If you read Part One of my Why I Hate Living In Hawaii Saga in completion, then you know I ended off informing you that part 2 would discuss the food and the bugs here. Before I get to that I must first clarify some things from Part 1.
I want to thank everyone who read my post in completion. I never expected so much feedback here or on the Fb Fan Page. I will say that while I accept everyone’s feedback whether negative or positive, I really can’t accept feedback from those who haven’t read this in entirety. If you read my blog posts I am nice but can be alittle overly blunt at times. That can be a positive or negative thing. With that said…I am completely over the get out and explore the island statement. I made it very clear in part one that I have and that I am a big fan of make the best where you are, but in some places making the best gets old. You see in order to explore somewhere (where ever it maybe) you have to “Want To” and you have to like it. Once your done exploring the things your comfortable with (because everyone isn’t into climbing up the side of volcanic mountains or diving with the sharks) what exactly is left to do?…go the beach…ooops I can’t I did that like 5 million times in one month.
For certain people (and I say certain because I don’t speak for everyone) being stuck on a rock in the middle of the ocean is their thing, it doesn’t phase them. For others like myself confinement does not work. When I get tired of Oahu , I’d like to be able to drive else where. Yes yes… I know what your going to say “But Army Wife 101 you can fly to another island”! Bam you just answered your own question, “it’s still another island! I hope I clarified this for those who think that I am a whiner and don’t get out. Best believe I’ve sought to spread my wings here, but there isn’t that much wing spreading in the world.
This brings me to the issue of food:
As you have seen from my pictures I am a pretty thick chick. One of my pleasures is indulging in different types of food. At the same time and on a military budget their is only so much indulging you can do here. You see before I PCS’ed to the this oh so glorious island, I had the pleasure of being stationed in a place that is a foodies dream…Savannah GA. Home of Paula Deen, home of the buffets and if I got tired of good ole down home country cooking (which by the way I don’t think that’s possible) then I had several options at my disposal. I am from Long Island NY and yes I have had what I like to call my “Sex in the City Moments” where my girlfriends and I wisked off into Manhattan and ate at upscale eateries like Soul Cafe (closed now) Chez Josephine ( that took a whole paycheck) and at the top of the spinning Marriot in Times Square, so I’m used to good food. Then reality set in and I got married and had 2 kids and a hubby in the military. While on the rare occasion we do treat our kids to top notch cuisine, 95% of the time on a Friday night in Savannah you could find us at our local Golden Corral where a family of four could umlimitedly stuff their faces for under $35 and still get dessert.
Let’s just say 2 keikei (That means kids in Hawaiian…see I’m embracing the language)meals and 2 adult meals at your local Chili’s are damn near $60 bucks;forget a dessert. If you love getting a bang for your buck and heading to the nearest all you can eat buffet (that actually taste good) well good luck on that, I haven’t managed to find one, not even a really good chinese buffet. Due to the location of Schofield, the only close options to have a decent family sit down dinner are Chilis and Ruby Tuesdays (that’s if you want more americanized cuisine). Now I would be wrong if I didn’t mention that you will have your fair share of Asian cuisine . This is not a bad thing, but damn can I get a Applebee’s , a Sonic , you know one of those places that Hawaii shows on tv commericals but we have none of them here. Yes Hawaii has a horrible habit of showing eateries that don’t exist here. Lest not forget all the specials that a certain chain restaurant will run but , because where in Hawaii for whatever reasons they don’t honor the special here.
Be prepared for rice with everything, rice with breakfast rice with lunch, rice with snack, rice with dinner, rice with ice cream (I’m kidding but they probably do have something like that). If carbs are not your friend you are going to have a hell of a time avoiding them here. Rice is just the beginning don’t forget the scoop of macaroni salad that comes with everything. If I see one more Blazin Steaks or greasy L&L BBQ I am going to scream (Don’t get me wrong I do eat their food, just tired of it).All I wanna do is have a choice of places to go to with easy parking that I can take a family. I don’t want to have to go to Honolulu all the time to do anything major. I asked several military spouses stationed here the other day where do they get the best Chinese food, no one could give me a good answer. The one place we thought might be ok got closed down for infestation, yes bugs.
Groceries:
All I can say is this truly the one place I don’t think I have ever brought food on the economy, with the exception of a loaf of bread at Walmart. Speaking of Walmart for those of you who have been stationed in the South, do not count on a Super Walmart, none here. I won’t go into alot of detail , as I think you’ve got the point by now. COLA is good , but I still say the prices suck 10x worse here.
Bug Situation:
When I say I am deathly afraid of bugs, I am not being dramatic , I am serious. I cry, hyperventilate and sweat if I see anything bigger then an ant. The first few weeks we were here I was greeted by several centipedes outside. Not a pretty site when you just happen to be walking and come up on one. Thank the lord one has never gotten in my house, you don’t even want to know the outcome of that.
Gecko’s O-M-G if I hear one more person tell me those damn things are good luck!!! They are all over, I can honestly say I have never had one in my house because my kids know that coming in and out the house is a hell to the noooo! If you want to avoid Gecko central I recommend not letting little Johnny hang out the front door or stand there with the door open. Nothing like hopping in the shower , with the thought of being greeted by a lizard.
Flies:
The flies here are in swarms, they fear no one or nothing. They seem bigger then usual. This is the only place that you could not open your door or windows for days and still have flies, they come out of nowhere . Forget sitting outside at a nice picnic they swarm around you and demand your food. The only place that I have seen them kept at bay have been around the yummy shrimp trucks. I don’t know if the smell of garlic keeps them away. I always tell spouses to not let the kids run in and out the house if you want to have an attempt at avoiding them.
Roaches:
The roaches here are the size of new born babies, I swear , their is no smashing them with a shoe. You have to spray them dead. They are big , they fly and they are not scared of you. This may not sound serious to bug lovers , but when your husband is deployed and all you’ve got is yourself and 2 scared kids, this kind of crap will make you hate a place. Lucky for me I haven’t rented a car with roaches or went out to my car at night to get an item from my car , only to open the door and be greeted by a family of roaches. For the record you don’t have to have a dirty home, they just exist here. Lucky for me I recommend keeping the gallon of Ortho Home Defense near by it works.
Maggots are awful here because it is always moist or humid ughhh…I’ll just leave it at that.
Last but not least and I mean no offense when I say this , because I am not Heidi Klume by any means. What really confuses about this place is , a majority of the local women here are sized like linebackers. These chicks are huge , like kick your man’s ass huge. You would think with people this size living here that finding a plus size store would not be a problem, it is. No Lane Bryant’s , no Torrids. My store of choice is Ross.
Because I am who I am , I will say that it is important to make do of where you are. With that said don’t ever feel guilty for not liking a place. Everywhere is not for everyone. I am sure there are people who are stationed in Europe and find it boring after a while too. Just because you are stationed here in what some consider paradise , doesn’t mean it will be paradise for you. Best bet get out explore what your into and at least when people say get out and explore you can say…I have!
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Army Wife 101
Krystel is the mom of two and an Army Wife. In addition to Army Wife 101 she is the Co-Founder of SoFluential.com a digital media agency that connects brands with the military market. She has appeared on MSNBC ,FOX LA and formerly was a weekly contributor to HLN's "Raising America". She has written for various outlets including Sheknows and Lifetime and is a big fan of cupcakes and french fries.
Krystel is the mom of two and an Army Wife. In addition to Army Wife 101 she is the Co-Founder of SoFluential.com a digital media agency that connects brands with the military market.
