island in the sun

I just got a call from my principal and I start on Monday! Even though I'm still waiting for my contract to come in the mail, I can start on Monday. Good thing too, because all I do all day is either go shopping or shop online. Dangerous....but I've finished 1/2 of my Christmas shopping! (don't be jealous.....and Crys, no pressure!)

So I've been compiling (in my head) a list of things about Hawaii life that I find interesting and/or amusing. Life here is definitely much more relaxed and you can really sense the overall feeling of "aloha". Definitely a change from the hustle and bustle of LA--but I still love my Cali Cali and would move back in an instant!

Here are a few things that I've made a mental note about: (*note: this may be an ongoing list, so keep posted!)

- Everyone here is friendly. Doesn't matter if we're in Waikiki where people are hired to be friendly or not...all locals I've met have been friendly. Right down to the cable guy and the guys who moved my stuff into my house.

- Biggest weather news here is "where are the trade winds?" Trade winds come in from the northeast end of the island and basically blow away the humidity that the daily/nightly rains and clouds bring in. Trade winds are good. Makes humidity go away.

- Because Oahu is a weird shape (not really round...i just learned it's because a huge chunk fell into the ocean many, many years ago) the directions North/South/East/West doesn't really work. Instead, it's Leeward, (Honolulu area) Windward, (Kailua/Kaneohe), North Shore, and Waianeae. Also, the H1 doesn't go East/West...it goes KoKo head bound (right past Diamond Head) or Ewa Bound (basically west). Doesn't matter to me because I'm always lost.

- H2 goes to the North Shore (passing the Dole Plantation). H3 goes to Kailua.

- To add to the "aloha" spirit, the speed limit here is 35mph on the side streets and 55mph (sometimes 50mph) on the freeways. I often see the bumper stickers that say, "Slow down, this ain't the mainland". Love it, but not the speed limit.

- The birds here are all so interesting. There's so much variety, unlike the pigeon/sea gull/finch variety Los Angeles has. I've seen cranes, canaries, and other colorful birds. (that's the extent of my bird knowledge) I always want to take pictures of them, but then I'd be taking pictures all day.

- There is a rainbow everyday. Because of the frequent (light) rain, there is always a rainbow. When we just moved here, I always took pictures of these rainbows. I've stopped now.

* a rainbow I saw on my way to the Social Security office. See? They're everywhere!

- The sun is hot here. I've learned it's because of the position of the islands latitudidly (is that a word??) that the sun hits much more directly here.

- Most of the local commercials on TV have a jingle. It's so funny sometimes and Jerome has memorized some of them. I'll tell him to sing them to you --his favorite is for the Hawaii public storage.

- There is much more freedom of speech on the radio. Although they don't say the curse words, there's lots of bleeping...even in the commercials. ("It's time to party, b*******!!) And they talk about much more risque topics on the morning shows.

- The wealthy are WEALTHY. The poor are poor. The middle class is the military.

- SO many asians here. Especially Filipinos. Jerome and I are right at home.

That's all for now. I'm sure I'll remember more and will add to the list. :)