# Time To Move to Hawai'i



## Stacykins (Mar 27, 2012)

You know, I am actually only being half facetious. I actually kinda want to move to Hawai'i. Not to O'ahu, it is way too populated and touristy. I actually have spent more time on The Big Island than O'ahu when I visited in the past.

I obviously wouldn't cement any plans until I finish nursing school. Being employable would be incredibly important. I wonder how realistic it would be to get 5-10 acres on either Hawai'i (Big Island), Kaua'i, or Maui.

And even though I'd have to jump through many hoops, it appears to be possible to bring a few goats over. I would choose three does to bring. I've actually been planning on taking a goat AI course, so a buck would not be necessary. Much easier to maintain a nitrogen tank with the 'goods'.

I wouldn't be coming alone. We'll practice living together here, but I do have an excellent friend who wishes to escape to Hawai'i as well. If we can get along here, it would be absolutely fantastic. Doesn't hurt she is in nursing school too, yay nurses.

So I have a few years to plan and save. I know I can pack my life into a few boxes for a move (I come from a Military family, so I have that well practiced), but leaving all Nigerian Dwarves behind would be difficult. I have the feeling if I were to bring goats, the move would be done in several steps. Get a job ---> locate and buy house with parcel of land ---> build enclosure/houseing for goats ---> return to Michigan to begin importation process ---> goats in Hawai'i!

The rest of the goats would either be sold or their ownership signed over to my parents (who love the goats just as much as I do, we all care for them together). But if they don't want to be saddled with all the animals who aren't coming, they're destined for sale.

Probably is a terrible idea. Or I'll die of skin cancer from the tropical sunlight. But it seems a better option than the Southern U.S. or California. Cost of living must be exponentially higher though, than it is here.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

You need to PM Dayna. She lives in Hawaii.


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## nchen7 (Feb 25, 2013)

good luck! sounds like you have a good plan. I agree with Karen, Dayna would probably be a great resource for you. Lacie of Little Bits and Pieces has lived in Hawaii too (not sure where), but if memory serves me correct, she really didn't like it there and moved back. maybe good to get both perspectives so you can set yourself realistic expectations?

I only say that b/c lots of people who visit Barbados tell me how much of a paradise it is and how lucky I am to live here, but visiting and living at a place is totally different. I can't speak for Dayna and Hawaii, but living on an island in the tropics is not always what it's cracked up to be....

best of luck to you! and keep us updated!


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

Not a stupid idea - just do your research! There are people on here who live there.


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## Stacykins (Mar 27, 2012)

Looks like it will definitely be at least five years in the future. Gotta finish nursing school. And it sounds like the need for nurses in Hawaii is strong, but not for new grads. I already work at a hospital as a CNA, so stepping up into a nursing position there shouldn't be too hard. 

Makes me wonder how I can 'test' living there. Travel agency nursing perhaps. Again, they don't hire new grads. 

Maybe it would be a good idea if I do that to sell most of the herd, my parents keep the goats they wish to keep, and start from scratch if I do decide to settle there.Home and land costs appear to be enormous compared to here.


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## nchen7 (Feb 25, 2013)

island living is VERY expensive! don't let me get started on THAT! lol

is there a way to get hands on learning experience as a student there? pardon my ignorance with getting nursing degree, but i know doctors do a residency. if you have something similar, can you do part of yours in Hawaii for a term or something? my cousin who's in med school did a term in Guatemala for credit (and volunteer hours)...not quite the same, but something to look into maybe?


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## sbaker (Nov 11, 2012)

A big move sounds like an adventure! My husband and I have been talking about moving to Alaska for years. We were both born in the south, he in Mississippi, me in New Orleans! But, we lived in New Hampshire for a little while, and fell in love with the snow, and icy weather! So, Alaska seems like a dreamland to us. However, my husband is a diver here on the Gulf coast, and that job does not transfer well to iced over lakes and such that Alaska would have lol! Oh well, maybe one day! Keep us posted on your dream though, it will be fun to hear of someone who gets to follow theirs! :grin:


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

I do love it here. I'm on the Big Island, east side in Keaau.

Everything is expensive here. Except land, land is cheap. Well cheap compared to many areas anyway. Land is not land like on the mainland though. Here we have dirt (if you're lucky) over lava flows. Lava flows have voids. Voids can be stories deep. You can fall into these voids. Just one of the many downsides. You literally can fall into a hole in the ground and never be found. It happens, down the street a D9 (huge earthmover thingy) fell into a lava cave system. It had to stay down there. We have parasites, lots of them. Both for animals and sadly lots of folks get parasites too. Tape worms, rat long worm, and liver fluke are a couple of the big ones. We also have pretty serious cases of staph here. They had to close down a football field due to staph in the dirt, kids were getting sick. Rat lung worm is very dangerous to humans here. There is community meetings about the prepare care and handling of fresh produce.

Food for livestock is expensive. Hay $38/bale for orchard grass. $35/bale for alfalfa. Medication is expensive.

Vets are not really helpful here unless you live in Waimea (2 hours away a farming community). 

If you are prepared for it to rain for weeks on end, deal with the "vog" which can ruin your breathing/lungs, deal with parasites and things like dengue and malaria, etc you'll do fine. And all these things SOUND easy to deal with but they really are not. Gas is expensive, I think we're at $4.17 a gallon today. Jobs are hard to come by, even nursing jobs. We have a nursing schools here so nursing jobs are probably more competitive than a lot of places.

In order to pay your bills and live without too much penny pinching you really need to bring a combined household income of just over $30/hour. Things will be tight but doable if you don't have kids. And remember to always keep enough money in your bank account to leave if things don't work out. Nothing worse than being "trapped" in paradise.


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## Stacykins (Mar 27, 2012)

I actually *hugely appreciate* the realistic view of living there! It definitely sounds like the cost of living would be massive living there. And parasites, holy parasites. Even though winter is a huge problem for me (seasonal affect disorder, bad) at least it freezes the buggies in the ground.

And here I was thinking nursing jobs might be more plentiful than other jobs! Though I am sure it is the same way as the mainland. Hospitals save money by reducing staffing and just make the nurses they have take more work per shift. Instead of having four patients, have six or seven!

And WOW! I've never heard of hay prices that high. Those are 40lb square bales you are talking about, right? Not big round bales? Normal grass hay here is $3 a small square bale (not orchard grass, just grass grass) this year. Though I can see haying being immensely difficult there. Not just land that can be hayed, but hay needs enough time to dry. If it gets cut, then promptly rained on, yea, no good.

Shockingly, gas prices are quite similar to what they are here. I am so rural that the gasoline must travel quite distance before ending up in the fuel stations. And all that travel adds a lot to cost. At least that isn't sticker shock, and definitely to be expected in the middle of the Pacific Ocean!

I still might try for a travel agency gig when I have enough experience to be hired by one. Though hospitals that are forced to use agency nurses to begin with are already hurting for staff, so hello terrible nursingatient ratios! Can't be worse than the 20:1 ratio I had working as a CNA at a nursing home...

At least with an agency, it can be a 'try before you buy' sort of situation.



Dayna said:


> I do love it here. I'm on the Big Island, east side in Keaau.
> 
> Everything is expensive here. Except land, land is cheap. Well cheap compared to many areas anyway. Land is not land like on the mainland though. Here we have dirt (if you're lucky) over lava flows. Lava flows have voids. Voids can be stories deep. You can fall into these voids. Just one of the many downsides. You literally can fall into a hole in the ground and never be found. It happens, down the street a D9 (huge earthmover thingy) fell into a lava cave system. It had to stay down there. We have parasites, lots of them. Both for animals and sadly lots of folks get parasites too. Tape worms, rat long worm, and liver fluke are a couple of the big ones. We also have pretty serious cases of staph here. They had to close down a football field due to staph in the dirt, kids were getting sick. Rat lung worm is very dangerous to humans here. There is community meetings about the prepare care and handling of fresh produce.
> 
> ...


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

No, not a square bale. a 100# + rectangle bale. I cannot move a bale on my own.

I totally agree, try before you buy! Move here on a temp basis. Then go back to the mainland (or not). You'll know if you belong here in the first couple weeks. You'll either love it (like I do) or hate it (sadly like most folks who move here).

If you end up visiting or moving here I would love to meet you!


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## nchen7 (Feb 25, 2013)

great info from Dayna!

I very much agree with her statement of having enough money to leave, even if it's for a short trip. islands are what they are, islands. no matter how much you love it here, you will eventually get island fever, and will feel the NEED to get off to find some sanity.

if you're under 30/35, I would suggest you check out Youth Mobility Visas. I'm not sure how many countries provide that for US citizens, but I know for Canadians there are I think close to 20 other countries that provide easy 2 year work visas to their country if you're under 30 or 35 (it depends on the country).


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## Stacykins (Mar 27, 2012)

Dayna said:


> No, not a square bale. a 100# + rectangle bale. I cannot move a bale on my own.
> 
> I totally agree, try before you buy! Move here on a temp basis. Then go back to the mainland (or not). You'll know if you belong here in the first couple weeks. You'll either love it (like I do) or hate it (sadly like most folks who move here).
> 
> If you end up visiting or moving here I would love to meet you!


Oh whew. A larger sized bale makes it seem a bit more reasonable, at least. Those massive square bales can definitely be a pain. Not many folks make them around here. It is either the small squares, or the 1000lb+ round bales.

It has been a while since I've been there. I'd love to go back for a short vacation. Right now with school the cost of getting away is a bit much! Plus I'd have to bring a military friend along so we can stay at Kīlauea military camp!

I know last time I was on The Big Island I faintly remembered about Fuku Bonsai. Went on an exhaustive search for it, found some pretty worn signs, followed them and found it was...closed! Fantastic times otherwise, did a lot of hiking!


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