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Originally Posted by Alex Stroup
Living in Hawaii is really like living anywhere else in the United States (ignoring issues directly tied to climate and geography).
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Not to distract from Moonliner's advice thread, but I partly disagree with this statement. Hawai'i is not like all the other states. Yeah we have our Home Depots and Wal*Marts etc. but I would never compare Hawai'i to California nor Colorado etc. And it has nothing to do with climate or geography.
Living in Hawai'i, California and Massachusetts and travelling to many other states, I have come to realize that Hawai'i is a different country. Not that it is un-American (although some people there are) it's just that it was its own thing before it became a state. There's a different way of looking at things that you pick up by living there. Some call it the Aloha Spirit but it's more than that.
There's a level of courtesy that I grew up with that still exists back home that makes your life so much easier if you partake in it. ie. You use your blinkers on the highway, you wave at someone if they let you into their lane, you say please and mahalo at the grocery store etc.
I discussed this with a friend the other day. She's from Sacramento and wanted to know about Hawaiian culture etc. During the course of our conversation, I asked her if she was at a party and there was food out on a table for guests and there was only one piece of cake left if she would take it or not. She said she absolutely would and loved taking the last of something before someone else got it. I told her that growing up in Hawai'i, it's an unwritten rule that you leave it for someone else. Or you cut that piece in half leaving something for someone else who would like to enjoy the cake.
This spirit is more evident in the areas that are not tourist-y, but it still exists. It was/is a huge adjustment for me being on the mainland and still thinking in terms of Aloha Spirit... I guess it can be compared to Southern Hospitality... :shurg:
