To make a long story
short, my passionate love affair brought me to the East Coast of the United States where
my wife (yes she is the American I met in my teens) and I still live with our
multi-cultural children, a ten year old daughter and a teenage son. My father, the
"Hapa Haole" (which in Hawaiian indicates a person who is half Hawaiian and half
white) who is of course also our children's grandfather, still lives in California but
visits often and never misses an opportunity to teach us about his native land. In 1989 I
acquired U.S. citizenship; from 1990 to 1995 we lived in Europe (just to make sure our
kids would be as culturally confused as I was); in 1998 I visited Hawaii, met one of my
Hawaiian cousins and felt very much at home; our house is like a hotel with visitors from
all over the globe; and I am as culturally challenged as ever, but with one major
difference; I now know very clearly where I belong. Everywhere I want to! At home we have
both an espresso machine and a drip style coffee brewer. I learned how to cook risotto and
also enjoy Hawaiian pizza (the one with the pineapple pieces on top). My wife and I
sometimes speak Italian(it's so romantic!). Our CD collection is a musical Tower of Babel
with sounds and songs from all over the world and National Geographic magazines are
ubiquitous throughout the house.
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The world is so
abundant in cultures, why settle for one only? While it is sometimes unsettling to be
different and every now and again the desire to belong firmly to one group still
overwhelms me, I love being multi-cultural. Yes, people occasionally think I'm weird but I
have friends from all over the world and feel like I can enjoy so much the world has to
offer. I'd never give it up for the security of a firm and unequivocal cultural identity.
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