I am sitting here waiting for my shift to start at work and I began to think about what I have seen of Maui in my limited time here. I cannot say I am impressed at all with the people and the culture here.
The island reminds me of my days as a child in rural Illinois. Some things are cute, like seeing children playing in sprinklers or fountains. Others are disturbing, like the prevalence of dipping tobacco and random stray animals wandering the streets. The town where I work, Kahului, is where I see all the worst parts of the island.
The problem with Kahului is hard to pin down, but I will try to communicate it as best I can. Kahului has zero culture. It is the economic heart of the island and nothing else. People come from all over the island to go to Whole Foods, Costco, Walmart, or any of the other major stores Maui does not have in its rural parts. Every tourist who visits Maui comes in through the airport or harbor here, so every weekend there is a huge influx of people who have no idea what they are doing or where they are going. As a resident, this can be hugely frustrating and turn a simple trip into a long, drawn out affair.
Once you get out of Kahului, Maui is beautiful and you see why people want to stay here forever. But the ugly truth remains that no matter what I do, I will be spending the majority of my time working in the worst place on Maui. Kahului is the place where everyone on the island comes to get business done and get back to their own world as soon as possible. Because of this, it is stressful to be in town for any amount of time, much less the majority of your waking hours. It is definitely a hurdle I will have to overcome to keep myself sane here, and it has been a huge struggle already. I get depressed about work and this horrible town, and it definitely requires meditation and rumination to get myself back to a happy mindset.
Maybe posting more on the blog will help. I'll try to write more often about Maui and the beauty I see every day, and maybe that will keep the more unsavory parts out of my mind. I hope you continue this journey with me to see how everything goes and please, feel free to comment here or keep in touch with me on Facebook.
The island reminds me of my days as a child in rural Illinois. Some things are cute, like seeing children playing in sprinklers or fountains. Others are disturbing, like the prevalence of dipping tobacco and random stray animals wandering the streets. The town where I work, Kahului, is where I see all the worst parts of the island.
The problem with Kahului is hard to pin down, but I will try to communicate it as best I can. Kahului has zero culture. It is the economic heart of the island and nothing else. People come from all over the island to go to Whole Foods, Costco, Walmart, or any of the other major stores Maui does not have in its rural parts. Every tourist who visits Maui comes in through the airport or harbor here, so every weekend there is a huge influx of people who have no idea what they are doing or where they are going. As a resident, this can be hugely frustrating and turn a simple trip into a long, drawn out affair.
Once you get out of Kahului, Maui is beautiful and you see why people want to stay here forever. But the ugly truth remains that no matter what I do, I will be spending the majority of my time working in the worst place on Maui. Kahului is the place where everyone on the island comes to get business done and get back to their own world as soon as possible. Because of this, it is stressful to be in town for any amount of time, much less the majority of your waking hours. It is definitely a hurdle I will have to overcome to keep myself sane here, and it has been a huge struggle already. I get depressed about work and this horrible town, and it definitely requires meditation and rumination to get myself back to a happy mindset.
Maybe posting more on the blog will help. I'll try to write more often about Maui and the beauty I see every day, and maybe that will keep the more unsavory parts out of my mind. I hope you continue this journey with me to see how everything goes and please, feel free to comment here or keep in touch with me on Facebook.
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