Transitioning to "Resident"

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Our abode replete with rainbows

It had to happen.  At some point, any place you move to, stops being completely new and starts to be your residence.  This is true whether you move across the street or across the world.  
 
A year is plenty of time to allow this transition.
 
For us, this transition to "resident" has definitely been underway.
 
In this transition, things are experienced differently.
 
Instead of finding a new doctor, we are scheduling appointments and refilling prescriptions.
 
Instead of always looking things up on GPS, I know my way around more intuitively.
 
Instead of meeting new people all the time at work, there are the beginning of familiarity and patterns.
 
There are even the beginnings of familiar routines, such as shopping at Costco.
 

 
 
Even my weekly role on our KNDI 1270 AM radio show feels less awkward; I am starting to relax and enjoy the experience more.
 
Transitioning Perspectives
 
Being a newcomer has a unique perspective.  And "newness" is only a short period.  That is why I wrote so much for this blog at the beginning.  I knew the experience of being "new" fades quickly.  
 
New places, new culture, new people.  The lens of being "new" allows one to see things that locals can not easily see.
 
The same can be said for those of us in the process of becoming a resident.  While we amalgamate into the community, our perspectives change.  I use the word "process" consciously.   It is a transition.
 
The process of developing a sense of place allows one's critical eye to appear.  How good is Waipahu (and O'ahu) at welcoming?  What are some of the warts and bumps for new residents, as they learn to adjust?  What could be improved?
 
Then there are the mundane aspects and opinions, that begin to appear as one enters this phase.  For example:
 
What do I like about living in Waipahu?  At some point, the place one lives becomes about creature comforts, routines, "favorite" places, and, well, little things.  Where I like to shop, walk, eat, and relax, all begin to appear in an internal (and malleable) list in my head.  Some of these are in Waipahu, some are not.  Some are familiar to places I used to haunt in Michigan, many are completely different in Waipahu and on O'ahu.  Still, ultimately, it is fickle me (and us) that makes these seemingly small opinion-choices.  And they matter.  

From New Home to Home 
 
There are cues and clues that one is starting to call one's new home simply home.  Some of these are like the examples I gave above.  Some are more internal, mental, spiritual.  One's brain and emotions become plugged into the local feed, the local vibe, the way things are. 
 
Friends and Family Help - A Lot
 
In this transition phase, the role of friends and family can not be understated.
 
My new friends have given me "the red carpet" treatment.  They have given us a feeling of aloha, of true welcome.  They have stretched me a great deal.  I thank God that I have been open to the stretching, allowing myself to grow with these new experiences.
 
Below is a photo of the shirt two new friends brought back from their trip to the Philippines. 
 
 
At times, I wonder if the equation is equal.  What am I bringing to them, that would prompt them to extend such friendship?  But like any good friend -- new or old -- such equations are meaningless.  Friends are friends because they are.
 
My old friends, and my family, have also been invaluable.  Those that have stayed in touch with me through this transition process have helped ground me, whether checking in about current event in baseball, continuing to share stories, listening to me, or simply taking interest, such as following this blog.
 
 
For example, when the new Pope (Leo XIV) was announced on May 8, 2025, many of us questioned whether he (born Robert Francis Prevost) was a fan of the Chicago Cubs or some other team.  Well, the photo above was part of that, as even the Cubs home office got it wrong.  It turns out that the new pope grew up as a Chicago White Sox fan.  Such questions have helped keep me grounded, as I move further into life in Hawai'i.
 
Our Pets Help 
 
Last month, our pets returned from Michigan, led by my wife's return from a brief visit.  Our dog and two cats were instant symbols of the transition to residency.  
 
There is nothing like picking up dog poop on Hawai'i to make one feel at home on the islands.  
 
Pets are physical-spiritual beings, and they live close to creation.  They are now accompanying me, as we share with the aina together.  "Aina" can be translated as land in Hawaiian.  But like many Hawaiian terms, it carries deeper cultural-spiritual meaning.  The aina is alive and one has a relationship with it, no matter who you are. 
 
Esther

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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