I recently accepted a position with the USDA working as a Biological Science Technician (wildlife) in Hawaii!
This has the potential to be amazing for me since when I visited two years ago I loved
it so much that I wanted to cancel my flight home.
When I first tell someone about my new job the reaction (including my own when I got told I'd been selected)
is always something along the lines of "Wow!" and "That's so exciting!". I almost feel bad for
being so uncertain and worried. I really do believe everything works out, however it's
WAYYY easier to see that looking back, hindsight being 20/20. People are confident that I'll be fine and make friends but
I am not brave all the time and it can be so tempting to just sequester myself. Add to that a 6 hour time difference from most
of the people I know and love, and you perhaps can see my qualms. That being said, I'm definitely looking forward to
exploring more of the big island (if I can get myself out of the house, another one of my issues). I hope to be
able to document it with my new Youtube channel. I do think it's totally normal to be unsure and
nervous about a move this big but I keep trying to remind myself that this is my one short life on this earth
and that I have to make the best of it. Go do the thing, drive to that place even though it's out of the way, move
a quarterish of the way across the world, run the ultra (hopefully one day, but maybe should work on a marathon first).
Life is so beautiful and I'm reminded of that pretty much every day. It's important to keep an eye out for the small
things like cool rocks, an new inside joke with a friend (getting stroked), LIZARDS, and even just a Buc-ees sticker on a
sign that you run past. There are millions of things out there that will spark joy so long as we let them. The romanticize
your life girlies got it right. If anyone reads this, I hope you find some small joys today and every other, just keep an eye out.
A few tips for moving to Hawaii (as someone who hasn't yet but has either researched or gotten the advice from others):
- If your car is a 4WD, paid off, and/or still relatively new, it's probably worthwhile to ship it. If not, get one there.
- Ship your car early. It'll take a while. I'm using 4 corners transport (if it's bad I'll update).
- If you want short term housing, a great place is FurnishedFinder.com. I used it in Texas for my seasonal position. I love that utilities are almost always included, and that you don't have to bring your whole life with you since they're furnished.
- Get a Hawaii drivers license, there are locals discounts and with the license plate it'll look less like a tourist's car.
- A great way to meet new people in the community is by volunteering. I'm going to try to volunteer at the HURT 100 Ultramarathon!
- Respect the culture and environment. Learn about Hawaiian history try to embody "Aloha" spirit.
- People will say they'll visit (and they almost certainly would like to) but you probably won't get many visitors.
Photo by Josh Withers on Unsplash