Gathering Place
By Rachel Takara
We don’t all live
in grass shacks, eitherAs I entered my first year of college in Oregon, I knew things were going to be different from home. No more sunny days, no plate lunches, no bare feet in the room and no comfort from my friends who remained at home. I left behind our weekend routine, Spaghetti Hale on Friday nights followed by piling into someone's room to watch a movie, and Saturday movie nights at Dole. I was off to a new start. I was on my own and I had to make new friends.
While meeting people at college, I could not believe their perceptions of Hawaii.
Some of them think we live in huts. Others do not realize Hawaii is part of the United States. One day, while waiting for class to start, the person sitting next to me introduced himself and asked, "Where are you from?"
I replied with a smile, "Hawaii."
"Really? So, what kind of currency do you use?"
I just stared at him, thinking to myself, is this guy serious? I could not believe he thought Hawaii was another country.
I thought it was funny that some people on the mainland assume that because someone is from Hawaii, he or she is Hawaiian. They do not understand the concept that location does not determine a person's ethnicity. My friend from Salem would introduce me to her family and friends as her "Hawaiian" friend. At first, I thought she said that to indicate that I was from Hawaii. But one day, when it was pouring nonstop outside, we had an interesting conversation while eating lunch in the cafeteria.
"Just out of curiosity, what nationality are you?" I asked my friend.
She laughed a little and said, "I'm 'Heinz 57'. I'm a little bit of everything."
"Like what?"
"Well, I know I'm Indian, Scottish, Irish, German and English. Don't know the rest."
"Whoa! That's cool," I said. "I wish I could say I was that mixed."
"Why? At least you can say you're Hawaiian."
At that moment, I realized she assumed I was of Hawaiian ancestry.
"I'm not really Hawaiian. I was born and raised in Hawaii, but I am actually Japanese-Okinawan."
"Huh?" she asked in confusion. "What do you mean? You're from Hawaii, so that makes you Hawaiian."
I tried to think of the simplest way to explain this situation to her. I tried to clarify: "In Hawaii, we are like a giant melting pot. There are many different ethnicities. We have Hawaiians, Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese, Koreans, Filipinos, Caucasians and many others."
"So are there a lot of Hawaiians, though?" she inquired.
"Well, there are not too many people who are 100 percent Hawaiian anymore. Most who are Hawaiian are mixed. They might be Hawaiian-Chinese or like a poi dog, Hawaiian, Japan-ese, Filipino, Spanish and German."
"Are any of your friends Hawaiian?"
"I only know of one person. Most of them are either Chinese or Japanese. The others are mixed, like Japanese-Portuguese or Chinese-Filipino. Don't worry. The day you come home with me, you'll see what I mean."
It is great to have this opportunity to educate people about Hawaii, to encourage them to learn about different cultures and not be afraid to ask questions. It makes me proud to be from Hawaii. At least now one person's conception of Hawaii has changed a little -- although it is sometimes like trying to explain the difference between sticky rice and Uncle Ben's.
Rachel Takara is a student at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon.