Ivonne

"I don't feel like I'm rushing anywhere like I did in Honolulu. Everything there was so fast paced."

"I have friends that I met in college that I met from the mainland. And sometimes when they would talk about their experience it felt like there was this disconnect. A girl I knew came here and expected to party when she came here because of her siblings experience. But here everyone is very focused on their education, that's how college is set up."

I really enjoyed talking with Ivonne. Although she was skeptical of us at first, she soon became very easy to talk to. Her comments about everyone rushing around really resonated with me. Even in a place most people would be quick to characterize as 'peaceful,' you still have people rushing around in the city. She mentioned too that people are always moving, working up to three jobs to afford the cost of living. The 'paradise' most people like to associate Hawaii with is reserved for vacationers and those with the luxury of money.