Hawaii is so exotic.

If you have lived in Hawaii for your entire life, at this point you probably take the nice sunny weather for granted. Hawaii is sunny and pretty 24/7. There is some rain here and there, but that rain only contributes to the green mountains that serve as gorgeous landscapes when you’re driving along the East side. Hawaii basks in summer weather all year long. Residents never have to worry about shoveling snow in their driveway or scraping ice off their cars in the mornings. You’ll never have to worry about driving through a winter storm to get to work, or having to stay indoors all weekend because the weather is uncomfortably freezing outside. The mainland has all of that, and you’ll never get perfect weather like Hawaii anywhere on the mainland.

Hawaii has the best Asian cuisine. I cannot find nearly as good of an Asian cuisine here on the mainland that I had in Hawaii. I miss chicken katsu, fried rice and dumplings so much. It’s not the same here. In Hawaii, there were ramen restaurants on every corner and Korean food venues all over the place. I can’t find any of that here. There’s sushi, but it’s also nothing like Genki’s conveyor belt sushi. Nothing beats that. The closest thing I have to good Asian food here is L & L, which isn’t that good sometimes, at least it’s not my favorite. I miss the authentic Hawaiian food my relatives always had at family gatherings and potlucks, I don’t have that anymore and I miss that.

A simple hike with an amazing view, nothing like that on the mainland!

If you were born and raised in Hawaii, there’s a good chance that most of your family is there. Family is important, ohana is really important. It can be difficult, being on your own sometimes, because you don’t have family right there to support and comfort you. Although you can call them and talk to them over the phone, it’s not the same. Going home for breaks and a few weeks at a time isn’t the same. It’s never going to be the same, but that’s ok. However, it’s always important to remember that you will miss your family, and it will never be the same as it was when you first lived there.   

You’ll never get views like this anywhere else!

Hawaii is a magical place. The constant sunshine and beach lifestyle will permeate every aspect of your life, and when you leave it, you’ll definitely notice its absence. However, Hawaii is a very expensive place to live and it takes a hard worker to support living there. If you’ve grown up in Hawaii your entire life, you are most definitely going to miss a lot of things when you leave.