So I did a poll on my Instagram to see what blog post people were interested in seeing next and culture shock won.
I first want to start this off by saying I don’t dislike the Hawaiian culture, but it’s so different then what I’m used to that it’s taking a lot to adjust to and really process being here.
I’m going to run through what culture shock felt like initially and how I’m processing it now.
Everything went well as far as me getting here…but a little over halfway through my flight to Hawaii, I thought that the trip felt longer then I expected. I was reminded of my flight to France as I started to feel myself getting tired of being on the plane. Then the flight attendants started handing out paperwork and explaining that everyone needed to fill them out to get into Hawaii.
I was a little startled…I wasn’t expecting having to fill out any form. I didn’t remember being told about this.
Once I got my declaration form I started filling it out in pen, answering that no I hadn’t brought a snake into Hawaii, which can lead to a huge fine or land you in prison for several years. Also, I didn’t bring any foreign species of plants or anything else that could be considered an invasive species.
As I continued filling out the form and answering questions about how long I planned to stay and my flight information I realized I had filled a few things out wrong and needed to redo it. Thankfully the flight attendant had an extra copy for me (that’s why I like filling things out with pencil. I used pencil the second time and went over it again with pen. 😀 ).
As soon as I got off the flight I had my second experience with culture shock. I had just landed on an island and I grew up in a desert. I’d never in my entire life been on an island.
As we were all making our way off the plane and into the airport I saw the same young woman from when we were boarding the plane. It was her first time in Hawaii too so I already felt like we could relate to each other.
I asked her if she knew where the place was that they had announced our baggage was supposed to be. She wasn’t sure so we both went to find our baggage and talked on the way.
Then I saw that there were literally tropical trees growing in the airport!
I was still processing that when a bird flew over our heads.
I was expecting the island to be on aloha (island) time…so it didn’t bug me when it took like half an hour for our baggage to arrive. Also the world is going through a plague right now so things are kinda different too.
I’m not going to go into details about how and why I was so hangry at the Honolulu airport…maybe in another post.
I will say, the fact that I was hearing Hawaiian and English over the intercom surprised me. Being from a bilingual state and having done a little research I wasn’t expecting everything around me to be in English only, but I also wasn’t expecting to hear so much Hawaiian spoken around me…as well as different Asian languages.
So the culture shock continued…
People were a lot friendlier then I expected…but I did get a taste of the fast paced city life from being at the Honolulu airport.
Being an outsider was a bigger deal then I expected…and I’ve been trying to blend in.
My roommate picked me up from the airport and brought me a lei. Leis smell amazing. It literally made my day.
The drive back to the house seemed unreal…the mountains, the trees, the flowers, the ocean…I’m not used to everything around me looking like I’m on the set of a movie. The weather seems unreal too. I know that it’s not exactly the culture but it plays into it.
There are a lot of adventurous people out here. You see lots of people with: surfboards, paddleboards, windsurfing, hang gliders, skateboards, and colorful bicycles.
A lot of houses have their washers and dryers outside.
There are chickens everywhere. Wherever you usually see pigeons, just insert chickens and baby chicks, and roosters.
I proceeded to experience more culture shock as people were so willing to share/help. I’ve been treated to good food, given great opportunities, and had people just check in with me. I don’t usually order food, but I did the other day and after the guy gave me my food he was like, “aloha” and I was a little delayed in responding, “aloha” in return.
It’s going to take me a while to adjust, but I can say I have a heart for Hawaii, this place and these people especially. It makes me sad that things are really strained right now with all that’s going on in the world and on the islands. But it’s so encouraging to see that the people here value unity and community…and that so many of them stay strong and motivated despite all the challenges of this year and just living here. Obviously everyone has their own life and own perspectives…but overall there really is this sense of ohana in Hawaii.
Even just going into the grocery store I was surprised that so many of the foods were different (although it was exciting because I liked that there were a lot of Japanese foods). I’ve been feeling like there’s not much that’s familiar to hold onto here. But I felt that way in NM too. If anything, even though I’m not completely accustomed to this culture I feel more at home in it. Not all of the customs and things are completely new to me. I’m used to taking off my shoes at the front door and I already like a lot of the foods they eat out here.
Since so much is different it makes all of this more of an adventure. If you’re in a new environment or have moved to a new place, I hope this encourages you. It will take time but enjoy the journey.
me ke aloha,
Brianna
brie toujours 