There is no doubt in my mind that we made the right decision to leave Maui and start our life in Austin.
Sure, Maui is beautiful. Sure it will always be my home base and hold the memories of my childhood and my falling in love and starting a family. These things I will always have.
But it's taking a slippery slope to be a really tough place for future generations to grow and thrive. I actually don't know how it will be possible for high schoolers to be able to stay and make a living and create a home for themselves.
The newest debacle is "Furlough Fridays". The state is so short on money that they have decided to attack the education system. Teachers will get a 7.9% paycut (aren't they already some of the lowest paid teachers in the country?) and 17 furlough days will start in the coming weeks.
This is bad for several reasons. Teachers don't make enough money to survive the high cost of living in Hawaii. Many hold second jobs to compensate. And now the state cuts their pay MORE? And.... Hawaii has one of the shortest school days in the country (serious, 1:15 on Wednesdays the kids get out) and now they're taking away 17 days of education for Hawaii's keiki. Not to mention that parents who work one and two jobs per day are now going to have to find a place for their kids to go on furlough fridays. And to top it all off, music academy's are jumping in offering a place to go at $40 PER KID PER DAY.
Seriously... for Hawaii's kids... HAWAII YOU SUCK!!!
4 comments:
So true, so true. We left Maui in November for Oregon. I am not sure w are in our final spot but I am sure leaving Maui WAS the right thing to do. We were sinking fast. We lived frugal and yet were incurring debt just to pay the $500 electric bill and $4.50 gas. Things are affordable here. The parks are maintained ect...
I am homesick though. We ache for the beach. For the smell of the rain upcountry. My kids miss the musubi and manapua....and of course all of our friends and family...I hope we can afford to go back soon for a visit...
Anonymous, thanks for leaving your comment!
I know it's so hard to be homesick. At least you can still make musubi and if you have a Safeway/Randall's they have a frozen manapua bun you can buy (they call is xiu bao or something like that).
It's hard... but definitely we all did the right thing for our kids. Blessings to you!
Oh this is so sad, I remember this being discussed when we were still there. Maui is the hardest place to leave, such an easy lifestyle and perfect weather. I daydream about it every time I am folding socks. Although the future for children growing up on Maui is not filled with opportunities and such beauty. This is the reason we left, thank you Mariah for the reminder. The school system in Australia is so rich in every way. I am so thankful at the moment to be here.
That is so sad. While I am not loving living in Phoenix, I feel like we made the right choice for our family, and this post makes me feel it even more! Love you girl!
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