Hailing from a quiet cul-de-sac on the North Shore of Oahu, I thought that my move from Hawaii to Upstate New York would be a complete inversion of the only life I knew. I was surprised, however, to find myself seamlessly adjusting to Ithaca, once I was equipped with a set of North Face jackets (one for rain, one for snow, and one never to take off).
Every winter break I made the long trek home to be greeted by family and friends waiting for me to grumble about the East Coast: it’s too far, it’s too cold, no surf, etc. But every January I mystified them with my desire to return to snowy Ithaca.
The differences between Ithaca and Hawaii are tremendous, from the most obvious seasonal fluctuations to the different words we use for flip-flops (in Hawaii we call them “slippahs”). But I had expected all of this; If I’d wanted to go to college somewhere more familiar, I would have joined my high school peers who flocked to California. Instead I braced myself for change—leaving my family, swimsuits, and Pidgin English at home, making room for new friends, winter boots, and the language of academia.
Perhaps I overcompensated—bracing myself for a shock by wearing layer upon layer of sweaters and stocking up on Hawaiian snacks—but I was struck by something like deja vu as I drove through Ithaca for the first time. The quaint houses perched around Cayuga Lake and the independent shops clustered on the Commons reminded me of the unhurried ambiance of home.
If I were to make a Venn Diagram of Oahu and Ithaca, you’d be surprised by their overlapping personalities. Like Oahu, Ithaca is happily removed from the hustle and bustle of larger cities. The majority of people on Oahu and in Ithaca are transplants, contributing to a population of students, families, and businesses from all around the world. The natural beauty found in Ithaca and Oahu invokes a sense of pride and responsibility, evident in the slogans “Ithaca is Gorges” and Oahu’s growing environmental campaign to “Keep the Country Country.”
In Hawaiian, Oahu means “the gathering place,” capturing the island’s persistent attraction for those who live there or continue to visit year after year. The name Ithaca also recalls a symbolic gathering place—the Greek isle that was the ultimate destination in Homer’s Odyssey. When people ask me how I made the transition across the country’s geographic extremes, I’m happy to share that it’s easy to move from one island home to another.
— Brooke LaPorte ’14