Since you’re out in Hawaii, and you’re from the NYC area…Did you find the move to Hawaii at all difficult or did it feel like home instantly? Working for Hawaiian sounds interesting and quite the adventure. I just wonder how it feels to move from such a fast paced environment to a slow paced environment. What were your main challenges that you faced while adjusting to the climate in Hawaii. Thanks in advance for the response. Just had the thought and was very curious.
Daniel,
This is actually a very long conversation but I’ll try and give you the brief. Most people seem to have a very visceral reaction to living in Hawaii. They either love or they don’t and I do. For me the transition for the most part was easy and very positive on many levels. First I NEVER liked the cold. I don’t ski or snowboard and find nothing enjoyable about the cold, snow, changing of the seasons etc. While people will argue Hawaii has one season, and it’s summer which is my favorite. If I’m not working I wear shorts and flipflops EVERY DAY, literally. I also was what I call “New Yorked out”. I don’t want to offend anyone so I’ll simply tell you a story or 2. One day I was stopped at a traffic light and my son text me. I responded and got distracted. When I looked up the light had just turned red again meaning I had missed an entire green light. No one honked, no one gave me the finger or even seemed annoyed. Could you imagine if I did that in NY/NJ? I would have been dragged from my car and beaten. Over a traffic light. Here’s another. I love Craigslist and have some pretty good bargaining skills. When I came to Hawaii I learned very quickly that the people here were not equipped to handle me. Everything I bought I beat them down to nothing and made big money on everything I sold. When I would tell my friends in NY they were all very proud BUT when I would tell my new friends here they would smile but didn’t share my enthusiasm and I couldn’t understand why? Until one day I was buying a canoe paddle. It was a paddle I wanted very much and the guy was asking a very fair price. I wanted to beat him up as usual but there was nothing wrong with it and the price was fair so I just paid it. Now this may sound like nothing but the fact is that Hawaii had taught me that it’s not always a competition and both people can win. When I tell that story my NY friends they laugh and say I’ve gotten soft but my Hawaiian friends smile and say they’re proud of me. VERY different environment than I grew up in but one I greatly prefer. Overall I’m happier, my BP is down and my children now call me the Dalai Lama 
The only real challenge I faced (and continue to) is my “directness”. One thing I do miss (aside from pastrami) is where I grew up if I have a problem with you I’ll tell you and I expect you to do the same. Here people are more “polite” and will smile and not tell you if they have a problem. I’m not that way and it has gotten me in some trouble but it’s not something I’m looking to change. I’m just a little “softer” in my delivery.
Daniel you’re obviously fond of your home and that’s great. I think one of the greatest aspects of this job is it gives you the opportunity to see there are MANY really nice places to live all around the country and even the World. If you chose to live, grow old and die where you were born that’s fine but it should be a choice not based on a lack of exposure.
Adam
6 Likes
Thank you for the brief (not so brief) and very informative piece you just wrote. I find Hawaii to be exactly how you described it. When I was there everything slowed down for me and I felt like I had no worry of rushing to place to place. But for some reason I craved the bus n’ rush pace when I was there. Hawaii is a wonderful place and I can see why you love it so much. Now having said that like our previous talk on the last topic…I can’t imagine living anywhere else other than what I call “Home” right now in NJ. But at the same time, who knows where life will take me and the opposite may become true. All in all, I appreciate the time you took to write that.