This is from a series of 6 articles written to help those new to Hawaii and visitors understand the subtlety of local culture.  Especially when it comes to social interaction.  “Aloha” is alive and well on the Islands.  Tune in and take the time to understand the subtle, but I think, cool differences in these tight social networks.  

Where are some great ways to make new friends?

At our last exciting episode, we talked about the difference between superficial friends and getting hanai’d into a family. On this issue we’re going to talk about some of the very best places to make new and meaningful friends.

Volunteer at community events

One of the best ways to really get to know people is to volunteer to help at community events. There is always something going on somewhere in Hawaii.  Our perfect weather makes for great weekends and people want to be outside doing something.  There’s always a beach cleanup or trail maintenance thing happening on any given weekend.  Find a non-profit group that you like and get involved.  

Working at community events are conditions ripe for making meaningful new friends.  You end up meeting all these people with common interests, you physically work side-by-side on a meaningful project, and together you accomplish a goal.  Typically these kinds of events last at least a half day or more and so when you combine the amount of time spent along with the significance of the effort spent together you get a perfect combination of the elements needed to extend your network of friends.

Get involved with political campaigns

Politics is definitely not for everyone but if you have even a remote interest in this topic, getting involved with political campaigns is highly recommended.  Very few other activities combine elements like:

• Length of time spent working with a relatively small group of people – campaigns sometimes start more than a year before election day. 
• Elections can have huge consequences that affect many people and typically represent a significant decision of the people. This isn’t a baseball game!  The potential of a very big stakes victory or failure creates a very powerful glue that bonds people together.
• Defending against attacks.  There’s a good reason why people say that “politics is a full contact sport”.  There is no such thing as an important election without opponents attacking each other. Usually, when your team gets attacked, everyone really comes together to deliver a response.
• The thrill of victory – it’s one thing to win a basketball game or to have picked the winning Super Bowl team, but that pales in comparison to being on the winning campaign on election night.   There’s just nothing like it.
• The agony of defeat.  Few things are as unbearable as coming to election night headquarters on election day and anticipating victory only to be handed a humbling defeat.  Only funerals have more sadness than an election night defeat.

It’s easy to understand why political campaigns can create some of the strongest lifelong bonds you’ll ever make.  I highly recommend seeking one out and joining. 

A final and not to be overlooked benefit of getting involved with political campaigns – if your candidate does in fact win, you will have an incredibly strong network connection to the “insider” political power structure.  This can open many doors and can prove to be an invaluable asset.

Next up: Shut up and don’t be so haole!

Now you know how to find friends in Hawaii.  What happens if you get invited over to their home? Don’t blow it by acting haole. What does that mean?  Find out in our next exciting episode!