She has appeared on MSNBC ,FOX LA and formerly was a weekly contributor to HLN's "Raising America". She has written for various outlets including Sheknows and Lifetime and is a big fan of cupcakes and french fries. 350 Comments on Part 2: Hawaii…Why I Hate Living Here…Bugs Mac Salad & Rice…
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Hi! I found your blog to be very inciteful and I’m grateful for your honesty! We are moving out there in October and originally we were going to buy a house but now we are thinking we should just live in base housing. What was the transition like for you and are you on or off post? Also, I have celiac disease (gluten intolerance) which makes eating out extremely difficult! We currently live in Colorado which is amazing! It’s beautiful and so occomidating to food allergies… What is Hawaii like? At first I was so excited but as it gets closer to October, I’m getting really nervous! Any suggestions on what we should do when we get there (housing, food/shopping, entertainment).
Thank you so much!!!
Hi Nikki thanks for stopping by!
Quite honestly there is alot for you to do in Hawaii mainly if you are water and outdoors people, if that fits you I promise you will be fine. Downtown Waikiki is nice while very touristy the experience of going down there every so often is nice. If you are being stationed at Schofield then you will be 15-20 min away from the North Shores of Oahu so that will be nice too but once again I’m not a beach person especially with all the sand , the mess and the heat so while for other it was super exciting it wasn’t that great to me. I know many people who didn’t go to the beach as often as most would think. But don’t worry there are things to do there is a night life in Honolulu and lots of things going on for the kids around at the different bases there. You do have the Navy, Marines, and Airforce bases there as well so you will have lots to choose from. I don’t know how accomodating they are to food allergies but I am sure you will find some places who can accommodate you . What I will say is be prepared for rice with EVRYTHING. Rice is what french fries are to every meal here on the mainland lol. Buying a house uhhh no I wouldn’t even do it in Hawaii. I mean if you guys are eager to have a home there go for it but that is the last place in the world I would buy a home. They barely even build new homes there because the island is to small and the ones that are beautiful were very pricey to us.
Living onpost was great we had brand new housing and if you search my blog you can see it. I didn’t have a problem living onpost :)
Your experience in Hawaii was much like my experience living in Guam, just toned down. An island is an island is an island – everything has to be imported, so it’s expensive. Guam I can deal with – and wouldn’t mind coming back to visit if it wasn’t so far away. Oahu? Too many people, tourists, trash, lots of crime. Just overwhelming. I would vacation at one of Hawaii’s neighboring islands, not Oahu. I understand Hawaii is “prettier” than Guam, but Hawaii is a state and Guam, a territory – Hawaii has more resources coming in. I feel for the native Hawaiians. Many, I’m sure, see so many people come into their world and utilize it for their own pleasure with no regard for the traditions of this land. It’s sad. The military, the Japanese, the tourists, the businesses, the prostitutes, the drug dealers…..just using up everything and complaining.
Military life is stressful enough…then you have to TRY to feel at home whereever you go…what a challenge. That’s why your spiritual and family life have to be on par so you don’t fall apart. This is a wonderful website and I’m so glad to see the communication between military spouses.
I am going to agree with you, the crime is so bad on Oahu. There are places here where TB is wide spread. Correct military life is so stressful and I miss being around people who are fun, loud and have come sense. I am from a big city and I can tell you there is no place like home. I used to live in a place that has many cultures of people and crime is every where but when you are on an Island with no place to go. Also with out our military this island would be doomed with even more homelessness. Seriously, there are more locals working at the commissary and px, then military spouses. Please don’t say we are lazy because it took 45 days for someone to call me back for an interview and even then they only had part time avaliable.
I understand everything your saying my husband just got out of the military and we had to chose where we were going to be moved to. My family lives in South Dakota and my husbands family lives here in Oahu. I thought a change would be great better opportunities, jobs school. The first day it was beautiful I was happy, but now it’s been 6 months my husband had applied for over a hundred jobs and not one will call back. We are living in unemployment, basically homeless but have a roof over our heads because of his father. Our car was suppose to have landed here months ago and is still on its way here and I just found out the school systems here are horrible for my son just horrible. The military is still holding our household goods for us because storage units here are 400-600 dollars to hold three rooms worth of household goods. It’s ridiculous to say the least and our unemployment is ending in two months…we are trying to figure out a way to get off of this island back to South Dakota but no help and hope is running low. It’s everything you say it is and worse it’s a living hell and they wont let him back in the military because that’s hard to do, so what are we suppose to do? It’s definitely not paradise for everyone and if I ever get my family out if here I’m definitely not coming back.
I know it’s been a year, but I hope you guys are doing better and that you are back in South Dakota. I understand
May God be with you & yours always….
hello im currently stationed at drum and i really was trying to convince my husband to get orders to hawaii until i read your blog. now im soooo nervous. the things im worried about the most are the schools and the bugs. i HATE waterbugs. i literally started itching when i read what you wrote about the flying roaches. im from brooklyn and im not really a beach person but my husband and my daughters are. every time we go back home they go to coney island. the questions i have for you is how much is it to send your car over there and would it be easier to leave your car here and buy one over there? i know a lot of people have said that the natives arent nice, have you had to deal with any of that? we are also an african american family and i wanted to know if we would have to deal with racisim over there. or is it just an native vs american thing? also whats your favorite duty station? if we dont go to hawaii i was thinking about a post in texas. after drum i just really want to go somewhere warm. we’ve been here two years and we probably have to do at least one more year here. thanks in advance for any info.
Yolanda thanks for stopping by!
The Army will ship one car to Hawaii for free and possibly provide discounted rates if you go through the same company for your 2nd car. I am black and never had an issues over there. Many times they say the natives are prejudice against causcasions but I don’t really know how true it is. My husband was in an avionics field so we had to go where ever there is a airfield so my favorite duty station was Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, GA. I loveddddd it! Savannah is warm and sooo much to do there in addition to alot of other things. Hawaii is one island so if you are okay with being stuck on an expensive island for 4 years then you will love it lol!
Best of Luck!
thank you soooo much for responding. we still havent made up our mind about hawaii. im torn between regretting not going and regretting going over there and hating it. UGHH!!!! i wish we could have a trial pcs lol like for three months. we were stationed at benning and LOVED it there. definitely my fav duty station so far. we had friends at stewart and we visited a couple of times. i LOVED the mall there and the scenery. still unsure of what we’re going to do or where we’re going to go but im so glad that now i have this blog to get info. thank you soooo much for taking your time to putting this info out there for us.
Hey Yolanda!
Of course everyone has a different experience here in Hawaii. I have currently lived here for about a year. The bugs can get insane but I have learned also controllable. My husband and I live off base and I have learned if you live on a second floor or above there are not many bugs. I lived in Mililani for four months and saw bugs everywhere because I lived on the first floor of a apartment complex. We then moved to the second floor(on the beach even where more bugs are located) and I never see bugs except mosquitoes(Thank God!). I am from Texas and have dealt with a lot of racism. What I have learned is the Hawaiian family have different values. I have almost been beat up multiple times by natives here. I finally had a native women give me advice. The women here are very territorial. She told me that anytime you go into a environment you have to acknowledge the women first, no matter what. They consider ANY women they do not know a threat. As a side note, I do not have many female friends and have grown up around mainly men. I have learned here I need to suck it up because I am in their environment (VERY HARD for me to do). As long as you learn that aspect and have a great attitude you will not likely have an issue with the natives. I really do love it here. I also agree with Sarah Beth. I love the fact that most people no matter what you look like are excepted. It makes people feel beautiful. If you have any other questions just let me know!
Texas is warmer than FT. DRUM, BUT THEY DO NOT LIKE East Coast People, so if you are from the east coast stay away. Go to Virginia if possible. HI is going to depress you if you don’t like beaches.
