10 Things I Love About Living in Hilo Hawaii

With all due respect to David Letterman…..

10. Friendly, helpful people who waste no time jumping in to be of assistance to a new comer on the island. I mentioned the fireman and the 7-11 counter guys who helped me when I was lost.  When I needed to move into the rental house the handyman, Ed Settle, was able to be quickly recruited to assist me move furniture and boxes. Several pieces were donated or garage-sale priced by Beverly. Ed brought along his son-in-law, Chris, along with a trailer pulled by his truck. Together they loaded a desk, 3 chairs, a 5 drawer dresser, a floor lamp, a glass top patio table with two patio chairs, and a large couch with love seat into the trailer and truck. These were then hauled up the front steps from street level to living room level. Additionally, they moved about 15 heavy boxes of my ‘essential crap’ which had been FedEx’d to Hilo. Thus, now I have all the boxes in the house, and basic furniture that can get me started. The dresser and study desk are especially welcome. All moving done without a scratch or injured back. Two good outcomes if you ask me.

9. Lack of poi, but presence of many new tastes and food combinations. A colleague of mine was eating his lunch yesterday, and he told me he had a burrito. Turns out it was a wheat flour tortilla rolled around strips of heart of palm, chicken sausage link, and shredded cabbage. Uh huh! A Burrito!! I just love it.

8. Guava juice for a breakfast drink. Good thing that I love Pineapples and especially love the juice. It can be mixed with guava juice, orange juice, or all by itself. I keep cans of these mixed variations in my refrigerator and am drinking less Cokes because of the great flavors I can get. This morning it was Guava and Strawberry!! UMMM, GOOD!!

7. Cool temperatures, esp. in evening and at night. I do have a fan at the house, and here in my office for mid-day, but by evening, it’s in the low 70’s or even cooler. During the night, I find I need to pull a light blanket up over the sheet I started with because it has dropped into the 60’s. The radio station, KAPA-FM, said one morning as I was driving to the campus that the day was going to be “a warm one…up to 84”. I just laughed. With my house on a hill, and nothing blocking the wind coming from the east across the Bay and up the hill, I have a wonderful airy living room where I can sit and enjoy the view.

6. Hawaiian wine…..taste of pineapple and other fruits in the wine. There are two vineyards on the Big Island. I’ve only tried one, the Volcano Vineyard, and loved the fruity flavor of their wines. They include fruits not usually found in Napa Valley or French or Italian wines. My favorite had Pineapple and passion fruit as part of the subtle flavor in the white wine I tried. The winery is located near the Volcano National Park, and is open for tours. When you all come to visit, we’ll try to add that into the touring we do.

5. A Community College that talks the talk of a ‘family (ohana)’ relationship with faculty, staff, and students, and actually walks the walk of such a promise. When I showed up for the Fall Full Faculty Meeting led by the Community College Chancellor, Dr. Noreen Yamane, I was given a permanent lei made from a ‘fluffy rope’ in the burgundy of the school colors. That way, I can keep it and wear it when school functions are appropriate for such. The nursing faculty have gone out of their way to be of assistance, and answered questions without frustration. I’m clearly being included in the small group, and was made to feel welcome from the beginning. On day one of faculty prep week, the Nursing Program Director, Dr. Elizabeth Ojilo, took me to lunch. Others have offered to have me follow them in my car as we move from campus to other locations, like the Hilo Medical Center, so that I didn’t get lost. I also have had the nursing program secretary take time out of her busy week prior to students arriving to drive me to the location on the ‘big’ campus for my keys and parking permit, and then give me a driving tour of the Main Campus. This campus includes facilities for both University of Hawaii – Hilo, and the Hawaii Community College. There is overlapping usage of buildings and classrooms, book store, library, gym, etc. It’s a huge campus, and this semester, the Community College enrollment was the largest of the 7 CC’s in the state. That combined with the UH enrollment makes it a great challenge to find parking, but, hey! It’s a gorgeous campus, and people are helpful. The maintenance man, Levi, just returned with a recycle trash can for my office because when he came to empty one earlier today, I told him I didn’t have any trashcan yet and was going to buy one.

4. Flowers, more flowers, fascinating shade trees, greenery of every kind, real bamboo….did I mention flowers? The colors are spectacular. Picture Hibiscus blooms that are 4 inches across in yellow, orange, fuscia, and just plain pink! There are trees here that I don’t know the name of, but they grow out into a huge umbrella shape. They are staggeringly large and beautiful, particularly near the bay. Behind my house is a nice stand of real bamboo. I’m told that bamboo will grow rapidly and spread into other areas if not kept trimmed back. But it is a really unique look that resembles a wall of tall bamboo shoots. If they grow forward and start to enter my kitchen or bedroom, I’ll let you know.

3. A nursing program that while similar to ACC’s curriculum is still very different in the organization, implementation, and emphasis for students. There is a newer model of “SimMan (simulation mannequin)” here, and this model can do many things our model in Austin can’t. The lab set up has an adjacent room with the computer controls for SimMan and the lab coordinator can speak for the mannequin from there. A camera system is also set up so that the SimMan area can be projected to the classroom on the other side of the wall, and then students can watch classmates as they implement a scenario or whatever. It’s a great learning arrangement for them and a creative environment in which faculty can devise new and different learning experiences. Students will also have HCC laptops to use within the lab rooms during appropriate exercises and activities.

2. The view of Hilo Bay from my living room window. The view includes a clear view of the walking bridge across to Coconut Island where only foot traffic is allowed. It’s a small island, and great for picnics, and family outings. On the 4th of July, and New Year’s Eve, they shoot off fireworks from the Island….and I’ll have a ringside view for free!!

1. Did I mention the friendly folks? Actually the entire transition has begun with and at the end of my day still includes these outgoing, strong, happy islanders who want a newcomer to feel welcome and to become at home easily in a place they love. Bev Moodie continues to be my guardian angel. She likes to be the driver, and has spent hours chauffeuring me around so that I learn my way through town, find specific places I needed to get to, was able to shop for furniture and other elements for the house, and, of course, take me to different restaurants all over town. Lastly, when I bought my car from Brian Hamakawa at Hama’aina Nissan, they have a tradition of having each new car owner bang a gong which is in the showroom and came from China. This gong is symphony quality, so it has a great sound. Brian filmed my ‘gonging’ on his I-phone, and we laughed and laughed. It was much much LOUDER than I expected….of course, I took my one and only opportunity to really BANG the thing. The staff came out to watch, and cheered when I hit it. Brian also took a picture of me beside my new car in the lot before I drove off. What a delightful and fun way to celebrate the purchase of my new 2009 PT Cruiser. Ever heard of that kind of celebration or personal pleasure by staff in Texas dealerships?

So, dear friends and family, I continue to learn about my new home, and grow more and more contented with the decision to start this chapter in my life in this relaxed and wondrous setting. The exquisite double rainbows that greeted me on my first night in my new house portents the grace that God granted me in my adventure, and there have been more rainbows almost daily to reinforce His blessings.

With love and aloha to each of you,
Janene