Coming from the land where the palm trees sway to the state where maple leaves fall, junior Nainoa “Chops” Lima and his brother, freshman Na’auali’i Lima, have recently moved from Waianae, on the island of O’ahu, HI, to Berlin.
Not only was the travel from Hawaii to the mainland a difficult process, but the experience of leaving everything the two brothers knew was hard.
“(The hardest part of moving was) knowing that I would be moving away from all my friends, and it wasn’t a close move, so just telling myself that I won’t be seeing them for a long period of time, and not being able to drive to see them,” Nainoa said.
To continue focusing on sports and to avoid the high cost of living, the Lima family first began the moving process in January of this year.
“At first, it was for my brother’s and my football career, so it could go better because the coaches over there had favorites. We came over here for my brother’s college and stuff on the mainland,” Na’auali’i said.
Although Wisconsin is very accustomed to football, we are less familiar with another important sport for the Limas. Hawaii is a state deeply rooted in culture, and surfing may just appear as a Hollywood stereotype. Hawaiian natives are deeply connected to the sport through the water and ancient mountains.
“Everyone surfs. I like surfing. I started surfing at five. We were raised by the water; our house was right there at the beach. We would go every day,” Na’auali’i said.
Both brothers agree that surfing is something that connects the people of Hawaii.
“It’s practically who we are as people. We’re really connected to the ocean and the mountains, so surfing is like a part of us,” Nainoa said.
During his time in Hawaii, Nainoa acted in a movie, “Pe’ahi” 2025 as a supporting role, while his brother acted as an extra in a few scenes. He shared how the production process was less than perfect.
“I played as the main character’s best friend in the movie, so the boy Dustin, I was his best friend. The process was kind of rough because we had to change scripts and fly out to Maui. It took about a year and a half just to make that movie,” Nainoa said.
Geographically, Wisconsin and Hawaii are quite different. Volcanoes don’t erupt in Berlin, and snow doesn’t fall in Hawaii. Along with differences in landscape, the atmosphere and people of Berlin compared to Waianae are also unfamiliar.
“It’s a lot different. There would be homeless people sleeping outside of the school or gas station, there’s not one person sleeping on the ground (in Berlin). The scenery is nothing like Hawaii. I hate the scenery; it’s not tropical,” Na’auli’i said.
Na’auli’i also shared how people in Waianae behave towards each other and any outsiders. He did note how people in Berlin swear less than his neighbors in Hawaii.
“We can go anywhere, but if I have my friends from the mainland, I can’t take them; they won’t get hit or anything, they’ll just get teased, and I won’t like that,” Na’auali’i said.
Na’auali’i said his community not only comes together for football championships, but also to support each other in adversity. Like during times of grief, when their older sibling, No’eau, passed away in a diving accident.
“When my brother died, the community kind of came together for a bit, but then it went back to normal again,” Na’auali’i said.
As Nainoa and Na’auali’i become part of the Berlin community, they only come to school for the second half of the day, after lunch. Even with their short school day, they’ve already made a positive impact on the people around them.
“It’s been great getting to know him and why he moved here, and his background,” at-risk teacher Kristine Block said.
Overall, the Lima brothers say they are grateful for all of the positive experiences that they have had so far.
“Thank you for bringing me and my brother in with open hands and treating us with respect,” Nainoa said.
