I moved to Hawai’i for the first time in 2013, and lived on O’ahu for a total of 5 years. Living in Hawai’i, there is the endless scent of plumeria on the breeze, sunny days in Waikiki, and the echo of “alohhhaaaa” running through the air within 10 ft of any tourist trap. I am blessed to have called O’ahu home for quite awhile, however there are a few things I know now that I did not know when I first arrived.

1. Bugs

   When I say bugs I mean they will be in places you would never expect. I grew up in dry climates where finding a bug meant sticking your hand behind an old piece of equipment or finding them somewhere in the attic. In Hawai’i however, centipedes escape out of your car air conditioning vent (I almost caused a 7 car pile up on H1), cockroaches are the size of hummingbirds and fly through the air, and there’s spiders that rightfully belong in the Halloween section of Walmart. I don’t recall ever seeing these critters included in the post cards.

2. Traffic

I come from Southern California, I know traffic (5 south @ 5 is a party). However never in my life could I imagine it possible that it would take me over and hour and a half to travel 3 miles. You think Hawai’i and you imagine these quaint dirt roads with palm trees growing out of red dirt on the side, rather than that daydream you are surrounded by a river of metal and asphalt going a maximum of 1/2 mph. Lets not forget the moving truck in front of you with the back open and a bunch of guys sitting on plastic lanai furniture, this is 100% normal here. I mean what is the risk when we are barely moving anyways.

3. It’s Not Always Sunny

It rains a lot in Hawai’i, this is dependent however on which island you are on and what side of the island. On O’ahu you could expect sprinkling rain most of the year and a few times a week. Also, major tropical storms were not on my radar when I decided to move to Hawai’i… but they were on the weather stations. My first month living in Honolulu I experienced a hurricane aka a week’s worth of heavy tropical storms. One thing to note is the most dangerous parts of hurricanes (on O’ahu) is the long lines at Costco. When it comes to preparing for the rain, ditch the cotton pullovers and get yourself a waterproof windbreaker and an umbrella. You’ll thank me when you’re dry and not sweating.

4. Not Always A Vacation

What you won’t see in the surf cult movies, posters, and magazines, is the behind the scenes. Life still happens in Hawai’i. There are still bad hair days, rent to be paid, and having to wait in long Walmart lines. Hawai’i tends to be romanticized for obvious reasons, but people still live normal day to day lives. Obviously there are perks, but don’t forget that you can run away from all parts of life on the islands.

5. Small Island + Small Living

Just like any living set in a city/urban area, there’s limited space. Hawai’i is limited due to the Pacific being less than 100 miles in any place that you stand on island. Thus the apartments and homes are smaller, car parking lots lack about 35% of the parking that they should have, and crowding can happen in a snap of two sandy fingers. But with smaller living spaces you tend to learn about what you can live with and what you can live without, and that is just part of simple island living.

Despite the small apartment, long traffic commutes, and bugs set out to torment you, the bad is outweighed by all the good that comes with Hawai’i. In my opinion the best part about living in Hawai’i, that is not talked about enough is the locals. I met some of the most sincere people I've ever met while residing there, and developed friendships that run deeper than some familial relationships. If you decide to make Hawai’i home one day, just make sure to treat everyone and the land with respect and Hawai’i will treat your days back with memories and experiences unlike any other place.