Written By Shannon Underwood
Living in Hawaii
In my humble opinion, there just isn’t a better place on the planet to call home than the Hawaiian Islands; and I’ve done some traveling around this planet, so I have a lot to compare it to! I’ve really enjoyed visiting other countries, some that feel like other worlds, but I’m always very happy to come home to our home in Kailua Kona on the lovely “Big Island” of Hawaii.
What makes Hawaii, and our “Big Island” specifically, such a special place to live? Well, the things that make it wonderful to ME include having beautiful, comfortable weather all year long. I never have to really worry about what’s happening with the weather because almost always, it is somewhere in the high 70’s to mid 80’s (depending on your elevation), and for the most part it is sunny to partly cloudy. I LOVE this aspect of living here because it means that I can do “outside” activities like swimming, gardening, hiking, golfing, going to the beach, or simply walking my dog all year long without any special equipment or clothing required. Gone are the days when I dreaded walking into work in the winter rain and gusty winds of northern California, where I moved here from. No need for layers and layers of clothing, gloves and scarves, or special shoes just to keep warm. My entire wardrobe now consists of lightweight dresses, capris, or shorts and most often, flip flops or “slippers” as they are called in Hawaii. It is forever spring and summer here and that is completely okay with me.
Some other things that I love about living in Hawaii are, of course, being surrounded by natural beauty. We have the beautiful ocean, gorgeous rain forests and amazing vistas just about every place you look here. The headers on each page of this web site are actual photos, taken by me at different locations around the Big Island. I’ve lived here now for almost thirteen years and I still do not take for granted the beauty that engulfs me every time I step outside. What a wonderful thing!!
The “laid back” island lifestyle here is another thing to be grateful for. Life is just a bit slower paced here, partly because we don’t have the huge population of people and traffic and all the craziness that goes with that; including the crime rates. I remember always hearing about the “nightly murder” or the high speed car chases or gang related activities in California and here we just don’t have that. I’m not saying that we don’t have crime….we do have our share, but it is NOTHING like I was used to in California.
The culture and the people of Hawaii are also amazing and amazingly friendly and kind. Hawaii life is centered much more around people; your family(ohana), your friends, your neighbors and your community. In California, I hardly knew my neighbors, but in Hawaii, your neighbors and friends share the fruit from their trees, their fresh catch from the ocean and their time with you. People smile at each other here instead of avoiding eye contact, they let each other in when there is traffic and they care about one another. This caring and sharing is what we call the “spirit of aloha” in Hawaii and on the Big Island of Hawaii, it is still alive and well. This wonderful feeling of aloha, the natural beauty, the lifestyle and so many other things make Hawaii, for ME and for many others, the best place on the planet to call home.
If you have questions about what it’s like to live here, please don’t hesitate to call me (808) 345-9820, or email me. I am always happy to share my experience moving here and living here with others.
Wishing you much aloha,
Shannon Underwood R(B)