Omg….. Your blog cracked me up! I’ve been living in Waikiki for 2 1/2 years. I’m deciding if I want to stay. I miss road tripping, good restaurants, good clothes shopping, variety of nightlife….. And a mixture of people. People all kind of blend into the same kind of beachy hang out and do nothing sort if they are here for too long. I miss the different mixture of people from back home (I’m from LA). However, I am very glad I moved here. It’s been a wonderful experience. Few can experience the daily luxury of a warm, clean ocean and beautiful sunsets. I can swim in my pool year round. And love in sundresses and sandals….. my dream come true. I think Hawaii is about looking good and feeling good. If you harness that sexiness, you never get tired of the beach, or walking, and being active. Hawaii is all about being active. It’s a healthy person’s dream come true. However, if you fall into a funk….(which I am in now) … get off track with working out, eating healthy, and being active.. you start conflicting with Hawaii. Everything you want to do: eat, get dressed up- in real clothes, and start doing other not so active things (shopping, hanging out with friends and family back home)….. you realize Hawaii doesn’t offer any of that. Those aren’t bad things to want either. But when you’re taking care of yourself and eating right and exercising, Hawaii opens itself up to you. You can’t help but see and feel the Love and Beauty that is around you. I’ve been coming to Hawaii since 1996, and permanently relocated almost 3 years ago. The key to happiness here is looking and feeling good about yourself. It’s an odd paradox since Hawaii is known for muu-muus and large people. But those people truly feel healthy and beautiful, and despite their size, they live very active lifestyles. No couch potatoes on this island. So in my haole island opinion, the only way to truly be happy on a rock in the middle of the sea is to be happy from the inside out. Paradise comes from within.
I totally agree with Sara Beth
I lived in Oahu for 2 years and found it beautiful and a very healthy place to live. I was sorry to leave and am hoping our next assignment takes us back. Most people are warm, much more courteous than mainlanders and the weather and low key lifestyle had us moving every day!
The only issue I had were the bugs, but thankfully I had a decent service for that.
Life is an adventure and you need to make to most of it and you are definitely NOT doing that. You should be thankful for getting to experience life and to learn about another culture instead of complaining about every little detail. Be thankful that your husband returned from deployment instead of being a member of the gold star club. Be thankful to have chili’s instead of nothing. Be thankful your children are healthy and can attend school instead of complaining they are out a lot (sorta sounds like you don’t like them much). Basically look at life from the half full viewpoint I stard of half empty and life will be much more enjoyable.
I am no longer in Hawaii.
Thank God you’re not here. There are enough people here who play the “poor me” card. Seriously, I may be from Hawaii, but my husband is a white boy from Virginia… and he has NEVER had a problem with anyone here. Maybe it’s not the local people…
And by the way, your comment about the women being built like linebackers? I’ve seen more “linebackers” toting 2 year olds and claiming it’s “baby weight” in Atlanta and Houston than I have here.
Get over yourself.
Navy Wife this article is how many years old …I got over myself a long time ago when I got out of Hawaii. As usual another late comer who thinks because they like it everyone else should. I am glad your husband never had an issue but what does that have to do with me?
Wow. “My article is over two years old, so that absolves me from criticism”. Solid defense.
LMFAO!!!!
Whew…..girrrrrrrrrrrlllllll dey hot witchu!!!
Its a shame u can’t voice ya opinion without somebody tryna talk trash….smdh…. Everything u said is da very reason i’ve never went to Hawaii…b4 u even said it i knew it was gon be BUG LAND!!!
Beaitiful im sure…but how can u enjoy it surrounded by pesky ass bugs?????
Puh-leeeeeeeezzzzeeee!!!!
AIN NOBODY GOT TIME FA DAT!!!!
OHHHH MY GOSH BUGS!! THIS PLACE SUCKS!! WORST PLACE EVER!!
Seriously guys?
It blows my mind the things you people complain about.
Every single one of you complained about bugs. It’s seriously not even bad. Over exaggerating.
The fact that flying roaches are whats stopping others from coming here and wanting others to leave here just shows what kind of people you are.
School system. Im assuming you’re talking about PUBLIC schools because you guys talk about how its so horrible. You do know its government funded right? BTW Could you guys please elaborate on why its so horrible?
There is always private schools open.
Ap classes.
If your child is that “gifted” and bored in school like you say. Why dont they skip grades. Enroll in college. Many gifted kids do.
Its not about what school your children go to. Its about there willingness to learn and the emphasis on the importance of education instilled by the family.
Food.
You seriously complaining about not having a applebees and sonics here?
As if tacobell, jack in the box, mcdonalds, carls jr,arbys, wendys and the other dozens of fast food restaurants isnt enough.
Plenty of good eats here you just dont know where to go. Looking for cheap eats. Watch the news for the segment “Cheap eats”.
And no we dont have “rice with ice cream or something like that”.
Im 18. Im happy to live here. Hawaii is a way of life. Growing up in the culture here has thought me many things. To enjoy Hawaii you must have the Aloha spirit. Which is one of the things I think you guys are missing being from the mainland and not growing up in Hawaii. I learned this as a child:
Aloha is being a part of all, and all being a part of me. When there is pain – it is my pain. When there is joy – it is also mine. I respect all that is as part of the Creator and part of me. I will not willfully harm anyone or anything. When food is needed I will take only my need and explain why it is being taken. The earth, the sky, the sea are mine to care for, to cherish and to protect. This is Hawaiian – this is Aloha!
You people have the worst attitudes ever.
You got to understand there is one thing in life you have the power to change/control every single day……………your attitude.
Your obviously not a military spouse and living in the real world if you think everyone has money for private school…sorry!
I suggested other alternatives to higher learning than just private schools. Public schools have AP Classes. Enroll your kid in college. They can skip grades. Theres really nothing holding back your child like you say. Your childs not that special.
complaining about food? and your reply to wow says was your not a spose? give me a break. i was born and raised on this island. beenactive for 9 years got out and now in the reserves. military spouses are lucky they have a commisary.local people pay twice the amount. you complain about schools , take your kids out of school and homeschool them. my wife is a public school teacher and most teachers will tell you that the problem kids are the miltary kids. because they are transiting from place to place. I have seen miltary spouses walk around like there royalty. in order to have a good experiance in hawaii is to be humble. great everyone with respect. dont just walk in a room and keep to yourself. it looks bad. meet new people. hawaii is a remarkable and beautiful place. keep the aloha.
{{{applauding Chris’ reply}}}
I know right? Complaining about food? That is ridiculous, the food is da best in Hawai’i. Check out ono kine grindz, if it’s still on air. There is no Jack in the box here in Savannah, which is a joke, no jamba either, they have a smoothie king which sucks! Sonics is good though, well their drinks and desserts are. The other stuff on the menu, not so much. The hot dog is soo salty! Applebee’s is not even that great either, I found a bug in my plate here, which was quite appaling.
I hope they’re not comparing the school system to something here, this place is awful. At least no little elementary school child will try to stab you there. It is such a problem here that you have to wear see through back-packs, some schools in the mainland also have metal detectors, what the heck! You’ll never see something like that there. I also experienced some racism here, which never happened back home!
You sound like someone that’s hard to please PERIOD. You’ve complained about practically every facet of your existance here. I was thinking all this over and I think what the real problem as to why you were not happy here (and I dont think even you realize this) is that you did not have a social network of friends. And I’m not surprised because you sound like you’d be difficult to be friends with. When you have people you feel close to, friends you can count on, folks you can visit and have visit, THAT’s when you’re happy. Regardless of food, or bugs, or activities etc… if you have people to share your life with, that’s when you are happy. You were cooped up with two kids, husband working and perhaps a little hard headed and self involved that you became as we say here… “Nuha” or “Haboot”. It’s all attitude girl. Hawaii IS a beautiful place and the people are some of th most SINCERLY nice folks you’ll ever know. BUT, act the way you sound and they will NEVER embrace you. You dont want us? Well we don’t wwant you. Good luck and goodbye.
I guess you haven’t been to my facebook like page or seen the countless groups I am involved in or what I was involved in onpost. Don’t be mad because I didn’t like it there. Get over it I didn’t like it and you coming here with your spirit of aloha spiel doesn’t influence the situation anymore. I don’t live there anymore. Maybe if you read my blog instead of this one post Google brought you too then your opinion would count. Sorry being cooped up on an island wasn’t my cup of tea.
