Not What I Expected: Life in Hawaii After 10 Years
VloĆŸit
- Äas pĆidĂĄn 25. 07. 2024
- It's been offically ten years since I moved back to Hawaii. Life has been great in Hawaii, but there were also challenges I faced along the way. I wanted to talk about how it's been in Hawaii since I moved back after living on the Mainland for a while. A lot has happened in my life, including finding a career, buying a place, and starting a family. And looking back at the past ten years in Hawaii has made me realize that life will often take you in directions you never could have planned for.
Intro My Life in Hawaii - 0:00
Moving back to Hawaii from the Mainland - 1:00
How it felt to move back to Hawaii - 1:37
Finding a job in Hawaii - 2:19
How my job changed my life - 3:59
Looking for a place to live in Hawaii - 4:38
The sacrifices so I could buy a place in Hawaii - 5:08
The sacrifices were worth it - 5:36
Looking to start a family in Hawaii - 5:51
Thinking back on how I met my wife in Hawaii - 6:18
Some of the challenges of marriage - 6:50
Biggest thing marriage has shown me - 7:03
Having kids changes everything - 7:30
How tired I am during this hike - 8:16
Where I find myself after ten years in Hawaii - 8:24
Final word - 9:03
Filmed using the DJI Osmo Action at Makiki Valley Loop Trail.
#hellofromhawaii
#livinginhawaii
#hawaii
đ· IG - / hello_from_hawaii
Great to see you made a successful life in Hawaii, your home town. You worked hard to make it happen. So happy for you!
Thank you. Still a work in progress, but trying to enjoy the journey đ
Itâs very tough to live here--touchĂ© to you finding your niche
New sub here but really appreciate your candor and deeper insight to living in Hawaii. I moved to Japan for 4 years and then the mainland for 3 years (going on 4) and am starting to get homesick. My parents are also getting older so moving back may be in my future... but it's so hard to after doing so much. I'm going to miss the easy roadtrips and inexpensive travel, the four seasons, the job options...
Yeah, it's a tough decision, but one I'm glad I made. I enjoyed the mainland for a season of my life, but felt it was best to move back. Glad I did.
take me with you lol
I've got an older sister back in Hawaii who I care about a lot. We've not been talking lately but among the many reasons to get back home is, it will be good to be there if I'm needed.
So glad it all worked out for you. I have visited Hawaii 7 times now, and every time was magical. Way to go!!!
đ€ Mahalo
Always enjoy hearing your honest and candid takes on different things. I had many times in my twenties that I thought about pulling the trigger and trying to make a go on the Big Island. I wound up getting married in my late twenties, had two great kids. Not the same, but we visit Hawaii and enjoy relatives on all islands very often. My youngest son went to UH for awhile (Surf) but came back in a year. He did mention that many of his cousins and other students he knew were always working a lot to help pay bills. Thanks for sharing your story. Mahalo.
Must be great to visit Hawaii, even if only for a short while. And since you have family here, can always borrow a car. đ€
Happy for you and your family!
Mahalo đ€
Wonderful videos coming from an authentic and genuine person! Happy holidays. Take care and stay awesome! đșđđ»
Mahalo đ€ Happy holidays too!
Good to hear your story.
Thanks for sharing.
Iâve found that a lot of small decisions build up and lead to bigger decisions that require courage and resolve to go through. Those big decisions then turn into sign posts for other big decisions as they come in life. I currently have 2 young keiki very similar ages as yours and only my wife and I who care for them, so itâs been a challenge of a lifetime, but itâs always great to reflect back and see how weâve grown individually and as a family through the years.
Agree about the small decisions building up over time. And yes, courage and perseverance are important because things don't always turn out as planned.
Happy for you and your family â€
Yessuh. Always good to see another video. Keep hustlinâ!
Appreciate it đ€
Hi Chris, I'm so glad you made the decision to move back and everything has fallen into place for you! Keep it up and just like your hike, its 1 foot in front of the other and you'll climb to your dream!!!
Aloha Chris,
Thanks for sharing your journey of coming back to your roots and family, it was just wonderful to hear it. I admire your courage to move back from the mainland, and what a beautiful way to meet your spouse, on a hiking trail. How you landed the job at the shipyard is also very intriguing, I know itâs a tough environment to be at, but itâs an interesting place to work at, fortunately, my job provides me the opportunity to work there few times a year. It seems that your struggles are paying off, you are lucky to be raising a family at a place where nature is in abundance and lifestyle is great. Always love watching your videos. Mahalo
Mahalo for the kind words. I don't work at the Shipyard, as that was a summer job a while ago. But I'm thankful for where I am in my current position.
