Every True Hawaii Local Has Had These 12 Bizarre Experiences At Least Once
We can all agree that Hawaii is the greatest state in the country — and it is also the most unique. While our mountains and beaches are truly second to none, there are some aspects of life in Hawaii that are just plain odd; if you’ve lived here for long enough, you’ll understand. From adapting to traffic patterns and throwing shakas to dealing with sun guilt, here are 12 bizarre experiences in Hawaii every true local has experienced at least once.
We’re aware that these uncertain times are limiting many aspects of life as we all practice social and physical distancing. While we’re continuing to feature destinations that make our state wonderful, we don’t expect or encourage you to go check them out immediately. We believe that supporting local attractions is important now more than ever and we hope our articles inspire your future adventures! And on that note, please nominate your favorite local business that could use some love right now: https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/nominate/
1. You can pronounce even the most difficult of Hawaiian words — like Humuhumunukunukuapua`a — without breaking a sweat.
Our weather only differentiates 20 degrees all year and when you're used to hot temperatures, anything below the "norm" feels a little... well, chilly.
3. You’ve been at the beach when it started raining and didn’t start packing everything up because you knew it was going to stop in five minutes anyways.
We've all done it — subconsciously, of course. We'd be lying if we said we didn't love the practice of removing our shoes before entering our homes, though.
7. You’ve been given confused looks when talking about your slippers.
When you call everyone older than you aunty and uncle, it can be hard to differentiate between who your blood relatives are, but it doesn’t matter, because they are all ohana.
Sometimes, you need to recharge by binge-watching Netflix all day, but that can be hard when you feel guilty for not enjoying the weather and taking advantage of Hawaii’s beautiful landscape.
Have you ever had any of these bizarre experiences in Hawaii? What other experiences have you had that are uniquely Hawaiian? What about these 11 weird things only people from Hawaii do?
Of course, they do. In addition to the habits we’ve detailed in this article, many Hawaii locals refuse to use their car horns, eat more Spam per capita than any other state, and welcome geckos into their homes with open arms. Did you know that geckos not only eat up all of those unwanted bugs that somehow make their way into your home but are considered lucky?
Despite being an absolute paradise, there are aspects of life in Hawaii that are — how should we put it — less than ideal. Don’t get me wrong, I have absolutely fallen in love with the islands over the years, but every once in a while, even those who live in paradise need to complain a little — whether that’s about traffic, the cost of living, or the fact that your favorite musician will never perform here.
With more than 10 years of experience as a professional writer, Megan holds a degree in Mass Media from her home state of Minnesota. After college, she chose to trade in her winter boots for slippahs and moved to the beautiful island of Oahu, where she has been living for more than five years. She lives on the west side but is constantly taking mini-road trips across the island and visits the neighboring islands whenever she can getaway. She loves hiking, snorkeling, locally-grown coffee, and finding the best acai bowl on Oahu.
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