I don’t understand ..this was just her opinion. Don’t be getting all nasty at her for being honest on her own blog. Like you dont agree with her She doesn’t have to love or agree with any of you . If you dont agree all you had to do was just comment about what you liked and dont like instead of writing bad comments to her accusing she’s not friendly or not positive person or etc… How childish is that calling names for not agree with you. . And for others who were raised or lived in Hawaii for long time of course your not complaining much cause your already adjusted to that lifestyle. Get over the fact that she didn’t like Hawaii.
And if you hyperventilate and sweat like her with you see bug than of course bug will be a big issue. For real people grow up.
EXACTLY!!!
I’m a “mainlander,” and hope to someday (very soon) move to, and integrate into, Hawaii. Please don’t hold the closed minds of some mainlainders against me, or any of my fellow people!
Also, I really like rice!
Hi,
I just read your blog and some things I agree on and some I do not. I am from Oahu and currently living in Savannah, GA. I am seriously considering making a blog about how much I hate it here in Savannah. The only thing nice about this place are the squares downtown, aside from that this place is a disaster.
I could not take your comment about the bridge building to another island seriously, that is completely funny to me, and so unrealistic. It is an island, of course it is only going to take 4-6 hours to drive around the whole thing, have you looked at it on a map?
I do agree about the swap meet, it is a tourist trap, but I think I prefer being there than here at Keller’s where there are no decent bathrooms to relieve yourself. Most things they sell here are second hand things that should be burned. The only good thing about it is the yummy tasting lemonade, and the fatty carnival food; that is if you can get past the filthiness of the area in which it was cooked, if they call that a kitchen that is a laugh in itself.
Comparing the food to Golden Corral? OMG, that place is horrendous, if you like hospital or cafeteria food than your in L-U-C-K! FYI Golden Corral is ridiculously over-priced for what you get and we got it for free thanks to my husband being a veteran. I would never pay to eat there and never again did I go back there for the free dinner either.
Yes, the super Wal-Marts here are awesome! Hawai’i not having one does suck, but these Wal-Marts here are quite dirty, something they need to improve on.
I’ve been to Paula Deen’s restaurant and it is nothing to write home about, in fact I wish I could demand a refund, then again I don’t really like her in the first place, her brother’s restaurant isn’t so great either.
The food here is not impressive by any means and believe me when I say that I looove to eat, the only place that I enjoyed was Love’s Seafood, Sunny Side Up, and the Shellhouse. The bbq isn’t even that good, which was quite disappointing, aside from the stop on the way to Tybee Island.
The roaches there are scary, I hate bugs as well; but I have not been to a place as bad as this. Give me flies, geckos (which isn’t a bug), and the roaches back home than these god awful creatures here. SAND GNATS, UGH!! I can’t even step outside without being attacked! My legs which were quite nice are awful now, due to all the sand gnat bites; and the cicada’s. OMG, I can’t stand them, they are the scarriest looking things on the planet. I also have not seen so many spiders in my life until coming here.
About Hawai’i being hot and humid? Yes it can be, but at least it has a breeze, yet again I can’t step outside without being attacked by sand gnats and melted on the spot. Don’t even think of going out in the summer, it is even uncomfortable to be indoors, due to it being so darn hot and humid out. It is 100+ degrees out and 80 in your “Air Conditioned” home, your electric bill will never be less than $200.
It is a long reply but I just wanted to state some facts about this place compared to Hawai’i and I am currently living here and have lived here in Savannah for 6 years going on 7, will be moving to Seattle once my husband finishes school. I am sure I will not like that place much, thanks to the rude people there; one good thing about Savannah is for the most part the people here are nice and friendly.
I forgot to add that there is nothing to do here in Savannah, GA. There are only so many times that you can go on a “ghost tour/hearst ghost tour” before being robbed of your money. I have 3 young children and unless you want to spend money to take them to one of only a handful of places than your out of luck. Monkey Joe’s (which is always crowded and overly priced), Flying Frogs (which is a laugh because of the filth of that place), One of 2 softplays that is completely crowded from some parents who don’t understand the height max of being in the place (I mean it’s meant for babies-kindergarten basically) and parents still take their BIG KIDS there to “play”. I can’t even take them to the laugh of a beach which is Tybee Island, if you can even call that an island is beyond me. That beach is so nasty, the water is brown or gray (at times), and so completely hot it feels like your in a desert.
Hi, Christina! Hang in there. :) I lived about two hours south of Savannah fir the past 15 years (I’m now on Oahu). The humidity in Savannah is horrific, that is true. I so appreciate the Hawaiian weather. Get a good dehumidifier if you can (they are noisy, but you can leave it on all night in the living room and it should really help).
There’s lots around you though. Atlanta is not too far away. The Coca-Cola museam is there with a huge Aquarium (might be the largest in the country, as I recall) right next door.
The same amount of time south is DisneyWorld. Who doesn’t love a little Disney? :)
The Carolina’s are gorgeous….make a trip to Asheville to the Biltmore Estate for the holidays. It’s really fun and they have activities for both adults and kids.
Hook up with Erica Holden (you can find her on FB). She just moved to Savannah about a year ago and is making the best of it.
The best thing about Savannah…it’s close to a lot. Get in the car, pop in a good CD, and just drive for a few hours. The coast is VERY different from Hawaii, of course (I was never a fan of the brown water either, which doesn’t even begin to turn blue until around Tampa, FL)…but it has it’s own beauty and things to offer.
Thank you, thank you, thank you do much for posting this! We have been stationed in Hawaii for the last 3 years and I am so miserable here I could just cry. To make matters worse, my husband just came down on orders to Tripler for another two years. We have done almost EVERYTHING there is to do here, I miss my family, I miss my friends (my last friend just moved back to the mainland last week), I miss Olive Garden, I miss road trips and winter and central air conditioning.
Thank you for posting a REALISTIC picture of what life is like for some of us here (although I do think I could add a few more complaints to your list).
From one Army wife to another, thank you.
Thank you for posting this! We have been here for 4 years now and have wanted to leave after month 1. I agree with every single thing you have written about Hawaii, and it is typical for others who do not understand where people like us are coming from, to post nonsense defending this place. The food is terrible here, so I would like to know where some of the other posters are eating! If you live in Honolulu and want to order a pizza, it is $30, and tastes like a giant piece of Matza bread with sauce and cheese on top. They don’t even deliver Chinese food, which is very strange considering that Chinatown is a big part of Honolulu. You would think that they would have a bigger influence of Chinese here. Whatever, I could go on all day. I just wanted to tell you that it was nice to have someone else admit their feelings about this place and not be afraid of everyone yelling at you for “not enjoying the beauty of Hawaii”. Thanks!
Try Boston Pizza for a good NY style thin crust. They are big pies and yummy.
Chun Wa Kam is a Panda Express (mainland chain) on steroids. Their portions are extremely large. You take your # (pull tab) and wait for your # to be called. You pick one or two starches (steamed rice, vegetables, fried rices varieties and noodle varieties. Then you pick up to four entrees. All kinds of choices. You can order a full or half order. They also have dim sum like Manapua’s (Char Siu Bow)
Girl…you said it all. My mother was an ARMY wife and I, too, try to “Bloom where you’re planted.” But, Hawaii has been really difficult. I agree with everything you said (the small island, not much to do, horrible schools, bugs…), but there are a few things you forgot. If I may, I would like to mention them now.
1) The “Paradise Tax”: I am a professional IT Project Manager and have taken approximately a 30% pay cut for the privilege of working on Oahu. ALL salaries are far less here, than the mainland.
