So i'm getting closer to obtaining my teaching degree and I've been thinking about where exactly I want to teach. Well I talked to a few teachers from Hawaii and they said that the state will reinburse teacher's college tuition as long as they teach in HI for 3 years. I think I could handle living in HI for 3 years, but I have to check out the state before I come to any conclusion. I'm planning on visiting in Jan for 2 weeks. Does anyone have any floor space that they could sacrafice or know of any cheap place to stay? I'm a college student, so I'm really tight on money. I'm saving up for my flight ticket, which is going to cost a lot. I just need get out there even if I have to wonder from place to place. Peace + Love
i lived there for about 4 yrs when i was 13-16 and moved from mcbh on the windward side of oahu to hawaii kai on the leeward side, within honolulu. i also visited maui and the big island for short trips, so here's what i remember about it... when i was in junior high the teachers there went on strike to get more money... when i was in highschool they would talk about the luring of young teachers to hawaii for the big bucks (compared to other states) but the cost of living is a lot higher than a lot of them expected. if you do move there you'll almost definitely want to room with somebody and keep an eye out for apartments in the back of large houses.... you'll see these a lot in honolulu, especially hawaii kai. ummm.... it's really beautiful, as you'll see during your trip, and i personally would love to move back, even with the cost of living and low pay compared to it... the bus system is really great and the weather is funky (depending on where you live it rains quite a bit by the mountains and usually sprinkles at least once a day in many areas) but it's paradise right? take advatage of the sights and hiking and nature stuff as well as other touristy stuff because experiencing a luau and going to PCC is really fun and even if cheesy are good ways to experience some hawaiian culture. some caucasians do complain about racism against them, and there is a negative attitude towards tourists by a lot of locals. but there's different ppl everywhere and there's still a very laidback attitude... when i moved here to texas i found it odd that people stayed so covered up and wore so much makeup and did their hair every day. on oahu, i recommend the windward side all around... it's more tropical and less toursity and more of a hippie culture there. it's cheaper to live too. oh keep in mind that a lot of schools in the U.S. will reimburse your tuition, you just gotta look around. and one thing about HI is that you HAVE to fly out... well i guess you could get on a boat but you can't just drive home if you wanted to... it's very isolated, but i think you can get decent plane tickets to and from california. and of course three years is nothing... so yeah hehe, i'd go in a heartbeat personally. ----oh wow i just realized you wrote this quite a while ago... are you still planning on going in january? i'm gonna leave all this up here either way