When Barack Obama wants to unwind, he heads home. And home for the president just happens to be an island paradise.
The president and his family are currently in Hawaii through the New Year for their annual Christmas vacation, and after eight straight years, they've now perfected their routine of hiking, dining, golfing, swimming and, above all, rest and relaxation.
Hawaii's scenery, culture and history hold an undeniably important place in POTUS's heart -- and he hasn't been shy about expressing that.
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Below, a look at why Obama loves the Aloha State, in his own words, because as Michelle Obama has said, "You can’t really understand Barack until you understand Hawaii."
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President Obama referring to his upbringing in Hawaii and Indonesia. Overheard during a meeting with leaders of five island nations at the 21st Conference of the Parties, or COP21.
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Part of a statement issued by President Obama shortly after the Hawaii legislature gave final approval to a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in November 2013.
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Published in 1999 in an essay for the Punahou Bulletin, two decades after Obama's high school graduation.
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