2) The Traffic/Commute: Oahu was recently named THE worst for traffic (yes!…even worse than LA, Chicago, and Manhattan). Most non-hourly/salaried/professional jobs are in Honolulu. Honolulu is only 20 miles from Wahiawa, but it takes at a minimum 1 hour to travel to work in the morning and 1.5 hours to travel home in the evenings. More than once my evening commute has exceeded 2 hours because of some accident. The bus system here is pretty good and inexpensive, but riding a bus full of filthy, smelly, sickly homeless people can get depressing fast. I am not exaggerating people, I rode the bus for one full year to/from Honolulu for work and I almost quit my job because of the depressing commute. Thank God my new neighbor and I decided to carpool. Forget about telecommuting, companies here are “old-school” and they don’t believe in virtual work.
3) Homelessness and Drugs: There are “tent cities” everywhere, even in posh Waikiki, and one beach on the “leeward” side has over 30,000 people living on it. Drugs are EVERYWHERE. I have seen more than one open drug deal on the bus. Meth seems to be the drug of choice, unfortunately. A friend of mine who visited for several months recently said “Oahu is like a Third World Country. There were people living in shacks! Everything is old, rusty, peeling paint, filthy… I was shocked. It’s not paradise at all.” the whole island is “ghetto”, not just Wahiawa.
4) Illness: I have NEVER been so sick as I am now that we are living here. I am an asthmatic and have had Bronchitis once, a Sinus Infection once, a HORRIBLE bacterial infection on the back of my right knee (we think “something” bit me) that caused a subcutaneous skin infection, Pneumonia, a bladder infection, severe eczema (had to go to the ER for that as it was finally too painful to walk), and…BONUS…some sort of “local microorganism that embedded itself in your lungs and caused nodules all over both of your lungs. It’s common…lots of people get it here, but it’s harder for asthmatics to recover.” WTF?!?!?!? I’ve only lived here for ONE year, folks. All of that…in one year.
5) Visiting: Forget about lots of people visiting. Our families are on the East coast of the mainland and none of them have been able to visit as average tickets are around $1400. We haven’t even gone home ourselves.
6) Culture: If you think you may like living in Japan, you’ll love living here. Hawaii may be a US state, but it feels like Japan…no exaggeration. As a fair skinned, blonde woman, it takes a while for people to warm up to me at work because I am not “local” or “asian”. Once people warm up, they are very nice. But, it’s also a lot like the US South…they’ll smile at you as they are insulting you. And, forget about “Aloha”. Ethics could use a boost here. Also, everyone is VERY frugal. Every conversation includes, at least once, “How much is/was that?”. I’m sick of people asking me how much this or that (my handbag, my earrings, our car, whatever) costs. I’m all about being frugal, believe me (both of our cars are almost 15 years old, for instance)…but constantly asking about money is rude.
To support what you said…
Food: There is a huge variety of Asian food. If you’re not into Asian food, you have Chili’s and Ruby Tuesday’s as mentioned. That’s about it. And, avoid “Zippy’s”. The locals love it, but it’s nothing more than really cheap “cafeteria food”.
Bugs: Yep…all kinds of bugs EVERYWHERE! No lie, we have two blue bug lights in the house (for flies, moths, gnats) and four sticky light traps on the floors (for fleas). Outside, we have two fly traps. The house is infested with geckos and there are mice outside. We love our stray “porch cats”. Take care of them and they’ll take care of all the mice! :) The first centipede I saw was IN our bathroom and thank God my husband was home. He beat it to death with his boot! They do NOT die easily and they sting! YUCK! We also have hopping spiders. Lovely. The bugs here are just out of control. Do NOT store anything outside. Get a POD. Otherwise, everything will be infested with roached and geckos (trust me. We learned the hard way).
Clothes: Agreed! I’m also a plus-size woman and I order most of my clothes off of Roaman’s. Macy’s and Norstrom have nice, but small, women’s departments.
I feel like I have to end on some positives….
*Oahu is naturally GORGEOUS!!! Everything not touched by humans is really breathtaking. The mountains, the ocean, the beaches are are really lovely. EVERYTHING blooms here (shrubs, trees, etc.) and some plants do create that “paradise” smell.
*There is no lack of fine dining or spas due to the resorts.
* Take a “staycation”…it will save your sanity. And, visit the Kualoa Ranch…it’s really neat. :)
* Go see the neat local attractions: Iolani Palace, Doris Duke House, etc. They are limited and you’ll eventually be bored…but they are nice to see.
Well…that’s my rant for the day. Thanks for listening. :) We have another two years on this rock and frankly it can’t go by fast enough. We are praying for the mainland or Germany next.
Wow this was great to hear someone else confirm that I am not totally crazy. Everyone is always in disbelief when I tell them my experience in Hawaii. This was great to hear and you had a some really different things you disliked their as well.
You are not alone. I laughed but totally agreed with everything that you said, you even brightened my day because it was so funny…so thanks for that! I am from here but I don’t know what it is,…something about being here starts to eat and pick at you.
I am now married and living in London, but here just visiting family. After about a week you fall back into “the rut” and it sucks.
Happy Holidays to you and your family!
Traffic: My mom leaves for work at 5:45 am and gets off work at 3:00 pm. This makes it any easy commute to work at Pearl Harbor. If you leave at 6:00 am, it’s too late. This is 10:45 am East Coast time so easy to get up when you get here. Traffic during rush hour is bad.
Drugs: Drugs are a real problem here. Due dilligence and educating your children about drugs is very important.
Visiting: fares from the East Coast are $550.00 right now. The lowest I’ve seen in a long time. Probably because Hawaiian Airlines is now flying to NYC. Allegent air is now flying to Hawaii, they are a low cost carrier. Southwest recently purchased planes that can reach Hawaii and are currently going through over water certification. They should be an option soon.
If you’re going Island crazy, use a website such as Kayak to monitor fares and then snag a west coast ticket for around $300.00. Flights to Europe by the way are as inexpensive from Hawaii as it is from the mainland and you earn a ton of frequent flyer miles.
Bugs: yup, it’s a tropical place. Geckos are good to have around as they eat the mosquitoes. We gave them names like Shaka Sally etc. when the kids were younger.
Hi. I moved to Hawaii in 1995 and lived there for a year. As a northeasterner, I was so shocked at the blatant racism towards white and black people from the mainland. I became engaged to a Samoan, (local guy) and then realized he would never leave the island. I moved back home and I really miss the good weather and the sun and surf but I don’t miss the bugs, drugs, homelessness, and no “aloha”. I understand your feelings!!!!
AMEN SUSAN E and ARMY WIFE 101. My husband and I have been here for a bit over a year and I could not agree more with all of the comments. The reverse racism here both in everyday life in addition to trying to find work is unlike anything I have ever seen. Aloha spirit my ass! I have lived all over the country and have never been more unhappy and depressed due to my living situation as I am here. Dont get me wrong, I am grateful that I am now employed, have a roof over my head, and food on my table, but the trouble i had to go through to get here has taken years off of my life. The one other thing no one mentioned was the level of laziness and apathy. Have you ever been shopping here and asked an employee for assistance finding something in a store? I’ve never seen people behave with such an attitude for simply having to do their job. I’d rather live in the middle of a landlocked state with one red light and one gas station than spend another second here. Unfortunately, I am stuck until my husband’s contract runs out. Can’t wait to get the hell out of here.
I can relate with you and your story, it is all so true, we have been here 8 years and will be returning to the mainland come spring, I cannot wait, this has been a challenge, I would never return to Hawaii, being a landlord was a huge challenge, specially with the fact that not too many speak english. Also my husband is a service tech at scoffield they service all the base housing, I manage a building in Waikiki.
Lots of drug activity, prostitution, I don’t sit on my lanai anymore , that is all I see at nights not a pretty site.tourists are walking , in crowds on busy Kuhio Ave with their children, and the prostitutes , male and female are cruising in between the tourists, sing not too good language, making sure their presence is felt , no respect, they have no shame, one day I was walking hand in hand with my husband, a prostitute came right up to him, telling him what she could do for him and the cost, well, i chose to look the other way, not pleasant, walking down Kuhio ave, at night, also and locals stop to sell you marijuana again nasty!
