Mackenzie

This is Mackenzie. From her picture, you'd think she's a super sweet girl. And don't get me wrong, she absolutely is. But from what I gather, Mackenzie knows how to take a calculated risk. The one she told us about? Uprooting her entire life that she has ever known by making a move from Hawaii to New York City.

She was born and raised in Hawaii and has been on the North shore for her entire life. More specifically, she says she lives near sunset beach. If you haven't heard of Sunset beach, it's a world famous beach that hosts massive surf competitions each year. The stakes are huge for these surfers, and so are the waves. Being on the North Shore, she says her and her classmates used to joke about running up to an old military bunker in the mountains if there was ever a Tsunami. I hesitantly laughed along. Was this a big possibility? She says people don't lay awake at night thinking about it, but that yes, if there were ever a tsunami on Oahu, the North shore would be the first hit. Apparently, they're right in the tsunami zone, and there are always threats during 'tsunami season.' Nothing ever happens, however. Being from Ohio, I can't even fathom having to worry about this possibility. I suppose she probably feels the same about tornados.

She tells us she just graduated from high school and is officially an adult. She says her school is very tight-knit, because the community isn't all that large. "You kinda just grow up with these people your entire life." We asked her why she would want to leave for college. She echos the same sentiment about being close-knit and small, but this time geared toward Hawaii's population as a whole. She says that she knows there is so much more out there. She even knows people who have never left Hawaii. When she says 'never,' the word almost bites. As if she can't believe this. To be fair, it's hard for me to grasp too. "They don't plan on leaving ever either," she says. She tells us that what she would eventually like to go into for a career is fashion, and Hawaii is just not that place. She tells us there must be so many more opportunities out there. This brings us back to Uncle Ben. He had told us the same thing..."our children are leaving for mainland U.S...there's just not the opportunities there used to be here. Thing's are too expensive now."

We asked if despite her opinions on wanted to leave, if she feels fortunate to have grown up in Hawaii. She says that although she feels incredibly lucky, 'it's not an easy place to live. The economy is just kinda terrible. It's so expensive." She tells us the first time she realized this for herself was when she took a ski trip to Montana. Her practically dropped when she saw the price of bread. "A dollar?!! That was for the entire loaf. It's like, at least five dollars here," she exclaimed.

"How has tourism changed since you've grown up here?" we asked. "If you drive in the direction," she points," it's just so unbelievably congested with traffic." People can only leave the North shore in early morning or late night now unless you want to get stuck in an hour o traffic caused by tourists. For the most part, however tourists don't bother her. She says they mostly have a good laugh by making fun of tourists. She says that at her high school for senior week, they had a "tourist Tuesday." I'm sure you can guess what everyone was dressed as. When we asked if there was any particularly good aspect of tourism, she was quick to point out that it was how a lot of people were able to make an income in Hawaii. "Food trucks, vacation rentals, cleaners, gift shops...but recently there's been a bill going around to shut down vacation rentals." I asked why. Apparently, they're illegal, she tells us. Just recently though, they've started to really crack down on it. She seems very worried about this though, and tells us it might just ruin their entire economy, and for some people, their entire source of income.

Speaking of incomes being threatened, we ask her about Hawaii's homeless problem. She says something that concerns me. She calls these groups of homeless people 'camps.' And it makes complete sense. There are so many homeless people in Hawaii that there are very apparent, and distinct areas completely made of tents. It's nothing out of the ordinary. She says this isn't the half of it. There are many more apparently, that we just didn't see. She tells us that the homeless problem has been that bad for "as long as she can remember."

She tells us when there's surf competitions in January, there's people from all over the world who come visit. She laughs when we ask her if she surfs. I ask if it's because the water scares her, maybe projecting my rational for avoiding the water at all costs. She tells us she's not scared of water, perhaps, because it is so deeply ingrained in Hawaiian culture. She says sharks don't scare her either, and even goes as far as to say that "they're cute." I looked at her like she's crazy. She explains further that there's been a lot of shark sitings lately, but that they just don't typically bother you. Last week for example, she says her friends were laughing about seeing a shark WHILE they were surfing. Although this would terrify me, she isn't the first Hawaiian to tell me that sharks are friendly and mean you no harm.

To wrap up our conversation we simply ask her, "what piece of advice would you give to someone?" She hesitates for a moment with serene music playing in the store background. "I guess like... I would just say, ya know, it's okay to leave." She says she can't believe that people she knows aren't leaving, and that it's "insane" to her. "You can leave this sheltered community. Everything is just so different here. It's hard to even describe." She thinks it's important to leave and experience new things and new cultures. This hits close to home, as this was the premise of our entire STEP project. The funny thing is, Mackenzie and I were headed in opposite directions.

Maybe it's because she is so similar to us in age, but I find it funny that the thing's she says are some of the things that I feel too on a daily basis even on the opposite side of the world. She is scared to go off to college, and says she isn't the best at making friends. We try to reassure her. "You seem super nice," I say. I really believe that. If we were to grow up in the same place, I want to believe we might have even been friends. Even growing up in Hawaii, she echos the same thought of children all over America as they're preparing to leave for college. It's scary.