For example, I no longer live in the fabulous Pacific Northwest. Nope, I have been whisked away to the Islands. The Hawaiian Islands to be exact. Yes, it is as beautiful here as you think. No, it is not a vacation every day. Life here continues much like life anywhere. You get up in the morning, you get the kids off to school, you get yourself to work, make dinner, do chores and collapse exhausted into bed. Not different at all.
Sure I wake up in the morning to palm trees, flowers and ruggedly amazing mountains, but I also hear police sirens, car alarms, the nearby traffic of the highway, roosters crowing long before sunrise, and dogs that won't stop barking at shadows.
The island is very densely populated. Sometimes the effort to make the 10-mile drive to the beach seems as daunting as the 1.5 hour drive to the beach in Washington. It is also funny how things are relative. You can drive around the entire island in an afternoon versus only getting half-way across Washington in the same amount of time. However, if you discuss needing to go to Honolulu, it is like making plans for an all day trip to Seattle. The grocery store is about a mile away. (The same distance we used to walk from our home to the convenience store.) Yet, when we first moved and I was car-less, comments like, "I'm going to walk and get a gallon of milk," were met with dismay, "that's too far, I can give you a ride." No, really, I don't mind the walk. :)
So although in many ways its a pretty normal life here as compared to living elsewhere, I still feel lucky to be here. A few random observations:
- Tourists on bicycles are everywhere. It's a cute little city, but what exactly are they coming here to see?
- Tourists dress strange.
- I don't know where the pristine people-less beaches you see in advertisements are at.
- The weather can change drastically in minutes and miles.
- Wind driven sand hurts. (There is a reason they use sand blasting to remove paint.)
- Spam is delicious when cooked properly.
- Waikiki is a crazy indulgence. Who really needs a Coach store on every corner with a Rolex store between?
- The Dole Plantation is a tourist trap.
- Ants are an annoyance, but I have yet to see the masses of bugs I've heard people talk about. (Thank god...knock on wood.)
- I need to eat more island food.
I haven't seen a fraction of what the island has to offer. I look forward to seeing more.