The local people don’t like us Hoales , that’s their name for us white people, discrimination lives here, i remain quite , and leave them to call me what they like I know soon we will be gone. to me they are dangerous, and also plenty homeless people, around, trying to rent to possible good tenants is a nightmare , the homeless scare them, they stink, they intoxicated, they use the bathroom right on busy Kuhio ave..its just disgusting…
I love cooking and baking, but I am not able to buy many spices or flowered type items, once the bag is open, after 2 days its full of bugs. weevils and yats..I am constantly laying traps for roaches, i hate them…so I don’t buy these items anymore, I shall wait till I get back to the mainland , I am craving for a normal life.
I will NOT miss Hawaii however I must confess I loved it for just the first 2 years…Happy to be leaving soon…
You forgot about the worst part…..rasism toward whites! Im from ca and moving here was the worst idea i ever had, and oh yeah the traffic sucks too! I live in the apartments right across from the barracks, and your right wahiawa is a ghetto! Oh well live and learn, outta here a.s.a.p. going back to where people talk in complete sentences! (I like see, no have…..brah!)
Hi! I’m so glad I read this, you’re hilarious! We want to be stationed in Oahu after this current station (Daegu, South Korea, which I love btw). Your post has confirmed a few if’s and’s & but’s about it, but nonetheless, like you said, not everyone has the same opinion! However, I would DIE for some Arbys or L&L right now… All we have in Korea is McD’s, and Bgr King!
being a navy wife, i have the chance to go to Hawaii or Tennesee , after reading your blog i might just choose TN. I hate bugs and rent seen so overpriced , but most important to me is the schools my daughter goes to a gifted school so I want the best education for my children
All I’m getting from this entire blog (and I’ve read the whole thing) is that a very small handful of overweight, sedentary army wives are sitting around whining because they can’t get more food and more varieties of (more) food into their fat bellies. I also sense that you aren’t into appreciating what you have at all. There’s nothing at all wrong with not enjoying a place but your reasons are what gives you away as lazy people- lazy physically and lazy mentally.
Hawaii isn’t for everyone, this is true. It’s you that isn’t right for Hawaii I suspect though.
The people who love living in hawaii are reasonably fit (physically and mentally), advnturous, appreciative and most of all positive.
Oh my God I just saw a huge bug!! Nope, it was just a fat army wife waddling by…
Your complaints are so supeficial! You’re wives of soldiers for God’s sake? Where is your sense of adventure? Where is your common sense to get out and get some freakin exercise? Have you even considered the possibility that your all depressed because your overweight and probably suffering from the early onset of so many fat people’s ailments? How can you insult a place that promotes activity, Ohana, diversity, humour, spirituality when you have just been sitting around watching it instead of participating in it- emersing yourself in it.
I think we’d all agree that people like you exist and that’s your problem. To be honest, if I was a Hawaiian fly I’d hate to be anywhere near your fatass carcasses. sheesh!
You’re complaining about ghekos? Seriously? These are harmless creatures.
Wow Sam, that’s harsh. There are nicer ways to express your opinion, use a little Aloha.
Sam, my sentiments exactly.
I am planning to move to Hawaii soon, but before I do, I want to find out as much as I can – the good, the bad, and the ugly. I read both posts about how bad she thinks Hawaii is. I have also read blogs about how wonderful it is. And I also pay attention to the author – how much the person is like me, and if I would like the same things they like.
And there seems to be a trend. The people who do not like Hawaii are overweight army wives who are afraid of bugs. Their husbands are trained to kill, but they can’t handle a little bug. Their greatest adventures are finding a great fast food restaurant. Seriously? I can’t remember the last time I had fast food. Buy a cook book and make your own food.
Maybe that’s harsh, but if the only people who don’t like Hawaii are overweight army wives who are hard to please in general, then it’s probably safe to say that I would like it there – a lot.
I have to laugh at your “genius” conclusion that the only people who don’t like living in Hawaii are overweight. To think that your comment actually started off somewhat intelligent.
U ain right Sam!!!
Why do u feel it’s ok to talk to people like that???
U got alot of nerve!!!
I was born in NYC and live in Hawaii for 35 years. It never gets old. My first thought after reading both part 1 and part 2 of your post was- why is she dissing the education here when she doesn’t know the difference between, “through and threw? Also, the word in Hawaii for child Is Keiki. Not what you said. I was a middle school teacher in Hawaii and most of what you say is untrue or misleading. Yes, Wahiawa is not a good neighborhood. Business’ cater to the lonely young men and how to get their salary in many evil ways. Hawaii has good restaurants and many things to do beside going to the beach but you have to get involved in the community. I am respectful of all the man who put their lives on the line and serve their country. Yes, there are bugs here, but no Lyme disease or snakes or bears, Yes there is the plate lunch and fat people but Hawaii is not the fattest state. We are one of the healthiest states and keeping lizards in your house is considered lucky here. We never kill lizards. They don’t bother anyone. Bugs can be controlled, ignorance is worse ALOHA
My husband is currently stationed at Pearl Harbor and deployed. I did last deployment on Oahu and then came home for this one. Every place has its good and bad points. To speak frankly, I didn’t like Hawaii. Not because of culture or food or shopping but because I was so isolated. It can be very lonely for those of us that miss our families. You begin to hate everything about the place but it’s not really the place it’s the isolation. My FRG was horrific and run by a whiner who didn’t know what FRG is for. I enjoyed living on Schofield but to the lady that up grew in WahiawaHI- it’s become very run down and my experience there was very negative. Lots of problems with neighbors who abused drugs and were belligerent. My car was even vandalized. But I also met some very lovely people in Wahiawa. That was mostly through a church… Keep your chin up. I know it’s hot and isolated and buggy. I know you’ve done all you’d like to do. Remember time there is short. If you need a quick close vacation-maybe to cool off- hop up to Alaska for a bit!
I am sorry that you were so miserable living in Hawaii. I hope you don’t discourage your many followers from wanting to be stationed here.
First off, you made the decision to live at Schofield. I live in Waialua, about 20 min from Schofield on the North Shore. It’s beautiful here. I’m a block from the beach. Beautiful flowers are always in bloom and the temperature is 80 degrees in sunny about 320 days a year. I see sea turtles and monk seals all the time at the beaches right near my house. The sunsets are absolutely gorgeous out here and I always feel like I’m living in some sort of Corona commercial. It should be no surprise that the Army buys cheap pieces of land to build bases. If you really want to experience all that Hawaii has to offer, you need to step outside the gates of Schofield. You may even save a few hundred bucks by renting your own house with BAH (as opposed to the Army snatching it all up just to live in crappy base housing).
I don’t have children, so I can’t speak on the status of schools here.
Yes, you can probably drive around the entire island of Oahu in four to six hours. But the island is incredibly diverse. You have Honolulu (by far the cleanest city I have ever visited), world-famous beaches, lush waterfalls, beautiful landscapes, and several cultures.
No, there aren’t any bridges to the other islands but flights are very quick and rather inexpensive. You can fly to the other islands in 30-40 minutes and tickets are only like $70.
My first tsunami warning was a little bit frightening, but that was because I live near the ocean. If you live in Schofield, you don’t even have to evacuate because you’re at 900 feet elevation.
Hawaii is nicknamed the melting pot of the pacific. No, there aren’t any Golden Corrals, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t any good food. There is tons of fresh fish and sushi. Also there are lots of Korean, Filipino, Japanese, and Hawaiian places to eat. I’ve eaten fish at restaurants that was caught that same day right off a nearby harbor.
Yes there are bugs and that is largely due to the tropical climate. It is not unusual to see roaches, ants, or geckos. If you keep a clean house though, you won’t have any problems. I rinse out beer and soda cans and wipe down the counters after making dinner and I have very little problems with bugs.
