. I'm one of the youngest, but everyone is so nice to me!
Monday evening, I had to say goodbye to mom and dad. This was not easy- I was pretty comfortable here in Honolulu until they left. There were tears, which is expected as I am transitioning. We all survived, however.
After they left, I felt suddenly that I had been abandoned in a new place. I was kind of a mess on Tuesday morning, and driving was not easy. My mind tends to wander back home when I am in the car here for 40 minutes at a time. ESPECIALLY when I have my favorite, country music on, because most of those songs are about leaving, remembering, or sticking to your roots. AHH! I tell ya. This is homesickness folks. That feeling when I am sitting at my desk, thinking about what I am missing, thinking of my former comforts, and my former support networks. Suddenly those things are all gone, and I am on my own.
Kind of scary- but I think back to what I wanted to get out of this experience in Hawaii. I really wanted to meet more people, know what its like to live somewhere new, on my own, and become more independent. Getting over homesickness seems to take time too. It feels a little better every day. Phone calls to friends at home help a lot. As do walks in the morning for some reason- I think it gets the endorphins flowing. I'm still a little weird about being in the tourist areas, because those are all families and people running around and loving their vacations. Give me a week, and I'll be eating it right up!
On the bright side (and the bright side is HUGE), I have a great place to live in a classy house, I have other students and amazing professors who already seem to care an awful lot about me and who I am, and I've almost survived for 2 weeks here in Hawaii. The silver lining to everything that happens here is that I am in Hawaii. I live here. How many people can say that? Only about 1.3 million of 7 billion. Crazy awesome things happen here. For instance, I drive down the freeway in rush hour. A car cuts me off, and the driver goes out of his way to thank me with a HUGE wave. People don't honk, they don't get impatient in traffic (so far), and there is an ocean view from almost any point through my commute. Heck, I can see the USS Arizona Memorial from my classroom. I went to the mall today and had a 30 minute conversation with the lady in the store. People take time to talk with one another here, and it is real and genuine. I love that about Hawaii. Cheryl, one of the other students in the cohort invited me to hang out with her and her mainland friends this weekend. So, I'm going to a movie on Waikiki beach with some strangers. Cheryl doesn't seem too threatening...
So, this is an adventure for sure. The unexpected homesickness is kind of annoying, but I think that I will get over that pretty quick. Keep the calls coming! I love hearing from all of you! Or better off, just come and visit.
Take it easy...
Mahalo!
Austin
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