2017
I am not one to get into New Years resolutions because I think you should always be striving to be the best version of yourself year round. However, I felt extra inspired this new year and made some small resolutions for myself. These include cooking more, limiting social media usage, and journaling everyday. Writing clears out my head, because my mind is always running a million miles a minute. This is what brings me back to my blog. In 2015, I started my blog to share mine and Cory's travels, but I didn't keep up with it in 2016 because we didn't travel anywhere. Instead, we moved to Hawaii! Many people keep asking me how we ended up in Hawaii and what life is like here, So I thought I would share with you all.
What brought us to Hawaii
Cory applied for a teaching position with Teach for America on a whim and he got accepted. For those of you who don't know, TFA is a teaching program aimed at giving students from low socioeconomic statuses the same chance at succeeding in life as students who come from more privilege. While Hawaii seems like paradise, it has problems just like any other place around the world. The school that Cory teaches in has all of the same problems as a school would have in an inner city, except that it is in rural Hawaii. The town has all of the same problems that an inner city has except for gun violence. Hawaii has strict gun control laws. Crazy how that can be beneficial. Okay, I'm not here to get political, but I couldn't resist. Life for Cory is definitely stressful, but one of his career goals was to work with students who are struggling and really need the help. It helps that we live in a beautiful place filled with adventure to help Cory cope with the stress.
The Move
Boy what a stressful move this was! Cory got accepted in TFA at the end of April and he had to be at Institute in June for cultural training. That gave us a month to sell all of our furniture and move out of our apartment. I picked up a second job serving to help save up some money to help us move. I lived with my parents for two months until Cory and I finally got our apartment set up in Hawaii. Working 60+ hours a week the whole summer was life-draining and stressful. There were times when my anxiety took over and I questioned if going through all that stress and lack of sleep was really worth it. (It was) After a long summer apart, Cory and I were so excited to be reunited with each other in our new home.
Home
After six months of living here, it is still surreal to call this place home. The word home to me is more of a feeling rather than a place, and I can honestly say that I have felt so much more at home in Hawaii than I ever did living in Nebraska. I have completely fallen in love with Oahu. Everyone back in the mainland said that Hawaii is super expensive to live in and it would be really hard. It is just as expensive as living in a big city in the mainland and it all boils down to how you budget your money. We don't eat out nearly as much as we did in Omaha, nor do we waste our money going to bars every weekend, partially because there isn't a big bar scene close to where we live, Cory and I both believe experiences are far more valuable than possessions so it works our that that our favorite ways to spend the weekend are mostly free! (Hiking and water activities) I love so many things about Hawaii, so I think the easiest way to share them is by making a list so here it is:
-Hiking
-Beautiful weather year round
-No utility bill (we don't have AC or heat)
-Friendly people
-So many yummy Asian restaurants
-Poke! (raw tuna)
-Snorkeling
-Last but not least, surfing!
I never thought that I would fall in love with surfing. For me, the thought of surfing always terrified me for some irrational reason. I honestly thought that I would have spent more of my time hiking, but I have fallen in love with ocean activities.
Some highlights of living in Hawaii for me is seeing the humpback wales jump in the bay that we like to snorkel at, kayaking to China man's hat and climbing to the top of it, taking a meditation class at a Buddhist temple, and learning how to surf.
Obviously everything isn't sunshine and daisies so here are a few things I find frustrating/don't like:
-Cockroaches
-TRAFFIC
-Feeling of disconnect from the mainland, although sometimes its nice to be in our own little world
-Being away from family and friends. I miss my parents dearly, but I know they love that they have have a pretty good reason to vacation to Hawaii.
-Most of all:Toby, Hermione, and Chipotle. In that order.
The things that I love outweigh the few things that I dislike and that is what makes Oahu so special. I have learned so many things about marine life, Polynesian culture, and myself! Getting out of Nebraska was the best thing to ever happen to us. It has encouraged and inspired us to have an even bigger sense of adventure in the world. We have explored so much of our island, but we still need to do some island hopping! This summer we are planning a backpacking trip throughout Southeast Asia. Stay tuned to hear about our adventures!
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| China man's hat |
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| Mu Ryang Sa Buddhist temple |
Obviously everything isn't sunshine and daisies so here are a few things I find frustrating/don't like:
-Cockroaches
-TRAFFIC
-Feeling of disconnect from the mainland, although sometimes its nice to be in our own little world
-Being away from family and friends. I miss my parents dearly, but I know they love that they have have a pretty good reason to vacation to Hawaii.
-Most of all:Toby, Hermione, and Chipotle. In that order.
The things that I love outweigh the few things that I dislike and that is what makes Oahu so special. I have learned so many things about marine life, Polynesian culture, and myself! Getting out of Nebraska was the best thing to ever happen to us. It has encouraged and inspired us to have an even bigger sense of adventure in the world. We have explored so much of our island, but we still need to do some island hopping! This summer we are planning a backpacking trip throughout Southeast Asia. Stay tuned to hear about our adventures!
