Starting on the Streets of Kalihi

​​My Journey: 10 Years of Procrastinating

My name is Jaz. I always wanted to start a blog about my journey — from growing up in Hawaii to moving to the Mainland. Many of my friends would ask me about moving. So I decided to help others make wise, educated decisions about relocating, and this is my project for you. Life hasn’t always been greener on the other side. There were lots of hardships and failures along the way, and it's been a long road to where I am today, and I’m still on that road chasing my dreams.

It was All in My Head

Every time I would get an idea, I would start writing, designing, posting on social media, creating logos, etc. Everything had to be perfect. Then the self-doubt, fear of rejection, fear of failure, and the “what-will-people-think” syndrome would kick in — and everything would come to a screeching halt. The file would just sit on my desktop, taking up space for years.

However, the idea never left me. My ultimate goal was always to give valuable insights and resources to those contemplating leaving the islands. To achieve that goal, I knew I needed to get off my ass, share my personal experiences, and interview other locals who moved beyond Hawaii.

About Me

Nothing is harder than focusing and telling a story about yourself — especially when your world isn’t all that greener. My life is far from a fairytale dream or a rags-to-riches story. But it's the experiences and memories that I have made in Hawaii before moving to Las Vegas in 2012, I will always cherish. Many of you can relate to my story. I hope it will give you the inspiration and insights to see what life is beyond Hawaii.

Don’t get me wrong, I love hearing other people’s success stories. But honestly, I’m more interested in hearing how locals hit rock bottom and overcame obstacles and hardships to get where they are now.

So here’s my story. Let this be the start of a journey and project I envisioned over 10 years ago.

City with no Pity Kalihi

Kalihi Will Always Be Home

Born and raised in Hawaii, growing up in Kalihi was the best time of my life. Kalihi, located in Honolulu just 5–10 minutes from the airport, is a small town filled with mom-and-pop stores and industrial shops. Kalihi’s boundaries stretch from Aliamanu to Pali Highway (west to east) and from the Koʻolau Ridge to the shoreline (north to south).

Fishing at Lagoon Drive with Kalihi in the background

Kalihi has always been a diverse community — Filipinos, Hawaiians, Samoans, Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese — people who came from around the world to work in Hawaii’s pineapple and sugarcane fields. Kalihi was their place to settle.

Rubbah Slippahs and Gilligan’s Island

As kids, we played freely with neighborhood friends all day. Our parents let us stay outside until the sun went down — that was the signal to head home, or else you were gonna catch the "slippahs" (get whacked)!

I remember riding my Schwinn bike with the yellow banana seat, heading to Kalihi Stream (aka Pikey Pond) to catch prawns, jojo eels, and swordtail guppies. It was like a prize catch to put them into my homemade glass jar aquarium. We slid down mossy slopes on our boogie boards, building memories that lasted forever.

In the streets of Kalihi, kids ran barefoot — holding their slippahs in their hands because it supposedly made you run faster, like a hand paddle in the water. Of course, that also meant tearing the skin off your toes and ripping off a few toenails along the way.

Street games we played included:

• One catch-all

• Chase master

• Jump over the river

• Hide and seek

• Sky hinie

• Hawaiian-style football

It was always a fun time, with little to no rules.

Family Gatherings Were Everything.

Neighborhood BBQs, birthday parties, or any special occasion meant everyone chipped in and went all out.

We'd roast a pig in the backyard while aunties and uncles made their favorite Filipino dishes. On the grill: Palani or Kala fish roasted over hot coals, chicken wings lightly sprayed with shoyu till golden brown.

There was always that one uncle singing karaoke — trying to sound like Engelbert Humperdinck (with too much reverb) or Frank Sinatra’s My Way (20 times). Meanwhile, in the other corner of the garage, card games were going down — Pepito and Paiute were the favorites. Even when there wasn’t a big event, those card games were daily therapy for the elders.

Growing Up in the Late '70s and '80s

The late ‘70s and ‘80s were the best times to grow up. The fun we had outside on the streets — with no phones, no social media — was pure freedom.

Going to School

I was raised on Kopke Street, just below King Street. My school district was Kalihi Waena Elementary. Each morning, I would walk north on Gulick Avenue to get there.

Along the way were many great stops:

• Naka’s Delicatessen

• Gulick Delicatessen

• Kalihi Super Meats

• Kalihi Fishing Supply

• Paul’s Bakery

• Island Manapua

  
  

After school, I’d run home to eat last night’s leftovers or cook a quick meal — saimin with egg, or cream of mushroom soup over rice topped with Libby’s Vienna sausage — just in time to catch my favorite show, Gilligan’s Island.

Kalakaua Intermediate School is nestled next to Kam Housing. Kalakaua is where I met a lot of my lifelong friends. Running away from campus walkers, cutting class to go surf, lunch breaks meant waiting for the white Manapua Van and sneaking off campus to buy the best Manapua, Pork Hash, and the fried noodles was the best, simply made with soy sauce, and a sprinkle of kamaboko and green onions — packed in a small wax paper package. We made sure the campus walkers weren’t watching before we returned, or else it's detention time.

Then came Farrington High School. Meeting new friends from different parts of Kalihi was exciting — but it was also dangerous. In the 1980s, gang activity was rampant. The Samoans were the Bloods and Crips; the Filipinos had the HB’s (Hawaii Bros). Territorial disputes broke out around Kam IV Housing, KPT (Kuhio Park Terrace), and Mayor Wright Housing. At times, it felt like Kalihi vs. Waipahu. I had close friends who lost their lives due to gang affiliations or simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The ICE Epidemic

Drugs — especially Crystal Meth (Ice or Batu) — destroyed many lives. It shattered friendships, broke apart families, and ultimately led to death. I lost two family members to ICE:

• My cousin, just a few years older than me, died at 32, leaving behind two young children.

• My uncle died in his early 40s, leaving behind three children.

You could tell when someone was high on Ice — it was painfully obvious.

Party Life

Partying in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s was different from today. It was about clubbing, hotel parties, garage parties with full DJs, building custom cars, and convoying down Ala Moana Boulevard to Magic Island.

Some of the clubs we would go to:

• Oceans 808

• Rumors Night Club

• Cilliys

• Masquerades

• Point After

• World Cafe

We would cruise through Waikīkī, around Diamond Head, sometimes ending up at Sandy Beach Park, then finishing the night with a midnight snack at Zippy’s on Kapahulu.

We didn’t sit on phones or watch YouTube all day. We lived and played outside.

The Beach Life

The beach was always part of our life — BBQs, fishing, surfing, and more fishing.

We would wake up early to fish at Honolulu Harbor with our fishing gear tied to our bikes. We would ride to the piers of the harbor and spend the whole day fishing. Sometimes we would catch, and there are times when we caught absolutely nothing, whether we did or not main thing we were fishing, that's all it matters. Surfing at Sand Island Beach Park was a daily almost a daily routine. We would surf after school, after work, and anytime we had a free chance to get in the water. Sand Island was where a lot of us would gather and hang out.

Honolulu Harbor

First Papio caught in Honolulu Harbor

Come Back for Blog 2

This was a small glimpse into my childhood growing up in Kalihi. Hawaii has so much to offer — outdoor recreation, amazing food, strong family ties, and lifelong friendships.

In my next blog, I'll share the reasons why I left Hawaii and moved to Las Vegas — including some hardships, and even sleeping in the parking lot where I once spent the night.

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See you in the next blog!