@@HelloFromHawaii sorry for getting your work place confused, yes I do remember from one of your previous V log that you only had a summer job at the shipyard
So happy for you Chris, things have come full circleâ€
Mahalo đ€
Great video! Thanks!
Great video. Mahalo for sharing part of your life story.
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How interesting your Story your Journey.
A rolling landscape of Serendipities.
Great video! What you said in 7:12 is spot on. Appreciate this video to validate things I have been thinking of recently. Keep up the great content my fellow K-towner!
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đșYou have accomplished great many successes in ten years at a young age. Many more happy years to come with your lovely family. Beautiful trail. Aloha
Thank you so much đ€
Thanks for sharing-
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great story Chris! keep up the great work. đ€
Appreciate it! đ€
So glad things worked out for you. But home is where the heart is. You've done well over the last 10 years.
We enjoy all your videos, you bring truth to what it is like to live in Hawaii. We hope to retire there soon! Keep up the good work! Aloha!
Mahalo. Appreciate that đ€
Chris, thanks for sharing so much that is very personal. So glad things have worked out for you in your relationships and career, etc. It all certainly takes work, and I'm sure that will never end. I could especially relate to your experience of reverse culture shock. I moved back to the mainland 22 years ago, and I still don't feel like I'm home. If I ever get to meet you in person, I would love to share a lot more over an acai bowl. Anyhow, I don't think I'll truly be home until I return to Hawaii for good, which is going to take more time to happen and, I'm sure, the kind of culture shock that you experienced. Until then, keep fighting the good fight, and ALOHA! đ€
Oh, yeah. Loved the hike! That was one of my favorite Hawaii activities, so it was great to see. (Didn't recognize the trail, though.)
Mahalo for the comment. It certainly does take work, but that's life. And Makiki Loop Trail is a nice hike. Close to town and somewhat challenging. No views though.
Wonderful story! glad you moved back and made Hawaii your home. I plan to return home to Hawaii in a couple of years when I retire- I can't wait--Alohađ
Sounds great. Retiring to Oahu? Big Island?
@@HelloFromHawaii Hilo (Big đ island)
Really enjoyed this hiking vlog. đđœ
Yeah, haven't hiked in years. Lots of breaks in between filming đ
You're so lucky to be born and raised in Hawaii and to live and raise a family thereâŁđ
IđHawaii đș
It's something that I don't take for granted. đ€
I just became a grandma, would it be disrespectful if I was called Tutu even though I am not Hawaiian....?
Mahalo đ
You have done well over the last ten years.
Mahalo đ€
Great story, greetings from Miami đșđž
Thank you for this-Lived in Las Vegas for 8 years-moved back home to spend time with my parents in their last chaptersâŠI really had to dial back because I became âhaolefiedâ and spent way too much energy comparing my birth place to that sin city. Youâre message is spot on!
đ€ Must have been a big change.
Hope to bump into you soonđ€đŒ
Good. Just keep taking it one day at a time. Ten years seems long, but like a marathon and getting a portion of the distance thinking it's going great after 3 miles, isn't the same as completing. Life has unexpected challenges when least expected before the finish line. Just pace yourself and take it as it comes.
Appreciate the advice đ€
Good for you to work it all out .. moving away from Hawaii always enriches, brings gratitude and perspective ⊠i left in 78 .. and never returned except for annual visits .. i managed to grow into roles and compesation levels unachievabke in HawaiiâŠ. Today i have an unbelivable work Life balance and where i never have to settle for less had i stayed in Hawaii ⊠ironically while it may not look exactly like it the Indonesia i now live in feels just like the Hawaii i grew up in the 60s .. today at 65 i own debt free 14 rental properties in Thailand and Indonesia , adopted a son and Live a grateful fulfilling Life âŠ.That would have never happened in Hawaii Imua e na Po Ki i đđ€
Mahalo for sharing. Sounds great in Indonesia. Interesting that it's similar to Hawaii.
Iâm amazed at how the land and vegetation looks so much like Japan and different from the UK where Iâm from. And your talk takes me back a generation to when I was at that stage of my life. It really sounds as if you made the right decision to go back.
Currently in Japan for a trip. So cold for a local boy from Hawaii đ
I hope you had a good trip!
I lived away from Hawaii for close to a decade before I decided to return.
As I was still single at that time, one thing that several retirees told me was NOT to have a girlfriend until I had a full-time job. And believe me, making a move while single is a lot easier, as we don't have to factor in the impact on the family unit;so hats off to those who move entire families.