As for the locals, they are some of the nicest people I have ever met. More so than any other place I’ve been. Every place has its share of bad apples, but if you are respectful, you’ll find the kindness reciprocated.
Anyway, I felt like I had to post this because I didn’t want people to get the wrong impression of Hawaii. I have lived here for 3 years and my husband just requested (and received) orders for a retour. If you like sunshine, warm weather, and the ocean, the Hawaii will be your dream duty station!
Thanks for sharing your views. My intent was not to discourage anyone but this is a blog in which I document my personal views. I can’t help if others are discouraged by them. Hawaii was not for me and I haven’t lived there in almost 2 years. Also I didn’t choose to live at Schofield we were stationed there and that’s where we could get housing. Trust me if we had a choice it wouldn’t have been Hawaii period. Thanks for sharing your views, I encourage my readers to check out the comments to see others views as well.
No offense but if you didn’t “choose” to live on Schofield, then your husband did. There is no compulsory housing on Oahu, regardless of where your husband was assigned. The tell is in your phrase “that’s where we could get housing”. You would be correct if you said “We hopped on a list and Schofield was the first thing available.”, or more likely “We only applied for Schofield”. If there was something stopping you from living off-post, or on a different installation, I would love to hear it.
Dear Hawaii Chick,
How do I contact YOU. LOL. I loved you comment above about you experience with Hawaii! We are considering Hawaii as our next duty station… I am doing a ton of research before we decide.
Mina
you would probably moan where ever you lived.You cant blame Hawaii for your horrible life, blame yourself.
I have to say wow and very informative. Thanks for the insight. We are pcsing to Oahu is coming year and I am very excited. I can see how some use to southern living wouldn’t like to live there for too long. I would think it’s a more laid back environment. Me I’m originally from Southern California and have always dreamed of going there, so going to live there is a treasure for me. My husband is from Arkansas so I am anxious to see what he will think about living there. I am more of a stay at home type of person and like to do hobbies around the house. One of my favorites is growing exotic plants and gardening. I also make sun painted sarongs, and do tai chi. I can’t wait to go hiking and and exploring the islands with my husband. My biggest fascination is the black sand shores can’t wait to see those either. Bugs! Oh as long as they are not in my home I’m good. Growing up with a Buddhist grandmother I have learned to balance things in life stay positive and respect all of God’s living creators as Lon as they respect me. Hang in there!
Thank you! i am stationed in a place i “hate” dislike very much! Fort Huachuca, Sierra Vista, AZ. now we may be going to Hawaii next, and I like your honesty. It helps my optimistic self, to be a little more realistic.
You crack me up! I love it….funny thing is I am an Army wife, too, and we are coming to Hawaii in March 2013!!!! We are bringing our seven kids with us. My husband will be working on Fort Shafter. I would love any further advice you could give me about good locations for houses off post, etc. I homeschool so the schools will not be an issue. I think you are so funny, I love your take on things and you had me literally laughing out loud many times in these two posts! I love your wit. Luckily I am not scared of bugs or lizards, but I know a lot of people are and I am sure you do not like having them around if they scare you. My sister is just like that. Thanks again for all the laughs this morning!!
I become very fond of Hawaii (Oahu) living here 8 years now.
At first I thought I might move back to the mainland, but then the place and people just grew on me. But I live in Honolulu.
I can fully understand your (humorous) point of view being a military wife stuck at Scholfield. That area is in the sticks and it is true there is nothing around there and nothing to do. It is not even close to the ocean since it is in the center of the island. Living on the base is artificial too, you don’t mix with the locals. I would have to agree that the closest town, Wahiawa, is sort of a hic town where Dog the Bounty Hunter apprehends many of his suspects.
Aloha
I’m a late blogger and didn’t read each and every comment, but it is nice to know I am not the only person who really can’t wait to PCS out of Hawaii. I love hiking and other outdoor activities (not so much the beach), but there are certainly limits to being on an island with almost the same weather year-round. I have been all over the world, and deployed myself to Iraq, Kuwait, and Afghanistan in the Army so have an appreciation for any life other than that, but Hawaii has done me in. It’s completely crowded everywhere, if my husband and I want to do something on the weekend we have no desire to leave our block because even the hidden destinations we’ve learned from our local friends are crowded on the weekends, every town and neighborhood is a mishmash of unkempt homes and nice homes (Miliani & Kapolei not too bad though), etc. I will say there is a variety of food, but it certainly costs an arm and a leg. Also, it shocks me at how many people are home during the working day…I understand military family spouses staying at home- or retired or a stay-at-home parent, but I see so many people hanging out at unkempt homes in the middle of the work day all the time (especially in Kailua of all places) and it makes me wonder where our taxes are going…
The upside is being a travel destination for friends and family, but selfishly, it gets old showing everyone the SAME spot over and over…and then of course having to drive down to crowded and touristy Waikiki so they can see Diamond Head and eat at Duke’s. Sadly the next 2 years can’t pass fast enough..and I’m the kind of girl that likes to stop and smell the roses no matter what.
After reading a couple reponses to this blog, it just reaffirms that some people never reach the true definition of adulthood and are offended perhaps too easily. People have opinions- let it roll of your back. I am from Florida, if someone tells me they hate it and that Floridians have nasty skin, who cares! I think anyone who is so sensitive to take offense to this Army Wife’s blog is, in fact, the person who needs to get over their self, or perhaps not read sites titled as this. I’m a Christian and I don’t visit sites that hate God.
Hi,
I just want to say you are 100% correct. My husband and I have been stationed here a little over a year. I truly, absolutely, positively hate this place. First of only a few places are beautiful. The rest looks like trash. There is nothing to do, nowhere to go, nowhere I like eating. The homeless problem is outrageous. The drug problem is ridiculous. The cost of living is laughable. I work for a respected company here that supposedly pays well l but the cost of living is so high it doesn’t matter. There’s no Lane Bryant, Avenue, Torrids, Dress Barn, Fashion Bug. The bugs are huge. To the person who said the busses are depressing I couldn’t agree more. They’re packed to the brim smell like urine nasty gross homeless druggies. My husband and I are so miserable here we can’t wait to get back to Northern VA where it’s diverse, there are good paying JOBS, cost of living is better, right by dc and Arlington so there’s more to do. There are the worst drivers here. Aloha spirit my ass all I see are lazy self entitled people. The city of Honolulu is disgusting, trashy, and generally unpleasant. I visited Savannah before and loved it. You should visit Northern VA. I think you’d like it! You say you’re off this rock now congratulations I envy you! I am so depressed here and also I too have never been as sick as I’ve been here. Don’t listen to these naysayers your description of this place was spot on. Also don’t know about the racism either I’m black and white my hubby is black we never experienced that. But then we never experienced it in NVA either. Hope your doing well and praise God you r out of here! !!!!
This was a very helpful blog post. My fiance and myself are planning our honeymoon to Kauai, and I was curious as to what life is actually like if you live in Hawaii. The things the travel propaganda websites don’t reveal would be crime, homelessness, and reverse racism, so thanks for the heads-up.
Other negatives you mentioned wouldn’t be much of a problem for myself, since I love lizards (I used to collect them as a kid haha), don’t mind the heat at all, HATE seeing winter coming, and I can tolerate bugs.
I love hiking and biking, and could get use to the scenery very quickly. Not a huge water sports person. Love “Magnum PI” haha ( I don’t know what that has to do with anything lol ).
That being said, the cost of living could be a deal-breaker, if we ever considered moving. Hawaii sounds like one of those places that is a gated paradise – meaning it only “works” if you have money (kind of like the Virgin Islands). We cook a lot, so eating out isn’t a big deal to us, but if we can’t find curry, masala, etc., we wouldn’t last too long.
I do hate traffic. Life is too short to lose 2 hours a day to a commute.
I’m really glad you posted this.
