An interesting thing happens when you decide to pack up the few things you own, say goodbye to friends and family, then fly all the way over to Maui to start a new chapter in your life: you quickly wonder why you did it.
It's a beautiful place here for sure, but Maui really isn't the place for young people looking for jobs to come to in hopes of "making it". It's a place to come, see, spend money, and leave. Everything (food, housing, transportation) is expensive, there's not many jobs (ESPECIALLY with the current dismal state of the global economy), and what few jobs come available are quickly given to those who are familiar to the ones doing the hiring (and not necessarily those best qualified). Add to this the underlying hostility directed towards all those who aren't born and raised on the island, and you're looking at a tough place to get your foot in the door. The great irony in this case is that Jenn is way OVER qualified for the job she's doing, and I haven't found work despite the grumblings that locals are lazy and not dependable. If I don't stop myself now, I'm likely to say a few nasty things about the prevalent and dominant mentalities on this island (look up "Polynesian paralysis"), but suffice it to say that I doubt this will be one of those places that I always dream of returning to.
On the very plus side of things, Jenn and I are really happy together. We are enjoying our lovely little ohana (think: cottage) and we've even got banana and papaya trees in the back yard!
So, all in all, this is a good challenge for us as individuals and as a couple. In that sense, things are very good.
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