In about a year, I had three job offers, and I took the one that ended up being the most comfortable, paid the most, and offered longevity into retirement age. As many of the people who was working there was all capable of holding that job until retirement; which is a big plus.
And as far as financial sacrifice, there's been many people who I know that have down the same meal for at least a years or more, so you're in good dedicated company. The sacrifices we make to get what we want...
CO...just understand that many words that influence a good marriage starts with the letters CO; compromise, consideration, compassion, etc...
I'm glad I came back to Hawaii/home also.
Thanks, I watched several videos from you. I am visiting big Insland now. Hawaii may be good for tourists and rich people but for regular people I think it's hard. The cost of living is almost twice compared to Los Angeles but the minimum wage is only $12.
Hope you are enjoying your time on the Big Island.
Thanks for another insightful video about your life in Hawaii. I'm interviewing for a new job on the east coast & honestly I'd love to take a break from that & check out Hawaii to see if it might be a better fit for me. I've been living outside philly for the last 30 years & feel like it's just not the place for me at all. Not much aloha out here & it's a huge bummer. And I don't think I'd ever miss the bitter winters, either. Do you have any advice?
Aloha!! Fellow East Coast gal here. Myself and my family just moved to Hawaii from Delaware in June.. My husband was offered a job transfer here with his existing Federal Employer. I love living here in Hawaii, my youngest son is in 7th grade and adjusting very well to the move. The people are so friendly, we sold everything and made the move. We bought a home here which is very expensive. If you have a solid job and are financially stable enough to afford to make the move, do it!
Great place to visit. Tough to make it in the long-term if you don't know anyone here or have family. Maybe consider remote work out here if you can.
Great video. What trail are you on again?
Makiki Loop Trail
Thatâs the way to do it!!
âą ship car
âą move back home
âą find job somewhere
âą no plans
âą figure out when get here
âą shipyard
âą rando job board
âą get lost
âą take test
âą job fair
âą think about it
âą take temp job
âą pay attention
âą care
âą look for place
âą miss opportunities
âą make sacrifices
âą pbj & pretzels
âą spouse come into life
âą think back
âą change life
âą visa app
âą build life
âą move together as one
âą change diapers
âą look at younger one
âą throw shaka
lol
Growing up!!!! Wait till you are Grndpa....
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Right on man, very cool. Thank you for sharing đđđđđđđđđđ
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đ well good for you! We were hoping you /family were moving to the mainland ?! You would have made us a good neighbor in Maryland đ.
Chris, what did you teach on The Mainland? If you have mentioned such in another video, can you please link me to that video? Thank you very much, in advance!
Also, did I miss the video wherein you talked about meeting your wife, and courting her? I would like to know the happy-ending story of how it all began, please if you care to share.
I taught college composition and research courses. I don't have links to those courses, but it's your typical intro to writing class for freshmen and sophomores.
I haven't made a video about how I met my wife. It's a great story, but maybe for another time đ
Aloha Nephew, Having kids, getting married and moving (back) to are not rational decisions. All are difficult. You have followed a path with a heart. Shootz.
Mahalo for the comment. Definitely a tough path, but all part of a great and blessed life.
Congrats on making it back home and with all of your success! đ€ Also, just curious, is that your wife singing the theme song? Sounds kinda like her.
She has a great singing voice, but she's not the one singing the song.
@@HelloFromHawaii Ah, gotcha. đ Shoots brah! Keep up the great work and I look forward to more of your videos. Aloha! đ€
Surprised that you did the video while hiking. Decent cardio and mental focus.
I was struggling đ
Almost returned home many moons ago. At the age of 25, newly divorced with two young children, it would have definitely been easier to take advantage of help from family with child care and support until I could get reestablished. The thought of living with my parents wasnât real appealing but the benefits of being near family goes without saying. At the time, interest rates were bumping up against 17% making it next to impossible to sell a home that I had only lived in for 4 years without losing money. I ended up staying put and made the most of it. Finished school, found a better job, remarried, built a couple of small businesses, retired and can now look at returning. Oddly enough, the same reason I stayed put has re-emergedâŠ
High interest rates! Although nowhere near that of the 80s, itâs high enough to discourage us from wanting to buy more real estate. We would have to sell one of our homes in order to move. For folks who never experienced the interest rates of the 80s, 7% is high enough to them and has made home buying in our area unaffordable. Now that we are retired, we are at least able to go back and forth as often as we want. Thankfully, where we live in Western Washington, winters are mild but cold enough that we have become the very people we used to laugh atâŠâsnowbirdsâ. Because we like to travel, returning to Hawaii is probably not going to be in our cards. For me, that boat sailed a long time ago. Glad you were able to make it back.