For those of you who disagree with the author’s opinion, I highly recommend getting a hobby and/or a job, since you just read and commented on something that has nothing to do with you.
Mother of God. Did the author just slam Hawaiian cuisine while singing the praises of Paula Deen, Applebee’s, and Golden Corral? That’s aggressively poor taste. I suppose Paris suck’s because their isn’t a Sizzler. You implied that you are a “foodie”? Umm…No.
LOL! thanks for commenting!
Thanks for your good humor. I didn’t mean to be insulting. I just get a bit riled up when every “healthy” girl with a keyboard presumes to be a food critic. An appreciation of mac and cheese or all-you-can-eat at the local Darryl’s doesn’t inspire a confidence in your palate. I sincerely hope that your new home provides you with the KFC you desire.
Wow, it’s unbelievable how some people are rude and unsult you because of your experience, your preference, your fear, etc. This lady is entitled to her feelings. She is not insulting anyone, she is merely expressing her experience. I think some of you should get a life or a better life. Are you really insulted because of her experience? This is unreal. The only people that I coud see that would be insulted is those who benefit from tourist. If you want to benefit from tourist first invest money into creating more attractions, better entertainment, great dining experiences for your neighbors and residents rather than trying to pull the wool over the outsider’s eyes. Sounds like a cult to me. I considered moving their, but I don’t even want to visit their now. I could have visited even after she shared her experience but now that I see it’s a bunch of evil haters that will not allow one to express their true experience, I would never spend my money to come there.
Hi Erykah…Thank you so much for reading and visiting Army Wife 101. So nice to see someone who is rational and can share an opinion without being rude. It is truly appreciated. Hawaii is a great place to vacation but for me personally not to live.
Mashall needs to get a real life. Probably can’t do anything but sit at a computer and spread malicious viruses to others. You should block that infection Ms. Army Wife 101.
I chuckled at some of your thoughts in your post. I was stationed in Hawaii (active duty). It has been almost 6 years since I left the island, and I miss it like crazy! True, I was lonely at first, and it made enjoying the island harder when I was home sick. Then, I met my husband there, and we really embraced the island together. I would say you lived on the wrong side of the island in my opinion. We were Marine Corps, so we frequented Kailua a lot. As far as the food, we fell in love with “The Pyramids” in Honolulu. In Kailua, we loved Zia’s. In Waikiki, we enjoyed the conveyor belt sushi restaurants. There is a restuarant in Kailua that served the best macademia pancakes. I loved the variety of foods there. My husband and I will always have Hawaii in our hearts. We came back for our belated honeymoon 2 years ago, and wow, we missed it. We were stationed in Twenty-nine Palms, Ca after Hawaii, and imagine having scorpions in your home! Snakes were always an issue. It took an hour to go to the nearest Apple Bees. I personally didn’t care being in 29 Palms. I do realize after being gone from there for the past 4 years, My bitterness stemmed from him being deployed practically the entire time. I firmly believe our attitudes stem from being unhappy with a particular situation, such as enduring deployments alone, and it results you not being happy with where you are. Interesting perspective, but everyone has different experiences. Check out my blog sometime. :)
Hi there! Thanks for stopping by and I wish I would have gotten to try those Macadamian pancakes yum lol! You could be right in that my husband did deploy shortly after we arrived there so for a while exploring wasn’t as fun. I definitely agree with that. I will definitely check out your blog and look forward to hearing more from you :)
I agree with all your “cons” about Hawaii. We were there for four years, but I’d trade Kansas for Hawaii any day!
I read through all the comments and the OP’s original blog.
Suffice to say there is a place in the world for everyone. Thank goodness the whole world doesnt live in Hawaii because anymore saturation would potentially hurt the beauty of the place.
I was born and raised in Southern California, worked for 15 years as a fitness trainer before changing careers into finance. I became successful as a trader and one of the perks of my career is I am able to live anywhere I like and work remotely.
I chose The Big Island of Hawaii. After much travel around the world I just have not been able to locate anywhere else in the world that has the same “feel” as Hawaii. I have been here 5 years and competed in my 2nd Ironman last year I live on the Kohala Coast and I love my life more than anything I could ever imagine. The food is amazing, Kona town is quaint and beautiful, as is paniolo country and everything else really that the Big Island has to offer.
Im certain the lifestyle over here is different than the more populated island of Oahu, but I certainly do not feel any semblance of loneliness or remoteness even though I am a single man with no children(I do have 2 small dogs and a cat). Maybe it is due to the size of the island and the fact there is not a day where I am not enjoying the amazing outside world the island life provides for me.
I spread Aloha to anyone and everyone I see and meet, tourists and locals alike.
I cannot ever see myself leaving, I love it far too much. :)
I loved this. I was in hawaii for a year and a half. I was pregnant for six months of that time and had a newborn the rest of the time. I felt fat, hot and stuck lol I always got annoyed with friends because they assumed we went to the beach everyday, when in reality my husband worked late most nights and we didnt make it to the beach every weekend. The centipedes did me in!
I DO have to say that we were lucky. My husband is Navy and we lived in the Mona Loua ( I probobly butchered that) housing right near the exchange and it had central air. We haven’t had housing as nice as that since. This was 2004.
We went to Travis AFB next where the housing was old and filled with mice.
We just came to WA state after four years in Guam and I’d pick Hawaii over Guam any day
We are finishing up our 3 year tour here in Hawaii. At first it was awesome. Honestly or the first 6 months it really was like paradise. My oldest daughter had always suffered from asthma and allergies, from the moment we landed it was gone. She hasn’t had an asthma attack, allergy issue, ear infection, or a cold that turned gnarly the entire time we have lived here( knock on wood). But even with that, it got really old really fast. When we got orders here all of our family was really excited because they could come and visit paradise and not need to find a place to stay. But the economy is in the dump, and in the three years we have been here, we have had one visit. During that one visit we were playing tour guides, they wanted to pack every Oahu attraction into 5 days. It was insane. Then starting at about 6 months into the first year, the cravings for foods I can’t get here started. So far that list includes; chic-fil-a,
Zaxby’s, good fried chicken, a sonic strawberry slush, Red Robin, 5 Guys, Firehouse Subs, Good Barbeque, Golden Corral, Krispy Kreme( fresh off the line), Entenmans cheese danish, I am sure I am forgetting some. Also, I would love to go to Burger King and order a meal from the Value Meal Menu for less then 8 bucks. I went today and there was a bacon chipolte burger meal for 10.20. On from the food, the price of gas. I can’t even remember the last time that gas was less than 4.00 a gallon. I know it is expensive everywhere, but that is ridiculous. I have had one of those evil centipedes in my house. I was doing laundry one morning and as I reached into the hamper to grab the last bit of clothes to wash, I uncovered an 8 inch long bright red demon of a centipede. I am not bug squeamish, but that one gave me the hibby jeeby’s. And a tip for the cock roach issue. DO NOT EAT IN YOUR CAR!!! You know how it is easier to toss your kid a happy meal in the backseat sometimes. Well, the german cock roaches appreciate your feeding them. We traded that car in, let the little critters be someone elses problem( Because you can’t kill them all!) our new car has not been eaten in. We have had two tsunami warnings so far. Neither amounted to much more than losing sleep and freaking out over nothing. But, yeah, tsumami warnings suck. Makes you feel like a sitting duck. Helpful hint for anyone moving here. If you aren’t in an evacuation zone, don’t wake up the kids for tsunami warning. There is nothing you can do, so making the kids panic won’t help.
Wow, have an opinion and some people will bash the crap out of you for it. Wonder if those same people would say the same if they were in Barrow? I loved Barrow – but I doubt they’d survive it very well.
As the ex wife of a soldier – I do remember how hard it could be, the stress, the hardship of trying to get through one day after another. I see you are doing your best.
No judgment here, I think you laid your points out well, and ensured that everyone knew it was your opinion and expectations.
Don’t give up. You could head back to GA soon :)
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