Mahalo for sharing. Those interest rates seem so crazy. Hard to imagine it that high.
Was that the Aiea Loop Trail?
Makiki Loop Trail
The main problem living in HI if you have a family is the education system. Private school is very expensive. The public school system is terrible and cannot compete with mainland. Also, the wages are low. However, HI has a lot to offer if you can deal with some challenges.
In the hotels which are all Union they pay is pretty good. If you work at a hotel there the pay is pretty decent.
I was blessed to live on Maui from 91-02 and my landlord was really good to me.
My rent for one room in a 3 bedroom house was only $300 a month.
I wouldn't say the entire public school system is bad. I talk about it in other videos, but I still believe in public education in Hawaii
What trail is that?
It's Makiki Loop Trail.
Lol....my wife is from Korea, so i know all about that visa proses.
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Thanks for your candor. Looks like a beautiful trail. Nice place to go with your future spouse. Seems like youâre where you belong, you know? đ
It's a nice trail. Not too difficult, but also no view. Still, it's close to town so short drive.
I left when I was 24. I plan to move back home to retire, at age 62. That will make 28 years away. Yeah, I was back for a few months in 2003, tried The Big Move Back Home when Bush started bombing in the Middle East. That didn't go well as I didn't have a solid plan and was still in my working life. Being back home as a retired person is going to be very different. There's not that need to fight tooth-and-nail for a job. And also, as the quality of life on the mainland has degraded even over the last 20 years since 2003, I've learned to live on a lot less. When I get back I'm going to give myself a LOT of time to just get acclimated again, spend lots of time with my bare feet in green sand, you know li'dat.
Mahalo for sharing đ€
Do you have any regrets of not living in other parts of the world or the States? Do you feel like you are missing out something. I visit Hawaii for vacation frequently but I never thought of living there, yet. Will be difficult to work with co-workers in the east coast due to the time zone issue. Maybe after I retire :)
I'm glad I was able to visit and live in other parts of the US. I'd like to try to live in Japan if I could. But I don't really regret it at this point. Hard to want to move when I have a young family.
im only 17 so im unsure by the time im older to go visit hawaii from how expensive it will be since inflation is up more than 10 percent and realestate in hawai'i is getting more and more expensive overtime compared to last 10 or 15-20 years. only way i could see myself there is if im rich, making around more than 100k yearly or volunteer helping and maybe doing hospital work
Yeah, it's tough to make it. You could make it with less than $100K, but it would be challenging.
People under estimate or ignore the role of chance in life, i.e. the right place at the right time at random. Your career and your beautiful wife are just two examples.
For me it was opening my mailbox at school--yeah da kine drawer type--and picking up a mimeograph notice--yeah da kine that smell like grapes--about a teaching exchange in Japan. But unlike you I never looked back.
Agree. So much chance in life, but still have to be prepared for when those opportunities come.
Hi Chris. You are careful to never talk about what your job is. I am just wondering if maybe you work for Civil Beat? Just a guess.
đ No, I don't work for Civil Beat
It sounds like for those born and raised in Hawaii that was forced to leave due to the cost of living mostly housing market if one would return it'd be homeless only as an option. How cruel. But that's how the world is.
Hoping they figure out more housing solutions
ALOHA BRADDAH đ€đŽđđ All the way from Seattle
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What was the job? You talk about job, but no explanation of what u do?
I'm an Analyst. đ€
Hawaii has gone to trash. Its the next LA
Too many meth addicts hiding in the jungle!
Hawaii is definitely one of the most beautiful spots on earth BUT the people living there must fear for their lives due to meth addicts. They are everywhere and very unpredictable, violent, mentally disturbed, and they steal constantly! You maybe distracted by all the beautiful surroundings but if you take notice the islands are covered with zombie like humans! đ€Ż
Thanks for the video.
Were a family of 3, from GUAM, USA. Were planning to move to Hawaii in 2023. Just got a few questions before making that leap.
How much do you think we should have in the bank before starting a new life in Hawaii? Because will be unemployed when we move in there
Should we go to the big island?
Is it easy to find an apartment for family of 3 with a 1k.1.2k budget per month ?
Yeah Big Island will be one of the cheaper places. You gotta work the hotels or landscaping.
When I left Maui in 2003 my rent was $300 a month out of $900 total. We had a great Filipino Landlord. Rent there now is crazy high though.
It's hard to say how much you'll need saved up. The more the better. Big Island is cheaper than Oahu, but lacks a lot of the jobs and activities.
Good luck on the move đ€